August 30, 2013

[weakness & change]

I am officially a sophomore in "the real world," meaning that I am near the cusp of beginning to understand many new cultural norms - emphasis on the beginning part:

- Skipping work is not quite socially acceptable. While you can get away with spontaneously skipping classes in college, the term has a whole new meaning in the workforce. It is not so unplanned and involves something known as PTO (Paid Time Off). Delightful.
 
- Your body is accustomed to waking up at 6:15am Monday - Friday, so there goes your ability to sleep in. Even if you do still possess that special talent, you better hurry up and get your butt out of bed on the weekend so you can live it up.
 
- Your wardrobe has taken on a new transformation; what was once Nike shorts and over sized t-shirts has blossomed into pencil skirts and blouses.
 
- Although you may still think of life in semesters, try not to refer to them that way - people may look at you strangely.

So this may sound like I am bitter about post college life, but I can assure you that I am not. These are merely changes (not good, not bad.. just different). However, as certain things in life change, there are those that stay constant, as well:

- You will still make excuses not to go to the gym, and now they are even more legitimate. While you were once too lazy to visit the campus gym (4 minutes away from your house, mind you), of course you're going to be too lazy to hit up the gym 4 miles from your house. It just happens.

- Your college friendships will persevere. Even if you move to different places, you will still keep in touch. The frequency will change but not the friendships themselves. You may have to meet up with your friends at your sorority sister's wedding, but you will make the most of it.

and here comes the fun one..

-  Even though you now have a degree and a full time job, you are still weak.. and quite frankly, I mean that in the best way possible.

This is one of the things I learned about myself in college and continue to see in my post grad life.. ouch. As Americans, we are all about self sufficiency. To have limitations and needs is to be lowly, right? How could fragility ever be a good thing? I encourage you to view weakness in a different manner. Weakness forces us to search for something..someone greater to sustain us. Do you see where I am going with this? How am I ever going to find this something or someone if I am self sufficient? It's not possible.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still [weak], Christ died for the ungodly (..that's us). Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. - Romans 5:6-8

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses.. For when I am weak, then I am strong. - 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

weakness = good