Friend Following

Here is another of my Peer Tutoring Journals from the previous school year.  The following story was written as a result to a prompt and may or may not be base on actual events.  I will allow you to decide yourself.

My friends and I shrieked with laughter as we walked through the aisles of Walmart.  We compared prices briefly, selected the "necessary" items and headed to the checkout with our arms stuffed full of toilet paper.It was the night we had been planning on for weeks.  One of my school's teachers was going to wake up to a surprise the next morning.

The funniest part about this whole situation was probably not the fact I was going teepeeing.  It was the fact that I had never even had the teacher that my friends had selected.  Why did I even want to go?  Probably, and I know this is cliché, because "everyone else was doing it."

I have noticed that this is something that is said quite frequently.  As students we face many temptations, especially when we are "hanging out" with our friends.  Most of us just want to fit in and have friends; however, sometimes this comes with a price.  Most of the time everyone around us is taking part in the same activity making us want to do the same.  Because of this, I think that dealing with loneliness is a huge problem.  Many people are never taught how to handle feeling lonely, and it can be very painful.  Humans are designed to be with other people (This goes back to the creation of Eve as a companion to Adam in the Garden of Eden), so when we feel lonely it creates a void in our lives.  Most of us will do anything to fill this void. Become physically intimate with someone. Take drugs.  Drink alcohol.  Choose a popular career choice.  Say degrading things about themselves to get people to notice them.

This is a huge problem, because everyone does it, not just teenagers.  With adults it can be different activities, but they're still pressured into doing it by their peers.  If we can teach people that it's okay to walk away from a situation that would help tremendously.  If we can show people that there are other people who will still like them for who they are, it would be incredible.  But above everything else, if the world would learn to accept people for themselves, that would solve many problems.

Camp

This summer, I am working at a Boy Scout camp.  This is the second year that I have worked at this camp and I absolutely love my job.  Now, I know some people may be trying to figure this out.  I am a girl that works at a boy scout camp.  Yes, that can happen.  No, I am no the only one.  Females are in the minority, but we do exist in the BSA.

I am working as the pool director this year.  Basically I teach classes in the morning and I lifeguard open swims in the afternoons and evenings and make sure that the other pool staff is doing the same thing while we also keep the pool and the pool house locker rooms clean.  This past week has been exhausting. Camp is always exhausting, it doesn't matter if you are a camper, an adult leader, or a staff member.  Going to camp is tiring.

Over the weekend, I had to unclog a toilet that had been clogged intentionally.  (Earlier this week it had had a sock in it.)  I had to pick up boys underwear and socks from a locker room floor.  I pulled trash that was floating in a trash can that had been outside in the rain. I cleaned out the bag from the pool vacuum (if you've never done this for an outdoor pool, trust me when I say it gets pretty gross). This week, I had a scout refuse to get into the pool for class, so he couldn't achieve any of the requirements the merit badge class he was in.  I also cleaned out a funky-smelling refrigerator that is used by the staff members..

I really do love my job, but I sometimes I have to ask myself why, so here is the list that I came with upon reevaluation:

1.) I love kids.
          They're hilarious.  You never know what is going to come out of their mouths.
2.) My boss is a perfectionist.
          This may not sound like a positive aspect to a job.  In fact, it probably sounds like a major pain in the neck, but it isn't.  My boss motivates me and the rest of the staff to strive toward perfection and do our best no matter what the job is.  This will help us in jobs in the future, as we move on past working at camp.
3.) I love kids.
          They watch everything adults do and mimic it.  The wide variety of personalities that the boys display in the classes that I teach makes me think about Psychology and what causes people to act the way they do.  4.)  I love to swim.
          I have the opportunity to wake up at 5:30 every morning and swim a mile if the pool isn't too crowded!  Call me weird, but that is just fantastic.  It is great stress relief and provides me with time to contemplate without having to sit still.
5.)   I love kids.
         The way their swimming improves over just one week of classes is spectacular and reminds me of how malleable they are.  Every little thing matters.
6.)  I'm certified.
        Working as a lifeguard means I've been trained in CPR and basic first aid, making me feel more prepared for emergency situations.
7.)  It's a challenge.
         I love a good puzzle. AP Calculus was my favorite class this past year.  Why?  It gets my brain working.  Sometimes, when I am trying to explain a concept to a camper that is new, he doesn't get it right away and it is a challenge for him to get it.  In these times, it's like a puzzle for me to figure out how to explain the concept in a way that he will understand it.
8.)  I love kids.
        (There might be a theme in this list.)
9.)  It's hard work.
         This is another point that may seem somewhat odd, but it really isn't.  By working hard now, I'm learning how hard life will be later.  I've never heard an adult say that they were happy about how easy a class or chore or job was when they were young.  Rather, I hear gratitude about the difficult tasks, as those tasks prepared them for later in life.
10.) I love kids.
11.)  Sponge Wars.
        Picture dodge ball except with wet sponges instead of balls.  And picture Staff Vs. Campers.  And picture my face with war paint.  And other staffers dressed up (In chicken suits, camouflage, cheerleader outfits, etc)   Yeah.  It's epic.
12.) I lovekids.
13.)  Staff Friends.
         Both years I have met new people who have been awesome.  We all experience things together for six weeks and it's pretty incredible.  We become close enough to trust each other and prank each other.  We work together and we play in Sponge Wars together.  We express frustrations about campers and life to each other.  We aren't just coworkers.  We're friends.
14.) I lovekids.
         Seriously, I want to be a pediatrician.  Children tend to be more forgiving, more gracious and happier than most adults I meet.  They have a more positive outlook on life, and it is uplifting.  Most of them are always willing to laugh.  Most of them have a way of brightening a room when they come in.
15.)  It's fun.
        It's fun to get to know the campers.  It's fun to work with fellow staff.  It's fun to teach the classes.  It's fun to swim a mile.  It's fun to stay up late talking a playing card games with staff.

At camp, it's tiring.  I'm exhausted.  At camp, it's fun.  I have had fun.   At camp, it's crazy.  A good crazy.  At camp, I can work hard.  At camp I can be a big kid.  At camp, I can enjoy almost every minute.

Not only can I thank God for giving me a job, I can thank Him for giving me a job that I love!  If you've had a rough day, I highly recommend making a list of your blessings.  If you can't think of anything, start with the fact that you woke up, then maybe move onto the periodic table of elements (everything in the entire universe is made of of them).  Don't be like the Israelites who wandered in the desert and forgot the blessings that God had given them.  Choose to Praise God for what you have instead of dwelling on what you don't have. :)  After all, you're breathing, aren't you?

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo, 
Jo




       

Comfort

Some people, like me, could spend their entire lives sitting in a corner with a blanket, a cup of tea and a good book.  However, living a life like that would have little to no excitement.  There would be not rush, no thrilling moments, and no good memories to look back on.  Living a life that is completely flat lined, it would definitely be comfortable.  But is comfort what humans legitimately strive for? We may say that we just want a "normal" live, but that is not what our actions show.  We have extreme sports, roller coasters, and exotic vacations telling us that new things, or things outside of our comfort zone, are fun.

There are a few of us who legitimately strive for "normalcy." A life inside our area of amenities.  However, we tend to also feel the need to fit in (so that we don't feel lonely).  Because of this desire, we still do exciting things to feel a rush.

But, in the end, getting out of our comfort zones can be a very good thing.  When I look at the Bible stories taught to me throughout me life, I don't see a single one where God said "Oh, why yes, I understand you don't feel comfortable doing this.  Sure, you don't need to serve me in this way."  On the contrary, God called people in areas that were not in their comfort zone.  He called them to do things that they were bad at.  Why?  Because if you are weak in an area, you will depend on Him and others will see His strength in you.  As such, let God use your weaknesses.  Get out of your comfort zone.  God will do great things.

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo, 
Jo

Goals

This past school year I was a peer tutor at my school.  Each day I would go to the elementary school and work with in a student in a classroom there.  In addition to that, we also had to write weekly journals about a given prompt.  As I am currently relatively preoccupied with other nonsense, today I will share one of my Peer Tutoring Journals.  It was assigned in the first back after Christmas break, and the prompt had to do with new years resolutions and self-evaluation. Here you are:

In my room, I have a lot of lists and charts hanging on my walls, doors, dresser, bed, and desk.  These charts and lists help keep me organized.  I have things that I need to remember, tasks that I need to perform, and facts I want to memorize.  I also have my life goals posted on my door.  I have a plan for my life, make me driven, motivated and goal oriented.  For the most part this is a good thing.  However, there are times when I become so focuses on my goals that I forget to enjoy the journey.  I forget to take time to spend with friends that I'll have in my life for a limited amount of time.

While in the journey of seeking goals, I forget to keep my life centered on God.  I forget that the whole reason to pursue my goal is to honor Him.  I forget that I should really e seeking Him first, not my goal.  I forget that my sole purpose for living should be Him, and nothing else.

Honestly, each year I think about how I can improve myself.  Each year I come to a similar conclusion.  I come to the conclusion that if I make sure God is the center of my life, everything else will fall into place.  This year, and for the rest of my life, I want to remember to seek first the Kingdom of God and that spending time with friends is better than doing physics.

Brief sidenote written today: the mention of friends being better than physics is a different story that I might share someday.  However, today is not that day.

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo, 
Jo

Sleepovers on School Nights

As introverts and dedicated students in high school, my group of friends does not get together outside of school all that often.  It's not that we don't like to spend time with each other, but that we like to focus on school.  Also, if we get together too often we easily exhaust ourselves because most of us our introverts and need time by ourselves to recharge.  That being said, this year we decided that we were going to do social things together more often.  After all, this was our last year in high school, and we wanted to enjoy it with each other!  A few of my friends created a list of things that they wanted to do while they were still in high school.  The list included quite a few things, including having a sleepover on a school night. 

Although we had a sleepover on the night before the first day of school, we decided to have another one in the last couple of weeks of school.  However, this time we decided to have it on the roof of one of my friends(it's a flat roof).  It was the perfect temperature to sleep outside, and there aren't too many bugs yet this time of year.  We checked the forecast and saw that rain was a possibility, but decided to go for it anyway.  We stayed up late playing a card game that ended with all of us losing.  We proceeded to stay up until about 2:30a.m. talking.

After the chatter had died down, the others drifted off to sleep.  I however, remained wide awake.  At 3 or 3:30a.m. I felt a little bitty sprinkle.  I shook the person next to me awake and she sat there for a second as if deciding if I was telling the truth about the rain or not.  After she realized that it was indeed raining, it became a very quick jumble and scramble as we all shoved our blankets through the window and jumped through ourselves in order to get inside.

As we all settled into various sleeping areas inside and fell asleep there, I realized I was actually glad that it had rained.  Not because it gave me an excuse to sleep on a bed, or because it gave me something to blog about, but because it had given me another story.  Much like one of my first blogs about a border-line disaster involving a balloon and a crazy fed-ex delivery man, I am thankful that God gives me stories to remember.  He has shown me that the things most valuable in life are the memories that I can look back on and remember with joy.  I might not have remembered sleeping on my friend's roof on a school night had it been like any other sleepover, but it wasn't.  It rained and we had to jump through the window to get inside.  That memory is much more valuable than many other possessions that I own, because it is something filled with laughter for me. :)

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo, 
Jo

More Stories from a Crazy Life

Having lived in a teeny-tiny, itty-bitty town my entire life, I have become accustomed to a quiet life.   In my teeny-tiny, itty-bitty town, there is a gas station, a bank, a small school, and a Family Dollar store.  That is it.  I'm not kidding.  It really is teeny-tiny and itty-bitty!  That being said, I still manage to get into adventures of my own, like losing my keys under a locked door in the school at six thirty in the evening, or  getting terribly lost in the next town over on the way to Walmart to get last-minute supplies for a project.  The most comical thing that has happened to me occurred a couple of Wednesdays ago.

After school it was a beautiful day outside.  Not only was the weather gorgeous, but I had finished my second AP test that day, which made the day seem even better.  However, there was not time to enjoy the weather.  I had to drive 20 minutes to have my annual physical and 20 minutes back before the Spring Band Concert.  Hopefully between things I would have time to eat supper (as I wouldn't be getting home until after the concert), and to change into dress clothes.  As it turned out, I had ample time after my physical to find something to eat in the refrigerator and to change clothes so that I would receive a passing grade for the concert.  I chose to wear black dress pants with a nice blouse, as I was going to wear a couple of dresses for other presentations that would happen later that week.

I ate quickly and got into the car to drive to the concert.  I had the perfect amount of time to arrive at the school, put together my flute, and get my chair and stand ready on time.  Upon parking the car, I started to unbuckle my seat belt.  I pushed the button on the buckle....aaannnnndd the seat belt remained latched.  I suppose now is a good time to mention that the seat belt in the car sticks on a regular basis, so I calmly pushed the button on the buckle again.  My seat belt remained exactly where it had been.  The warm weather no longer seemed so great to me, as the car was rapidly warming and I was feeling a bit trapped and claustrophobic.  I decided to try the buckle one last time, BUT MY SEAT BELT WAS OFFICIALLY STUCK!  At this point, I realized I had a few options: 

1.)  I could drive home and honk until my parents came out of the house.  (This option would probably make me late)
2.)  I could stop a random person in the parking lot by honking and beg for help.  (Despite it being a small town, I felt like this option could get a bit creepy depending on who heard me honk, not to mention I'm not sure what they really could've done for me.)
3.)  Climb out from under the seat belt. (This could prove to be difficult and annoying, given that I was wearing heels)

Clearly the third option was my best bet!  I quickly took off my shoes and wiggled out from underneath the seat belt and exited what was now a very warm car.

After all of this took place, and I had a few good laughs with my friends about it, I realized how grateful I was that I had been wearing pants for that whole escapade!  I had almost changed my mind and worn a skirt, but decided not to!  Thank God I was wearing pants the night my seat belt stuck!  And thank God for stories I can look back on and laugh about!

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

James 1:2-3

I recently started a study of the book of James and decided to read until I was felt convicted, and then I would sit and ponder those verses and my life.  I made it to verse 2.  

Learning Joy in ALL circumstances,

Jo

Lessons Learned

As Holy Week came and went, my schedule picked up to an insane velocity.  Finally, after the craziness of huge exams, a band concert, and a final presentation, I can take a moment to type up a few of my thoughts.  A lot has happened over the past few weeks and I have a few stories to tell, but they will wait.  I had a realization after the Maundy Thursday service during Holy Week and I still haven't written about it.

As previously stated, my scheduled picked up at the end of April, especially through Holy Week.  I managed to make it to most of the normal church services that happen in that week, but while sitting in the service on Thursday I was not really in the right place.  Yes, physically I was sitting in the chair in the sanctuary of the church.  Yes, I was listening to most of what the pastor was saying.  But mentally I was thinking about everything I had to do.  I was going through the list of homework to be done, subjects I needed to study, and tasks that needed to be completed.  Afterwards I did not take the time to chat with anyone.  I pulled the car keys from my purse and headed out at a brisk pace to avoid everybody.

Simply stated, I was just "Going through the motions."  I was going to the church service because I knew that was what I was supposed to do.  In my mind, there were more important things to be done.  This is not okay.  It was then that I realized that I shouldn't just go to church to be there, I should go to church to worship God and have fellowship with Him and other believers.  In making going to church services my top priority, I had made it my idol.  I had made going to the service more of a priority than praising and living in pursuit of God.

Even what I was thinking about during the service had become my idols.  I want to do the best that I can do as if doing it for God, and not for men (Colossians 3:23).  However, when I just want good grades because they are my goal, that is a problem.  I should want them because I'm working hard to honor God, not to have a good transcript with my name on it.

I let this lesson take far too long to sink into my heart.  I now see that it was hardened and weedy in this area.  I pray that this will be a lesson that I remember for a lifetime, and don't let myself forget.  I pray that God will give me the ability to learn new lessons and discover new hope as I continue in this life so that I may become closer to him.