This year for lent I decided to give up all secular music. Let me tell you it was hard. I never knew how often I listened to music until I consciously had to think about what music I was listening to at all times. One thing I noticed from this fast from secular music was that my devotions were all the more powerful because I had no trashy music coming into my life to wreck what God was teaching me through me devotions. Today, being the first day that I could listen to secular music, I did. To my shock I changed it 30 seconds into the song because I felt disgusted.
There are many other things that have happened within the past 40 days that I would like to share. First, the weekend of Feb. 24 I went home. I had a wonderful much need relaxing weekend with my family. I did not touch a single bit of my homework and it felt great.
Second, the week of March 2nd my roommate and I had our BASSYCS girls over for a movie and pizza. It was so much fun to play with them outside the normal Wednesday night routine.
Third, the weekend of March 9 I got to go on the Christian Ed retreat. This weekend is always a lot of fun because I get so hangout with mostly Christian Ed majors all weekend and get to goof off and learn about God at the same time. This particular retreat we talked about Back to Basics. We focused on the Christianese words that are often thrown around can then lose their significance.
Fourth, I went on a road trip with my mom to Pennsylvania to visit some of our family. I had a great time with her and we got to do lots of shopping and site seeing. We went to see the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Hershey World, and the Flight 93 Memorial. I will cherish these memories I've had with my mom because I know they are going to diminish as time goes on.
Fifth, I went to Calvin College in MI to visit one of my greatest friends ever, Kendra, who I hadn't seen since before Christmas. I had a great time catching up with her. We went to a Gungor concert with each other. I have been listening to them nonstop ever since.
Then this week happened. This past week has been quite the adventure to say the least. It started off with an almost all nighter to write a research paper for my Psych and Ed class. Then I started to get sick. On Wednesday I woke up with a fever and didn't go to any of my classes. Luckily I was going home that afternoon. Later that day I got the news that one of my peers had suddenly died in his dorm room. It hit our campus pretty hard. This guy was a great guy. A man who was pursuing the Lord's calling in His life. But, we can rejoice that he is in heaven in the presence of our heavenly Father. It was hard not to be with the Taylor community during this time of grieve but it was great to be home in the presence of my praying parents. I woke up Thursday feeling so much better. I was able to enjoy all of the events that I had planned this weekend. From chatting with a mentor from high school to having pancakes with a good friend to teaching in a preschool classroom at church to meeting my brothers new girlfriend and her son.
I'd say despite the downs of this past week that I can live knowing that I have a heavenly Father who loves and cares for me. I know that "In the chaos, in confusion, HE is sovereign still".
