don't waste your life.

I've been reading John Piper's Life As a Vapor to aid me in my Bible reading every day. There's a short meditation/chapter for each day, and I wanted to share part of this one with you.


"When I think of the atrocities in the world, like the genocides of the twentieth century, it makes me want to live my short life on earth with as few regrets as possible. Germans killing Jews during World War II (6 million); Turks killing Armenians, 1914-1915 (1.5 million); Stalin killing 60 million people in Russia during his Communist regime in the 1930's and 1940's; the Khmer Rouge killing Cambodians, 1975-1979 (2 million); Saddam Hussein's troops killing Iraqi Kurds, 1987-1988 (100,000); Serbs killing Bosnian Muslims, 1992-1995 (200,000); Hutus killing Tutsis, 1994 (800,000); Americans killing unborn children, 1973-present (40 million). There were others.


"Add to this the suffering owing to natural disasters like the tropical storm in November 1970 that killed about 400,000 people in Bangladesh, or the earthquake of Gujarat, India, in January 2001 that killed 15,000, or the AIDS epidemic in Africa that has taken the lives of 2.5 million people. Then add the sadness and pain and eventual death of your own family. When I think on these things, it makes me tremble at the prospect of living a trivial, self-serving, comfortable, middle-class, ordinary, untroubled American life. I can't keep eternity out of my mind. Life is short and eternity is long. Very long. It is a long time to regret a wasted life."
- John Piper


Don't waste your life, my friends. Our time here is so short, and eternity is so long. 


Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. - Isaiah 55:6

stuff about life.

It's been a while since I've written anything...maybe because life has been crazy, and partly because I felt like I had nothing to really write about.


Life has been moving quickly...Andrew and I are getting married in a little over a month! I can't wait, but I'm also super nervous. I've never really liked having all eyes on me for any occasion (except teaching...which is weird, but students don't bother me).


Andrew and I are renting an apartment from the church he interns for. No one has lived there for a little while, so today I went over while Andrew was at work and started cleaning it. My future mother-in-law got us a Shark vacuum, so I tested that out...you know you're a nerd when you get excited about trying out your new vacuum! I couldn't wait to put it together. We also got one of those super warm, fuzzy, king-size blankets from my mom, a vase from my second mom Connie, and lots of other cool stuff. I feel so blessed by my friends and family! I think Andrew's favorite gift from the shower was our knife set...he loves knives...creepy! :)


The apartment is fairly large and I'm really excited that we got it for a good price. While I was cleaning, God was hitting me with the realization (once again) of how spoiled rotten I am. I am 23 years old, going to be newly married, and moving into a large apartment with a loft, stove, oven, fridge, washer/dryer, lots of cabinet space, more than enough furniture (because my parents have been generous with their old furniture), two bathrooms, and paid utilities. Throughout the day my mind flashed to the families I've built for in Juarez and Acuña. It is rare that they even have a bathroom...or a fridge...or sometimes even a roof that keeps the rain out. 


I am terrified that I am going to lose sight some day of the things God has blessed us with. I find it difficult to understand where the line is between giving up so that others can have...and enjoying the things God has given us. I've listened to sermons from David Platt, who gave up even the kids' snacks in his church to send the money overseas, and I've listened to Mark Driscoll who enjoys the things God has given him, but still gives to the poor and serves his church and his family. I respect both men as pastors, but I still don't understand where the line is. 


Besides the apartment, I've been preparing for this fall and my new job. I am going to be teaching Spanish 1 and 2 at a suburb high school. There are about 800 students there, so it's a lot smaller than where I attended, but I'm excited about it! The building is nearly brand new (opened last August), and huge! And my classroom has really never been used AND it has a Smart Board. I have no clue what kind of activities I am going to do with it...but I'm sure I'll come up with something! Some people think I'm crazy for wanting to work in a high school, but I just love students at that age. I love that I can joke with them and they understand it, that they can come to my room during a break to hang out and talk, that I get to attend their activities and listen to their problems and plan stuff that may actually make them want to come to class. (I don't know if I have ever achieved that...but it's my goal.) 


That's about all that's been going on I guess. The last thing I want to share is something I've been struggling with, and that's wanting to spend time with God, reading the Bible, and praying. I believe that much of this has to do with the fact that in the 5 years I was in Manhattan I never really plugged in with a church. I never found a church that truly desired to pour into the lives of college students (maybe I'm wrong, but many of my friends share this opinion). And now that I am back in Wichita and attending The Seed, I am finally beginning to have this desire to seek God more. Something that's helped me is downloading Spanish worship music. It sounds crazy, but sometimes I just get bored with the worship music I've listened to over and over. Maybe I shouldn't be bored...but I am. So I got the albums "Con Todo"  and "En Mi Lugar" by Hillsong, and I love them. So I guess I'll end with a song from them. 


(I'm excited to start teaching so I'll most likely have more to write about...not that I'll probably have the time!)