But to rewind a little bit...recently, I was thinking about how happy I am. I feel almost guilty about it. My life isn't perfect, but what do I have to complain about, really?
The funny thing is that nothing has happened the way I expected. I had imagined a different kind of life for myself. I went through life gathering little bits of wisdom for myself, intending them for a certain plan. It was a kind of American Dream...maybe not in the sense of wealth, but it still had the elements that young people often dream of.
And then I found myself in Russia and realized that the things that I had learned weren't necessarily helpful. more/-
In studying for exams, Russian students normally prepare answers for a number of topics, and then on exam day they choose a "ticket" containing the question that they will answer. It just so happens that I drew a ticket that wasn't on my list. In life, I mean. It's not that I want to exchange it, it's just that I got something I wasn't expecting. And I find myself pondering questions that I would have never thought would be relevant to my life.
I had to learn a new set of basic skills:
-how to dress warmly
-how to not be killed crossing the street
-how to find (and prepare) food
-how to greet people
-how to count change
And then of course there are the deeper questions, relating to the moral decisions, and the relationships, and everything that relates to the heart and spiritual matters.
But the nice thing is that God doesn't change, and if I can just lean on Him, I will hopefully be prepared for whatever comes along. :)
What a great essay!
ReplyDeleteI can relate completely- there are lessons I had to teach myself all over again in Chile when I lived there. I am still trying to figure out decisions relating to morals and relationships!! It is funny the things we prepare ourselves for and then the things God puts us in and then we realize how clueless and helpless we are without Him.
ReplyDeleteExactly!
ReplyDelete