Change It All

I was up unnecessarily late last night, but I had some things on my mind that I just wanted to express. In that moment, poetry was my mode of choice and these words just flew right off my tongue. These things have just been clouding my thoughts and I want to share them to free up some cerebral space :)


CHANGE IT ALL
by Karissa Thomas

Sometimes you have to let go,
And just start free falling through the sky,
As the world is a blur before your eyes.
Just spread your arms wide and hope you can fly,
Or that someone will catch your fall.
Because sometimes all you can do is change it all.

Sometimes you have to break free,
And shatter the glass pane with dissent.
Don’t look back. Just leave ev’ry fragment.
Create a doorway where others can follow,
Or watch you as they try to stall.
Because sometimes all you can do is change it all.

Sometimes you have to push on,
Just pass by the Sirens, singing sweet;
Tempting tongues, but they’re full of deceit.
Speak a word of truth into the darkness,
So a light may cover their call.
Because sometimes all you can do is change it all.

Sometimes you have to reach out.
Draw up dry tinder. Set a spark,
Fan the flame. Let passion make its mark.
Burn the walls down with consuming fire,
To rebuild a love-laden hall.
Because sometimes all you can do is change it all.

Humilty, Servitude and Obedience

I got into a great discussion with my friend and he asked me for help on a college application essay. He had to talk about how one who follows Christ, is one who has humility, a heart of servitude, and obedience.

My reply actually surprised myself. It was simple and yet profound, and definitely something I could not have come up with on my own:

Humility comes when we recognize how awesome God is and how much we need to rely on Him. We cannot live as a follower of Christ on our own, we must admit that we need Him.
Servitude is a reflection of how much Jesus did for us. We did not deserve his perfect self to die for us, but he did it for us anyway. We then serve other people, whether they are deserving or not, to show them God's love. We act as God's hands on the earth; Him doing through us what he wants to be done for those he loves.
Obedience comes as we learn to trust God's leading. When we, as believers, lend ourselves to his will, we must learn obedience or else forfeit our ability to follow him completely.

As I said, I actually learned from something I just said. (It probably wasn't me saying it, it was just my reiteration of what God was telling me.)

Stuns Me Still

Spring Break of 2007 was an experience unlike any other I have encountered. I traveled with a group of about thirty volunteers from my church to Slidell, Louisiana, east of New Orleans. I had looked forward to this trip for months, and I was overwhelmed and elated to have the opportunity to help the individuals who had lost everything due to the relentless Hurricane Katrina. Upon arrival at our host Church, we were greeted by, as it seemed to us northwesterners, an overdose of southern hospitality. The pastor and other members of the community were so jovial and accommodating that I wondered which of us were here to be the servants!

I remember the sights and stories so vividly, that it feels almost as if I had experienced the struggles and catastrophic event first hand. Driving through the Ninth Ward was one of the most eye-opening excursions of the week. Everything was in a state of utter destruction and scantiness: heaping piles of debris, shattered windows, walls that had been whipped through by ruthless winds, roofs that had collapsed or were left as nothing but tattered shingles. It was like an eerie ghost town, abandoned and desolate with only a few signs of life or homeliness. The realization of how much this catastrophe had impacted the community was shocking, yet nothing else could motivate us more than recognizing that we were here to bring some hope back into these people’s lives.

The work started. We were assigned the job of digging the foundation for the church’s new Disaster Relief Center. Despite the intense heat, rock-hard clay, and blisters, we managed to make it through the day in good spirits. Even with the eye-opening tour and the hands-on labor, the most life-changing encounter that ensued was simply meeting members of the community, specifically Mrs. Vi Harrison. Vi had been diagnosed with breast cancer a couple years earlier, but the cancer had more recently spread to her brain. Yet, beyond her weak stature and tired face, she seemed to be glowing with joy. I listened intently as she spilled out the profundity of her heart. In the midst of a fatal disease, topped off with a national catastrophe right in her backyard, she was fully trusting that God is in control. She just knew that God would heal her! She believed it. The idea that someone in her situation could consider each day as such a blessing from God touched me beyond all comprehension.

Although Vi passed away 8 months later, her life was full, she was healed, and she was taken home to be with the Lord. It was that simple happenstance meeting that revealed to me something I will never forget. I realized how immensely blessed I am and how much I take for granted; I recognized that I should consider every day a blessing from God and how much more I must thank Him. I'm still stunned, almost 2 years later. Even now it leaves me speechless, as though my rambling words could never do justice the inexpressible joy of this realization. I went to Louisiana to bless others, and in doing so, I was blessed in return.

Intelligence

One of the essay prompts that I had to respond to on my Point Loma application was quite intriguing. The following is my reflection on the given quote that I thought I would share:


The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function." - F. Scott Fitzgerald.


"It is one thing to take another’s idea and to consider it one’s own, to anchor it as the truth of the matter, regardless of alternate vantage points that may exist on the issue. However, “first-rate intelligence” is a different issue. The smartest, and considerably the wisest people, analyze what they come to learn. They delve into the essence of the issue to see beyond the plainly stated to a point in opposition or perhaps interpret a concept easily misconstrued by others. As F. Scott Fitzgerald also said, “Either you think– or else others have to think for you and take power from you…” and so blemish one’s intelligence. Ideas from others should only be the basis for one’s personal stand on an issue. People who are able to second-guess the opinions or ideas of others are more prone to discover truth. To take in different views, chew on them for a while and then formulate a well-rounded and supported belief, whether similar or in opposition to the original concept, is how wisdom is founded and truth is seen. If someone were to declare the notion that Allah is the creator of the world, one could consider this thought a reality or look further to discover where the truth lies. To be able to see and understand multiple sides of a matter with open-mindedness or be able to approach a thought from different angles, all while maintaining composure, contemplation and confidence in the truth, marks real, first-rate intelligence."

Seeing a Sea of Majesty

I had the marvelous opportunity of traveling to the beach with some of my best friends yesterday. We packed up our superfluous amount of bags, and drove through the beautiful evergreen forests of Oregon to the charming little town of Cannon Beach.

To me, the beach has always been a place of escapade, excitement and insightful realization. As a child, I remember the highlights of every trip to the beach as being sand-castle building, sand-crab catching and wave dodging. I could never wait to get messy building and forming sand creations, unbeknownst by me that they would be washed away come high tide. Later, tide pools became the attraction of interest; catching hermit crabs, tricking sea anemones into closing their feely tentacles around my intrusive fingers, and peering into nooks and crannies for other creatures became my means of entertainment.

As I learned more, as I was able to comprehend things beyond the visual and tangible aspects of life, a whole new level of appreciation arose. I’m not sure when the switch occurred, but at some point the beach became a place of much more than simple and trivial discoveries; there came a point when I would look out across the sand, past the rolling waves, onward to the horizon and continue gazing into the sky and the clouds and… the very majesty of God. To stand on the edge of where the land meets the sea, and pause for even one second to take in the beauty of that single moment is altogether indescribable. The sunlight dancing across water in the ever moving current, the vapor rising from the waves and fading into the air, the innumerable grains of soft sand between my toes, the silhouette of seagulls eclipsing the sun as they fly above the endless horizon… there is no end to the majesty of God. To be a part of His creation, to be delighted in more than this glorious, vast ocean scene, to be loved by the creator of this picturesque beauty, translates into something deeper than simply seeing. The beach is one of the most powerful, undeniable displays of God. When I stand, with my feet submerged in the sand, and stop for this one moment in time, I am fully assured that my belief in God is far greater than any other thing in existence.

Even going to the beach with my girls to hangout, play soccer, gaze at clouds, eat ice-cream, and laugh uncontrollably, gives me an opportunity to pause for one moment and be reminded of the majesty of God.