Life Less Ordinary for the week of October 13, 2008

“I adore simple pleasures. They are the last refuge of the complex”. ~Oscar Wilde

Thank goodness fall break is this week! What a wonderful thing to have a break from classes and tests and homework, even for just a little while. Some of you are going home, others on school-sponsored trips, and others are staying on campus for the weekend. You may be spending part of your break working on a project that some seemingly inconsiderate professor assigned for Monday, but at the very least we can be grateful for no class :)

I think we can also take this time to find a little refreshment for our spiritual lives. We’ve been grinding away at school for seven weeks now, and it gets hard to keep God at the front of our minds when there’s a big midterm looming on the horizon.

We don’t realize it at first, but over time we find ourselves in a bit of a dry spot; in places of doubt and frustration. We wonder if anything we say gets past the ceiling, and it feels like God isn't even there for us when we’re struggling with school or relationships or whatever. Sometimes we think, "God, if you just did this one thing, then I would know you're there, and I'd trust you again." And every so often, God does give us those big flashy signs in the sky. But he doesn't roll like that most of the time.

It is then that you have to look at the little things; the seemingly invisible blessings that we often take for granted. God still loves us and cares for us, even when it feels like he’s not there. My challenge to you is to take some time this weekend to slow down and notice those little blessings in the midst of the big blessing of fall break.

To know that the God who creates the biggest things also cares enough to pay attention to the little details sure speaks a lot. I hope that he reveals himself to you this weekend, whether it's in the big things or the little things; he knows what touches your heart best.

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Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. ~Matthew 5:6

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