Love bears all things

In preparation for Lent, which heads up starts this Wednesday, I have been spending time in prayer asking the Lord how it is that He wishes for me to grow. This last year has been so full of change, transition, and growth. In my last blog post (which you can find here), I spoke of pruning and how the Lord has been asking me to give up things that aren't so easy to give up.

Lent is a perfect time for this idea of pruning to come up. The Lord has told me that he wants to cut my branches and tend to me, but what is it that He is asking for me to give up?

This Lent, I am going to give people the benefit of the doubt. When someone has wounded me, it takes so much for me to let that regression go and move on. In my prayer journal, upon examination of this habit of holding a grudge, I went on to explain it this way: I have this bag with me at all times and sometimes I open it up, take out a wound that I have "let go," and just look at it and remember how much it hurt. Am I really letting things go, or am I just harboring old wounds to bring back later? Am I really forgiving my brother?

Anyway

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;

It was never between you and them anyway.

#notsorrynotsorry

So Pantene came out with a new commercial this summer that at first made me fist pump in the air like a fool with a resounding, "YES!" Women apologizing for simply existing is something that I've been noticing as a trend for the last year or so. And it breaks my heart.

When I joined a women's small group with SPO, my small group leader (shout out to Leanna) gave us one rule within our meetings that we could not apologize. I caught myself time and time again, apologizing for one menial thing or the next: for arriving too early or too late, for wanting to speak up or not being sure just exactly what it was that I wanted to say. Again and again, the women with who's lives I was sharing mine gave me an encouraging smile and a sweet reminder to not say, "I'm sorry."

Here's the Pantene commercial for you to watch before we go into the next part of this blog post:

Call Me a Bird

We've all had a conversation with a friend where we ponder what the other would be if they were an animal. It may because of a physical feature that lends to a certain animal or their demeanor, but typically there is an animal that comes right to mind. Most of the time, I consider myself a cat. I love sleeping and have moments of high energy, but for the most part, a warm blanket and silence are my two favorite things. It also helps that my nickname for most my childhood was Alli Cat.

Well, I finally cleaned my room this afternoon. My desk has been covered with crap since I moved in here nearly two years ago. I think I've studied on it all of three times. I am such a hoarder. I have a sentimental heart and fret when it comes to giving or throwing things away. The memories attached to them cause them to stay long past their due.

At the age of twenty one, I have furnished the entire downstairs of my apartment on my own. My mom says I'm "nesting," but guys, this is more than a TV, couch, and coffee table. It looks like a home. I am not just the typical college apartment dweller. There's no room for a beer pong table. I live like I'm already thirty and settled down.

Reflecting on this, I realized that the more accurate animal to compare myself to would be a Magpie.

It's funny because before this I already had a fascination with Crows more than any other bird. I love their beautiful black wings. The way their wings reflect the sun bringing out blues and purples, that iridescence, is mesmerizing to me. Come to find out, Magpies are in the Crow family.

So, if you had to think of yourself as an animal, what would you be, and why?