As you may be able to tell, this is the first post that I have done since the end of October. There is a reason for this, as I did not simply just "forget." Time allows for thinking, at least that is the case for me. In the past two weeks I have learned a lot about something that I guess I had never put too much thought into before: sacrificial love. It's a phrase that, in our community, is used quite often because we are all so diverse.
Where I live, there are more guys than girls. This make sense since this is an engineering school, so it's not really a big deal. But, because we want to take the opportunities that we have to grow closer and include everyone, it means that we do a lot of things that may be out of someone's comfort zone at some point; they're sacrifices. Over the course of the past few weeks we have played board games, learned card tricks, played euchre, built forts, made friendship bracelets, went to a "geeky" card store, and even watched a variety of movies (some being action-packed, some being comedies, and even The Titanic).
I'm sure that not all the guys wanted to spend a Saturday night sitting in a room watching a three hour and fifteen minute movie about a boat sinking and people losing their lives, but they did it because some of the girls wanted to see it. The same thing could be said about the day that we took a trip to town to buy some cards for a game that I didn't even know that people even played. It's something that I would have never done by myself, but I wouldn't trade those moments for anything else.
It seems to me that there are a lot of things in life that appeal to one person and not others and that is why most things are considered meaningless. Well, the activities themselves are meaningless, but who you do them with and the time spent doing them is not. I would probably watch very few movies, play very few games, and go to very few stores if it wasn't for the people that I go through my days with. Especially not the sci-fi movies, the card games that require too much thought, and the stores that honestly intimidate me walking in.
It is very clear throughout the scriptures that we are not to be alone. We are to build each other up and love each other in a way that shows His love, and I feel like Jesus had to do things that he probably wouldn't have done if it wasn't for the love behind it.
So it looks like the rest of this year and hopefully longer I am going to do things not just for me, but also for others. It's not even hard or a "burden" to do so, it's actually fun and a good learning experience. It even helps bring people together for the things that really matter, like love and laughter and God.
Hebrews 10:24-25- And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another- and all the more as you see the Day approaching
Life is better when you go through it together: Stand in the sun together. Chill in the shade together. Stand in the rain together. Jump in the puddles together. Stand in the snow together. Warm up by a heater together.
