Guilt is an interesting phenomenon. It's beneficial because it means we recognize our sin and the tension we have with goodness, but sometimes it can pop up when we are not actually doing something wrong. I mean, we're always sinful, but sometimes we feel we should have done something when in actuality, we made a perfectly justifiable decision. Sometimes it's because of something someone else has said, but usually, it just nags.
If you ever want to make someone feel guilty, I'm a pretty easy target. This last week I've had a couple situations rolling around in my head: "I should have spent more time with her... I shouldn't be pestering him... I should have worked harder on that." Guilt is so effective because it is true in some respect. I remember a sermon once, talking about Satan's devices. One point was it works because it's [potentially twisted, manipulated] truth! Sure, I should have spent more time working on that assignment, but does pining over it help? The trick is to move on and not make the same mistake again
What I'm slowly learning each day is that Jesus died for our sins. Sounds like a Christian should know that, but I don't think we realize what that means each day. If I do something wrong, it's over. It's pointless trying to punish myself for things that He has already been punished for, if the guilt is caused by authentic sin. As Paul said, "If God is for us, who can be against us?... Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died- more than that, who was raised- who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us." (Rom 8:31b, 34)
Today I was back in the McCulloch Museum. You may remember my post, just two weeks ago about the joyful yellow tang fish that caught my attention. Well, today he had a friend. It was a little wrasse, fluttering about.
While I was reading next to them, the professor who cares for that tank came in and was talking to another student about them. The three of us watched them flutter about, and the professor was telling us about the alpha characteristics of the yellow tang. He said that last Saturday, they had introduced a blue tang into the tank, and the next time he checked, there was not a trace of it! My eyes must have bulged. Our dear Sunshine! A cannibal!
It made me think though, about pets and how I hardly know that fish and think it's cute, but have no knowledge of the species as a whole. It happens a lot with dogs. People see this cute puppy they want, but have no real sense of the discipline and patience it takes to train a dog.
I've been thinking a bit recently if I want to have a dog when I'm "all grown up." Part of me does. I've always had one, and I appreciate the company and security. It's an excuse to go for walks, which I don't do enough as is. And I can definitely see me sitting by the couch at night, listening to my husband talk or read, petting a happy, sleeping dog.
But part of me knows the work. And the hair. Oh my goodness, the amount of hair my mom vacuums. And dogs are expensive.
One thing is for sure though, I would get a bigger dog. I love my dear Lacey and Ziggy, but they're so easy to spoil because of their cuteness. I don't know. There's a dog show in the middle of February, so I think I'll go and bring my camera and talk to some breeders for future reference.
I'm reading The Know-It-All, the memoir of a A.J. Jacobs who read the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica. It's such a lofty goal... though I must say it sounds more entertaining than the complete Oxford English Dictionary, which was read by Ammon Shea, though it is just over 10,000 pages longer (EB: 33,000 pgs, OED: 21,730 pgs).
Anyways, today he's talking about Mr. Daniel Fahrenheit, creator of the Fahrenheit system of measurment. Students always wonder what Daniel Fahrenheit was thinking when he set his temperature up. According to The Know-It-All, here's what happened:
First he set the freesing point of a 1 NaCl: 1 H2O solution at 0 degrees Fahrenheit. This would then make the freezing point of H2O 30 and the body temperature 90. Only he botched it, leaving us with funky numbers (32 and 98.6 respectively). Crazier things have happened...
I'm contemplating taking on this challenge myself. The first problem is I don't have an encyclopedia, nor the space to keep one if I did get one now. I think the first two things I'm going to buy/ask for when I move into my "own" house is a Encyclopaedia Britannica set and a Britannica Great Books set. I would get them now, but I'd have to pack them all around the continent before I settled back in Texas.
Warningforthose who are considering reading this book: It's got language sprinkled throughout it.
This post is written mostly for girls from a girl's perspective, though there is a bit at the end for guys to read.
Something I've realized in the last couple months is something concerning body image. Our culture surrounds us with magazines and movies that we can never live up to. It even seems at school or work all the other girls have it together. However if everyone else around you is so beautiful, chances are you are too. Sure you've seen days when your hair has been better, but that doesn't make or break your overall appearance.
First and formost, you were made by God, and he doesn't make mistakes. Second, and this is a big one, self-confidence is much more attractive anyways. Think about the girls you know who are "beautiful." Isn't there a confidence about them? Imagine them shy and withdrawn. Doesn't some of that beauty disappear?
When you relate to guys, your beauty should not be his motivation for the relationship, so if a relationship breaks off, it's not because you're not beautiful. If a guy is interested in you, it's tempting to try to help him along by showing off your body a little more. However, is that the kind of guy you want? Really? A good guy will be interested in you for your personality and lifestyle- not a short skirt. This is a surefire way to attract the wrong guys. If some of our male readers want to leave comments about their opinion on this matter, please do.
I've never had severe body issues, but I don't think many women see themselves as truly beautiful. I actually have a good friend who has been dealing with an eating disorder for the last couple years. I think the first thing is to let go of culture's expectations and realize that there can be beauty in both straight and culy hair, skinny and not so skinny, tanned and glowing white skin. Beauty isn't something that can be ranked like sports, though tabloids and beauty pagents give us that idea.
Guys, you can help too. Your words make a bigger impression than you know. Don't make pointed remarks about a girl's looks, even if you are joking and she would know it. We all really have self-image issues to some degree or another (and if we don't, your comments will create one). If you have a sister, when she dresses up tell her she looks nice. Compliment us when we earn one (ie. not an empty compliment). Furthermore, when you're married, you should believe your wife is the most gorgeous person on the planet. To help you believe it, don't compare her to culture's standards. Don't spend time looking at picutres of other "beautiful" computer enhanced "women" (you know what I mean.) That just kills a woman who loves you, because she feels that she isn't beautiful enough for your time. Start those habits now, while you're unmarried, or it's going to be very, very hard to stop.
To end, here's a clip of Jonny Diaz singing "More Beautiful You." It's a very uplifting and inspiring song. And if you like this one, let me know because I can email you my playlist of "beautiful" songs. :)
I love how Google trades in their trademark logo on random occations for artistic, purposeful ones. Today, there are Dr. Seuss characters spelling out the page title. It reminds me of an art project I did in grade five- a Prismacolor portrait of Theodor Geisel, aka. Dr. Seuss.
When I was younger, we had the One Fish Two Fish VCR tape, which entertained us for hours. We had The Cat in the Hat, The Foot Book, There's a Wocket in my Pocket, and Green Eggs and Ham. At my grandmother's house, there was another great collection. Even today, at the graduation point of my life, speakers read "Oh, the Places You'll Go" to the audience, as mothers wipe tears. He was a unique author, and has been a great literary inspiration to many children over the years.
Sorry my posts are becoming less frequent. Hopefully they'll pick up soon.
I spent the day with a twelve year-old girl today. She watched as her brother and I played chess, and cheered me on as I was the foosball victor. :P As I read Calculus, I listened to her mother teach her the Biblical account of creation and later peeked in and watched her work on her lapbook. I listened to her practice the harp and reherse her finger-plucking, ready for her sister's lesson. All day she was smiley and jumpy and full of hugs.
I came home to another twelve year old girl. She has a boyfriend named John, but she's not sure if she likes him so she doesn't want to make a big deal about it in case they break up tomorrow. However, she asked her mother if she could borrow a "cute" shirt to wear to school in the morning. For her birthday, she wants an iPhone because her best friend has one, and a girl at school called her a [not-good-word-I'm-not-going-to-repeat].
I bet you the first twelve year-old has never even heard that word.
In social we're doing economic systems right now, and learning about the different techniques of Lenin and Stalin. As you know, the government has the responsibility of planning the economy in communist countries. They would have these long range goals, and then shorter ones with structured priorities and more detail. Then they would weigh the different resources at hand and edit the goals accordingly.
While I really disagree with the communist principle, I respect the amount of organization that goes into that. However, as Stalin, Lenin, and myself have found out, life rarely goes according to plan. Stuff happens. Things fall through while opportunities spring up. There are some days that I wish each minute could be prioritized and completed with a neat check box.
However, I think you'd miss a lot of the beauty of life. While it's true, our God is organized and structured, the universe is not linear. Each minute is so complex. For instance, Fibonacci spirals in nature, positive feedback loops in birth, and the structure in languages. Today I realised how much the pi blows my mind. The best plans in life are ones that humans can't create.
See the world in green and blue See China right in front of you See the canyons broken by cloud See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out See the Bedouin fires at night See the oil fields at first light And see the bird with a leaf in her mouth After the flood all the colors came out - "Beautiful Day", U2
