The Blue Camp Shir t~ Act Justly

These are my youth group girls from back home in Thomasville, NC. When this picture was taken, we were at Student Life camp in Daytona Beach, FL, and we all bought matching shirts. Besides the corniness of it all, these are really great shirts. It may be hard to tell in the picture, but the front says "Act Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly" That comes from Micah 6:8, the focus verse for our week at camp. I'm wearing my blue Micah 6:8 shirt as I type this. Every time I wear this shirt, I'm reminded both of the great times we had on that trip, but I'm also reminded of the staggering conviction of this verse. The entirety of the verse is as follows: "And you, o man, what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before your God." When I really think about it, how often in my life are these three things actually accomplished? The first one seems easy. Justice is a beautiful thing and most Christians would say we're for it. We support great causes like The International Justice Mission, Love 146, and Abort 73. I'm not tearing down any of these organizations, they all do amazing things for adults, children, and the unborn worldwide who are treated unfairly and unjustly. Let's make this a little more personal, though. How much of a "fan" of justice are you when you get a speeding ticket? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the speed limit's there for a reason and it's the law. Most of us would agree that lawbreakers should be punished. When it's us in the hot seat, however, we tend to make excuses for our bad behavior because, after all, we were "just" speeding! That's just it, though, Micah 6:8 tell us that the Lord requires us to act justly. It's not a suggestion. Acting justly does not only encompass the treatment of other people, it means submitting to justice ourselves as well. The requirements of faith apply to our own personal decisions as well as how we treat others. I'll tackle "love mercy" and "walk humbly" as best I can in future posts.

Blessings Abound

This is Catherine! Catherine is my roommate here at North Greenville University. I have to admit, I was extremely nervous in the weeks before I moved about meeting Catherine. So many questions and doubts ran through my mind.What would she be like? Would she like me? Would we like any of the same things? My fears, however, were unfounded because we get along beautifully! While we are different in many ways, we are unbelievably similar. For instance, we both love breakfast, Owl City, Hairspray, Dr. Pepper, Kelly Clarkson, Jane Austen, Target, and we're both PCs [sorry Mac enthusiasts]. Apart from the similarity in our preferences, Catherine's heart is what really amazes me. She wants to be a missionary in China and show Jesus to people who might not have a chance to hear about Him otherwise. She's an awesome roommate, a sweet friend, and a bit of a free spirit. I'm confident she'll make me stop studying once in a while and have fun! I'm so grateful to God for Catherine. So many times, roommates just do not get along, but that's not the case with us. I have a feeling we'll be friends for years to come.

What's Anxious Aspiration?

"Anxious Aspiration", is , obviously, the name I've chosen for my blog. Why did I choose those two words? Well, in the technical sense, they are an alliteration, which makes it easy to remember the name. Other than easy remembrance, though, I think these two words describe my attitude towards the new stage in my life. This school year (2010-2011) is my first year of college, and my first time living away from home. I'm attending North Greenville University in Tigerville, SC, three hours and fifteen minutes away from my home in Thomasville, NC. While today is only my fifth day of classes, I'm already loving life here. However, life in college, does not come without its challenges. That is the reason I named my blog "Anxious Aspiration". The anxious part of the title was chosen for an obvious reason: college is stressful and a little scary for a freshman who's never lived anywhere but home. The second half of the alliteration describes what I hope for in college and life. My dreams, plans, and goals are my "aspiration". The two terms are undeniably woven together through the college experience. Aspirations require work, and, thus, produce anxiety. Anxiety, though, can be a driving motivational push to get the necessary work done in order to achieve the aspirations. And that is why I named my blog "Anxious Aspiration", because I anxiously aspire to be and do all I can in the years ahead in school and my future life.