Faith, Life, and Lessons

You know, humans seem to always seek familiarity. It’s incredibly easy to make expat friends here in the city because as soon as you hear someone speaking English, you have an opportunity. I’ve made multiple friends by simply hearing English and asking where they were from. One thing leads to another and next thing you know you’re making plans weekend plans with people you met on the metro. Life is random like that. If you feel like an outsider in society, it becomes incredibly easy- even necessary- to find others like yourself. To not have to explain everything. Even outside of nationality, I’ve realized today that this drive towards comfort and familiarity also becomes apparent in the spheres of age and life experience. Although many of the new friends I'm making here are not American, they're still very similar to me. We’re all college students just trying to understand the world and its inhabitants. However, while sitting on a bench and reading for about an hour and a half ...

Well, for those who don't know, this past week was my first of eight weeks working in Madrid, Spain! I'm working with an international company called Endeavor. Endeavor seeks to support entrepreneurs in growing their companies, stimulating the economy, creating jobs, and ultimately alleviating poverty. Since Endeavor's Madrid office has only been open for a bit over a year, it's still quite small, and it's been both interesting and enlightening to get started there. My co-workers are also very welcoming, and it's been fun getting to know them whilst communicating in "Spanglish." Speaking of language, it's been quite a jolt for my poor brain to fire up those dusty Spanish neurons, since I hadn't been practicing for a bit over a year beside a few periodic conversations. Needless to say, I'm fully immersed now, and it's all coming back to me. I've also had some precious time with my previous host family, and I even got to attend my sis...

Lesson 10- You see what you look for. Like most people, I've been pretty down about global events these past few days. It seems like there's been a social explosion of hate, prejudice, and trauma. This post is not to share opinions about any specific events (Facebook seems to have that role on lock), but I do want to share a few thoughts based off a talk I gave this past summer at camp. It's about shifting our  perspective  and recognizing the divinity of others.  It seems that too often humans view each other as objects, problems, or stereotypes. We treat others as disposable, we discredit any view that isn't our own, and we alienate anyone who seems too different or vulnerable. From what I can tell, people rarely think of each other as masterpieces and priceless works of art. But that's exactly what we are. As Genesis 1:27 puts it,  "So God created human beings in his own image, in the image of God he created them." Everyone person...

Lesson 8- I have only found one source of permanency, and it ain't humans Lesson 9- Sometimes God will call-you-out through the Bible. Like dang, that was pointed. Fair warning: this is kind of a downer of a topic at first, but I promise it gets uplifting if you shift your perspective. For a few days last week, I felt slightly discouraged. Not downright upset or anything, just less rooted than usual. Fragile, even. After further analysis (I've gotten really into meditation these days- hippie, I know) I realized that the majority of my unbalance stemmed from realizing how much my friendships have changed since last year. More than that, it was the acknowledgement that relationships are fluid and transitional that began to really unsettle me. I couldn't shake the inescapable truth that as much as I love my friends and know that they love me, human connection is inherently impermanent. It's a dark thought, but very few connections last your entire life. Friendships shi...

Lesson 7- Contentment comes in seeking Truth and using our gifts to serve others “Why do you want to volunteer?” With a welcoming smile and inquisitive eyes, the interviewer awaited my response. I knew what she was asking. I’m a young college student with the most opportunities I will ever have. I have the youth and flexibility to do almost anything that interests me. So why this?  Why do I want to voluntarily put myself in the midst of the harrowing trauma of others? Why am I so often drawn to the seemingly dark places when I could just as easily spare myself? Why do I want to work here, at the Sexual Assault Center of Nashville. And even more pertinently- do I have what it takes? Second-hand trauma is a very real phenomenon, and becoming a Crisis Line volunteer at the SAC puts me in direct contact with victimization. The work isn’t for everyone; can I handle the pain and stress in a healthy manner? “Well…” I start out slowly before launching into my explanation of my ...

Lesson 4- Sometimes I overvalue courage (I am not invincible) Lesson 5- It’s not as awkward as you would think to have someone else X-ray your butt Lesson 6- Escaped prisoners make for a great distraction from recovery Listening to the water rapids crash in twisting white ribbons 45 feet below, I cleared my mind. My friends and I had already decided, against the local warnings, that we would be fine jumping from Baker’s Bridge that warm summer evening. Although usually as serene and picturesque as a Colorado post-card, the water below the bridge gnarled because of the high water levels. However, after looking at it for a few minutes, we figured it’d be fine. Beyond a unanimous thirst for adrenaline (a general characteristic of a camp counselor), it was my friend’s birthday, which almost always calls for an eventful night-off from camp. After a few of my friends had successfully jumped off the bridge and swam (more like been swept) to the rocks on the side, it was my turn. No...

Lesson 4- It’s not about me This past summer, I spent nearly 3 months up in Durango, Colorado working at a utopian-esque community called Camp Kivu. Owned by the same company that had sent me on the Gap Year before college, Kivu was a summer camp that had become a place of refuge, honesty, and love to thousands of kids and staff members alike over the years. As this was the last summer of Camp Kivu (they will be focusing on the Gap Year from now on), I’m so glad I was there to learn TONS of valuable life lessons before they officially closed. One of the most memorable and tangible lessons was about humility and service. While I am pretty invested in “service” back at Vanderbilt, I had spent much of last semester pondering what humility actually meant. I don’t want to be someone who, like the Pharisees, serves to impress others. I want my life to be about more than myself and my own contentment. As a result, I had read books about humility (okay, a single book), prayed about it, and...