Hello world,
If you can't tell already, I'm a very passionate person. It is very difficult for me to just be indifferent about something. There are very few subjects that I don't have any opinions on. I can't tell you why I am like this, I just am. I've tried many times before to not have opinions and just be one of those people who simply smile and nod at everything. It does not work, though.
It wasn't until recently that I became grateful for having this passionate personality. I was put into a group this semester with two other people. One of these two was the type of person I was just talking about.. The type of person who just smiles and nods and doesn't ever express any type of opinion. She was hands down the dullest person I've ever met. I mean, the girl wouldn't even tell me what background for a power point she liked more. I just wanted to slap her so that I could see some type of emotion come out of her. Terrible, I know, but very true.
After being forced to meet with this very lame and dull girl at least once every week for the past semester, I developed a love for my passionate personality. I am so glad that God did not create me dull and boring. I'm so happy that I have opinions and passion.
Anyways, I'll write another "passionate" blog soon. My life should calm down once exams are over and I'll be more consistent with my blogging. :)
-Marissa
42 days til Kenya!!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Image bearers
I'm reading Sex God by Rob Bell along with two of my friends. We just started this book club sort of deal. We've got a list of books that we all want to read and then we get together and discuss them. Last night was the first official night of our book club get-together. It was great. We just sat around and talked about what we've gotten out of what we've read thus far. We picked out various pages and sentences that really stuck out to us. The one paragraph that really got me thinking was:
"The writer of Genesis makes it clear that in all of creation there is something different about humans. They aren't God, and they aren't going to become God, but in some distinct, intentional way, something of God has been placed in them. We reflect what God is and who God is. A divine spark resides in every single human being.
Everybody, everywhere. Bearers of the divine image."
This really got me thinking. It is without question that we are different than every other creature on the planet and that God did make us special. However, I don't know how or why but I've never really thought that deep into that concept.
We are supposed to reflect what God is and who God is? What are flipping responsibility! We really suck at this, don't we? I mean, the fact that I represent the Creator of ALL is just scary. I'm so far from perfect, and He is all that is perfect. I can't even make an A on a Spanish test, but He created the people who speak Spanish! I am just so far from being anything like God that is hard for me to think that I am a reflection of Him.
What if we really took this concept to heart though? What if we really, truly lived as though we are bearers of the divine image? How great would life be if our goal was to truly represent God? How blessed are we that God chose US to bear His perfect and beautiful image? Just something to think about. :)
That is all for now!
-Rissa
63 days til Kenya!
oh, and HEY JENN! :o)
"The writer of Genesis makes it clear that in all of creation there is something different about humans. They aren't God, and they aren't going to become God, but in some distinct, intentional way, something of God has been placed in them. We reflect what God is and who God is. A divine spark resides in every single human being.
Everybody, everywhere. Bearers of the divine image."
This really got me thinking. It is without question that we are different than every other creature on the planet and that God did make us special. However, I don't know how or why but I've never really thought that deep into that concept.
We are supposed to reflect what God is and who God is? What are flipping responsibility! We really suck at this, don't we? I mean, the fact that I represent the Creator of ALL is just scary. I'm so far from perfect, and He is all that is perfect. I can't even make an A on a Spanish test, but He created the people who speak Spanish! I am just so far from being anything like God that is hard for me to think that I am a reflection of Him.
What if we really took this concept to heart though? What if we really, truly lived as though we are bearers of the divine image? How great would life be if our goal was to truly represent God? How blessed are we that God chose US to bear His perfect and beautiful image? Just something to think about. :)
That is all for now!
-Rissa
63 days til Kenya!
oh, and HEY JENN! :o)
Monday, April 6, 2009
"Even the best fall down sometimes"
Hello everyone!
Sorry it has been a while since my last post. This week has been filled with endless projects, major tests, ridiculous amounts of homework and crazy hours spent working at Chicos. However, I have a little bit of time now soo.. Here goes a new post!
Ever since I can remember I've had certain people in my life that I hold to very high standards. For instance, my old youth minister. When I was 13 she was the perfect image of what a woman of God is (and she still is that to me!). I couldn't ever picture her doing anything wrong, never messing up, always being perfect. It was like she was my own personal Jesus. She was perfect in my eyes. To this day I remember how upset I was when I figured out that she had made mistakes in her past and wasn't the person of perfection that I made her out to be. It broke my heart to think that the one person that I desired to be just like, the one person that I loved and looked up to the most makes mistakes like the rest of the world.
I wish I could say that she was the only person I've ever held to such unfair standards, but unfortunately it is something I still struggle with. It makes me sick to think that I do this. I know what it feels like to have such pressure put on you to be this ideal person that people look up to. I think everyone has felt that feeling before. That feeling that someone is counting on you and to mess up would be to break their heart.
I've really spent a lot of time thinking about this lately. I've been let down, yet again, by holding people to these unrealistic standards. I realize that I'm completely absurd to expect people not to mess up, but I'm working on that! After a lot of thinking, though, I've come to two conclusions.
My first conclusion is that Satan completely uses this whole search for perfection in others to his power. Think about it for a second.. We don't hold the drug addicts or prostitutes to these high standards, but rather the Church girls that memorize Bible verses. It doesn't hurt us or let us down when the "bad kids" get caught drinking or smoking. However, if one of the girls from the youth group gets caught drinking the entire town hears about it. Everyone looks to Christians to be great and perfect. Even the Church puts pressure on you to "walk the walk". Don't get me wrong, I completely think that we should be different and try our best to abide by God's laws. However, it is a lot of pressure and Satan is aware of this. Why do you think that the Preacher's kids always have the reputation for being the crazy ones? The whole "goody-goody" role gets old after a while.. Sometimes the idea of being "of the world" seems quite appealing. I think that this is all Satan. He twists the whole good-girl and good-boy reputations into something negative. Also, Satan uses the fall of others to break our hearts and make us loose hope.
The second conclusion I've come to is that we all desire perfection. I think it is without question that everyone wants to believe that there is someone out there who will never let them down or disappoint them. It just kind of hit me today as I was driving down the road that Jesus truly is the only one that will ever fill that void of 'perfection' in our lives. It isn't that I didn't already know he was the only perfect person, but that the whole idea of someone truly never messing up seems to be completely out of my realm of reality.
I think it is beautiful that we desire and thirst for perfection. I think it is even more beautiful that our Father provided that for us through Jesus. It's just one of the many things He managed to accomplish through sending Him for us.
That is all for now. Enjoy the rest of the week!
-Rissa
64 days til Kenya!!!!
Sorry it has been a while since my last post. This week has been filled with endless projects, major tests, ridiculous amounts of homework and crazy hours spent working at Chicos. However, I have a little bit of time now soo.. Here goes a new post!
Ever since I can remember I've had certain people in my life that I hold to very high standards. For instance, my old youth minister. When I was 13 she was the perfect image of what a woman of God is (and she still is that to me!). I couldn't ever picture her doing anything wrong, never messing up, always being perfect. It was like she was my own personal Jesus. She was perfect in my eyes. To this day I remember how upset I was when I figured out that she had made mistakes in her past and wasn't the person of perfection that I made her out to be. It broke my heart to think that the one person that I desired to be just like, the one person that I loved and looked up to the most makes mistakes like the rest of the world.
I wish I could say that she was the only person I've ever held to such unfair standards, but unfortunately it is something I still struggle with. It makes me sick to think that I do this. I know what it feels like to have such pressure put on you to be this ideal person that people look up to. I think everyone has felt that feeling before. That feeling that someone is counting on you and to mess up would be to break their heart.
I've really spent a lot of time thinking about this lately. I've been let down, yet again, by holding people to these unrealistic standards. I realize that I'm completely absurd to expect people not to mess up, but I'm working on that! After a lot of thinking, though, I've come to two conclusions.
My first conclusion is that Satan completely uses this whole search for perfection in others to his power. Think about it for a second.. We don't hold the drug addicts or prostitutes to these high standards, but rather the Church girls that memorize Bible verses. It doesn't hurt us or let us down when the "bad kids" get caught drinking or smoking. However, if one of the girls from the youth group gets caught drinking the entire town hears about it. Everyone looks to Christians to be great and perfect. Even the Church puts pressure on you to "walk the walk". Don't get me wrong, I completely think that we should be different and try our best to abide by God's laws. However, it is a lot of pressure and Satan is aware of this. Why do you think that the Preacher's kids always have the reputation for being the crazy ones? The whole "goody-goody" role gets old after a while.. Sometimes the idea of being "of the world" seems quite appealing. I think that this is all Satan. He twists the whole good-girl and good-boy reputations into something negative. Also, Satan uses the fall of others to break our hearts and make us loose hope.
The second conclusion I've come to is that we all desire perfection. I think it is without question that everyone wants to believe that there is someone out there who will never let them down or disappoint them. It just kind of hit me today as I was driving down the road that Jesus truly is the only one that will ever fill that void of 'perfection' in our lives. It isn't that I didn't already know he was the only perfect person, but that the whole idea of someone truly never messing up seems to be completely out of my realm of reality.
I think it is beautiful that we desire and thirst for perfection. I think it is even more beautiful that our Father provided that for us through Jesus. It's just one of the many things He managed to accomplish through sending Him for us.
That is all for now. Enjoy the rest of the week!
-Rissa
64 days til Kenya!!!!
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