People.

There are 7,066,671,614 people in the world, give or take a few. 

I've had the number 7 billion in my head for a while. I've technically known how many people are in the world but I don't think I've ever really thought about it. 

Lately whenever I see a picture of someone I've been struck by the idea that it's a real person. Somewhere out there in the world this person is living a life. They have friends and family. They have hopes and dreams. They have memories and a life story. 

I've had the pleasure of knowing some people in this world. I've shared in part of their life story and that's been a real honor and blessing. But in the grand scheme of things I've only had the joy of meeting a small fraction of the people on this earth. 

There are 7,066,671,614 people in the world. And each one has a story. That's amazing. I wish I could meet them all and share in their lives but that's not an option. But I still feel like I'm part of something. We, the human race, are all in this life together. And I'm glad to be sharing the journey with you.

a Word

Perhaps not really the definition of this word, but beautiful nonetheless.

Eye for an Eye

There are quite a few people out there in the world who either do not like the Bible, or don’t understand it. And to be honest, I can see their reasoning for that. Sometimes the Bible can seem like a very strange text that says things that might not seem very wise or helpful. At times the Bible may even seem contradictory. But it’s my belief that it is not the Bible that is wrong, but our interpretation of what it is saying.

One example of this is the phrase: “an eye for an eye,” which can be found in Exodus 21:24. You’ve probably heard it said that an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind (although I think the guy who still has one eye left at the end could easily avoid the other blind people who are trying to gouge it out, but that’s a different story...). The way we have interpreted this scripture does make it seem like horrible advice.

In movies for instance the mentality of “you hurt my girl, so now I’m going to kill everyone you know” is rampant. People tend to play the you-hurt-me-so-now-I’m-gonna-hurt-you-even-more card a lot because they misinterpret what the Bible means by an eye for an eye. We’ve taken it to mean that if someone hurts you in some way, the minimum you should do is do the same thing to them.

Exodus 21:24 says: “eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot”, so why does it give so many examples, each met with its equal? One of my profs here at University explained to me once that this verse was meant to be a limit. God was trying to set a boundary on how people were choosing retribution rather than justice and fairness. However, it would appear that even back in Old Testament times people were a bit confused by this and didn’t quite understand, which is why it is addressed again in Matthew.

In Matthew 5:38-39 Jesus says: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” So here is a good example of the Bible seeming to contradict itself. First they said an eye for an eye, and now they say turn the other cheek?!

What Jesus is saying is that you should not act out of anger or vengeance towards someone, just let it be. As it says in Romans 12:19: “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.” I think we can certainly trust that God will be just as well as merciful as a judge and won’t make anyone pay any more or less than he or she owes.

This is just one example of how our misinterpretation of the Bible can make it seem backwards as well as contradictory, when really it is our interpretation that is at fault. Now, I don’t claim to have all the answers, and certainly not all the right answers, the Bible confuses me at times too. But I have faith that God is good and just and that His word is true, not matter what.

//Plans

I’ve heard it said that the best way to make God laugh is to tell Him your plans. Now in my life-plan there was a part that many people have in their plan, the part called “Graduate University//Get Married”. I like to think that when I first made this plan God must’ve had a good chuckle about it because as close as I am to finishing the first part of that plan, I am still quite far removed from the second part.

Over the past few months, and years, it seems that more and more people I know have been completing both parts of this goal (including my 2 older sisters...). And many of those who are in the same situation as I am are getting a little concerned. Luckily for me, I don’t really share their feeling of pressure to wed any time soon. As a Johnny Cash song puts it so eloquently:

“I have been a rover

I have walked alone

Hiked a hundred highways

Never found a home

Still in all I'm happy

The reason is, you see

Once in a while along the way

Love's been good to me”

True, I have never been in a serious relationship. But throughout my life I have been loved. Even if sometimes these feelings were fleeting, it is still something I hold in my heart. I know that for a moment in time, no matter how brief, someone loved me. And I have been blessed to have people in my life who will always love me no matter what, and that is plenty for me for now.

So as I continue to make plans for my life I have decided to omit the part of the plan that is called “Get Married.” Not because I don’t ever want to, but because it is something I cannot plan the timing of. When it happens, it happens, and until then there are a great deal of things to keep me going. And to be honest, God is a lot better at planning my life than I am so I'm putting the cards in His hands on this one.

My Wish for You this Year

I hope you experience things that challenge you this year.

Things that make you uncomfortable with how things are and make you strive for change.

My wish is that you also see things in this world that give you hope, things that keep you reaching for that better and brighter future.

This year, I hope that you seek to learn more about yourself.

That you try to change the things you don’t like and strive to be who you want to be.

But in that, I hope that you are also able to find acceptance of who you are now.

I hope that you meet new and exciting people to help make this journey of life more enjoyable.

I hope that you have the strength and wisdom to let go of the relationships that are weighing you down or holding you back.

That you realize who the people are in your life that really push you and help you to grow, and that you find ways to show them how much they mean to you.

I hope that this year is one in which the good will outweigh the bad. A year you will one day look back on as a good year. A year that was different somehow.

Many blessings and well wishes to you from me as you start your grand adventure of the year 2013. 

God is not color-blind

“Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. 

Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight. 

Jesus loves the little children of the world”

Tonight my family watched the movie “Crash”. This film follows the lives of several individuals in LA and shows how they interconnect. It highlights the prejudice, stereotyping and racism that are prevalent in today’s culture. (If you have not seen it I really suggest you check it out!)

Many of you may feel that racism and stereotyping are largely things of the past and that our society has passed that. The media is continually boasting about how we are multi-cultural and a mosaic of cultures, but over the past few years I have taken several sociology courses that highlight just how real these issues of racism still are today.

One of the ways in which society has tried to stop racism is by creating a so-called “color-blind society”. A society in which we do not see an individuals color but we see them simply as people and ignore their ethnicity entirely. In many Christian circles I’ve even heard it said that God is color-blind, and I’m not sure that I agree with that.

This past semester I wrote a paper on racism in sport and in my research I found an article, which pointed out a flaw in the idea of a “color-blind society”. It basically said that as race evaporates from the socio-conceptual landscape, racism is pushed further and further out of sight, unmentionable because the terms by which we recognize and reference it fade from view. This actually allows racism to flourish, because it is harder to detect and recognize when racism is occurring.

Not only that, but regardless of how hard you try not to, you will always see someone’s color. And that’s not a bad thing. In my first sociology class the professor asked us a question: what are some things you notice about me? The class responded with all the politically corrects answers: you’re a professor; you’re a woman, etc. etc. Eventually the teacher stopped us and said “I’m BLACK! You can say it.”

By ignoring someone’s race you strip them of part of who they are. I believe that one’s color and race is something to be celebrated. We can learn to appreciate the differences because, let’s face it; it would be terrible if we were all the same boring shade of beige. And if God really was color-blind He could have created us all the same color if He wanted to. But He chose to create people of many different tribes and nations, of different colors, ethnicities, and races, because each is special and unique in its own way.

So although race should not define how you view someone or how you treat them, it should still be something that you recognize, respect, and appreciate. 

Sleep

She let out a gentle sigh as she repositioned herself against his body, clutching part of his pajama shirt in her hand: a habit leftover from the days when she had slept with a security blanket as a child. He took comfort in this gesture; he took it to mean that he was her security now. Her lying there, holding that fist full of fabric made him feel like more of a man than anything had ever done before.