Saturday, January 24, 2009

January 23, 2009

If you have yet to realize that my blog and my journal are one and the same, know that I write for myself as I would in a journal but, also, that I write for the sake of those who may so happen upon my blog. So, I do note some things I would otherwise keep to myself and my journal, while taking the time to remember and recount the particulars I do not necessarily need yet are provided for those far away and seeking a window into my life as I can be with them for some time. Think of it as an open confidence of sorts.

Every good piece of writing answers a question. And life is full of puzzles, struggles, and questions. Each individual answers these with different replies, arrived upon through different views and experiences. I think that since journals are meant to reflect a brief moment in our lives, then it is only right to think about the questions I am dealing with in my time here in Africa, recording my thoughts in a way that highways have scenic overlooks to provide a place for travelers to rest and take in a moment of brief reflections or ponderance for a worthy landscape view.
My question, one that has sat and risen in my mind over the past couple of days like a batch of good homemade sourdough bread, concerns a very circumstantially relevant topic. When I am surrounded, or even completely submersed, with a culture that is lacking so many “things”, what can I extract, what can I gain, what is it that I can take away from my time here in Zambia.

Maybe the lesson to note, the idea to learn, the thing to keep is given to me in the answer that is really part of the question. Maybe what I should gain is hidden in what I need to lack. But such backwards and riddling thoughts develop another, tougher question: Can less actually add to the whole being? Even as I write these words, I have begun to develop another retort. The answer is obvious in my mind, and actually I am quite sarcastic as I argue with myself. Is not simplicity of the soul what we gain from emptying ourselves to the Lord so He can take root in the vacancy? If the Lord lives inside my heart, my consciousness, my everything, then there cannot possibly be room for anything more that is not of Him. If I want to grow, then I must also want to let go, to lose, and to give up in equal amounts to vacate the space for what truly belongs in my life.

4 comments:

  1. It's ok to think and question on your blog, but tell us how you are and what's going on. JP told both cats today to shutup because they were being very boisterous. Have you seen the team from town yet? We miss you. Love, Dad

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  2. 1. Good thinking.. lets us at home know you are at least putting that great Marion High School education to work!
    2. Dang straight I told those cats to shut up! You know how they get! Sounds like two drunk cats wandering around the house while wailing and searching for another spot to take a nap!

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  3. That's what the IWUZambia.blogspot.com one is for...

    But okay i'll do a little bit of that boring stuff...

    Tell sox to shut it and sip a lil more of the Sauce. or give her some diamonds... that'll shut 'er up

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  4. Michael - Dude, you are the only person I know in Africa!! WOW - that's really cool!!!

    Sounds like you're getting the chance to learn patience (fruit of the spirit, you know) - so be sure to do so along with some other neat stuff.

    Good scripture for emergencies: "But I am in pain and distress. Let your salvation, God, protect me."
    Good scripture for daily use: "I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving." (Psalms 69: 29 & 30)

    Anyway - stay well and take care. We are proud of you.

    Love -

    Nick & Mara

    PS - Pictures would be nice.

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