Only One Master

Being in college really helps to reveal to you what is important to people. College is all about a time in which you get to choose how and where to invest your time, what organizations you want to be a part of, which people you want to spend your time with, and what major you want to focus in on. 

One thing that I have constantly struggled with, especially since I arrived at Chapel Hill in the Fall of 2011, was trying to figure out "what I want to do with my life." It's a common dilemma that many college students face. Many come in "Undecided" and take different courses to figure out what it is they enjoy or what they picture themselves doing in the future. And, to be honest, it is actually kind of scary. Nothing was scarier than the day that it dawned on me that I was given four years to figure out what it was that I wanted to do with my life! 

Shameful to say, but while there are many factors that influenced my decision, there was ALWAYS one factor that weighed heavy on my mind: money. In our current economic state, it's every college student's biggest fear to choose a major that ends up not being able to get them a job. Or, something that I have found to be particularly true for many people that I know: many people desire an extremely comfortable lifestyle whenever they get out into "the real world." 

While I do believe that individuals need to be practical in the choices they make concerning the future, there is a verse of Scripture that came to my attention in my Bible study last week that I found to be relevant: 

Matthew 6:24 says: "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." 

Do I want my slice of the American Dream? Do I want my huge house, with a nice car in the driveway? Honestly, yes. However, the realization that I had to come to was that I had one Master. I can't claim to be a follower of Christ, but then reserve a part of my heart for my love of having my ideal lifestyle and economic status one day. While those things would be nice, they hold no eternal value. We need to be investing our life, time, and resources to things that are lasting (From Experiencing God).

If you desire to be in the middle of God's will, He is going to bless your life. You may not be living in a mansion in Beverly Hills, but you will have great joy and satisfaction in knowing that you are living the life that God has called you to live.     

What a Great Day!

So, if you are a college student (or have ever been a college student) you have to know that there has been THAT day. You know which day I'm talking about. It was either in a past semester, in your current semester, or (if you're like me) you've had THAT day every semester of your college career.

You can't ever avoid THAT day. It comes every week...whether you are prepared or not. Sometimes, if you're reallyyyy unlucky, THAT day is actually a couple of days in your week. For me this semester, that's my scenario!

THAT (actually...THOSE) days for me this semester are Tuesdays and Thursdays. Tuesdays and Thursdays appear to be the longest days in the history of the world for me! From the time I get up at 7AM to the time I get back to my room at 7:30PM, the day is just a continuous chain of non-stop things to do! If I'm not going to class, I'm in class. If I'm not in class, I'm leaving a class. If I'm not leaving a class, I'm studying or reading for a class. .....you get the picture!

In past semesters, this day is normally the day I had a Biology or Chemistry lab. Or, like this semester, it's a day that a bunch of classes happen to be on! Whatever you situation, all of these days have one thing in common: you do not necessarily look forward to them.

Yesterday, as I was getting ready to start my Tuesday, a good friend of mine texted me this verse:

"This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." -Psalm 118:24.

How true is that?! How crazy is it to DREAD a day in which the Lord has blessed you with?

We don't always look forwards to busy days. Or days we have exams. Or days we have to go to the dentist. Or the days we have to wake up super early. But, instead of looking at those days as something that we have to get through, why don't we count our blessings and look at them as days that we get to get through? We should be rejoicing in each day, because each day is nothing short of a blessing from God!

That being said, I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL day!...and, always remember, it is always a day to rejoice when you have a relationship with our Savior!

Overheard

Okay...so one of my favorite things about Facebook now is looking at the posts that are put in this group that I am in called "Overheard at UNC." Basically, what people do is post random things that they hear while being on campus at sometime during the day. To me, most of theses posts are absolutely hilarious!! (MOST...definitely not all). They range from lunch discussion to comments about how much we despise Duke. Here's a few of the recent ones to help you get an idea:

"...Africa, the most commonly cited third world country."

Girl taking her Macbook to ITS: "It won't turn on."
ITS Guy: "Have you tried charging it?"
Girl: "But it's a Mac."

"I'm a feminist, so I can do whatever I want."

"Chess is just a weird version of checkers, right?"

....I think you get the picture. If we really think about it, though, we all can have some very interesting conversations throughout the day! And, if anything, such a group as "Overheard at UNC" is proof that people around you DO take notice to what it is you are saying! So what does Scripture have to say about this?: Well, Ephesians 4:29 says: "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

What if, as Christians, we took this message to heart? What if we watched every single thing that we said so that it would only build up His kingdom? What if we were Overheard?....would it truly benefits those who are hearing the words that we have to say?

I challenge us all to approach all of our day-to-day conversations in this way. Let's act as though non-believers might be overhearing us. Let's let our words be a true reflection of our faith. ....because there's a chance that what you happen to say is the only representation of Christ some people may ever see.

How About a Little Modesty?

Well, first and foremost, you should know that this post is probably going to be more relatable if you are a female. Normally I would not want to "discriminate", but, as a female,  there is something that I feel like I need to say!

So, I have just finished up my third week of school. It's now the first week of September. Autumn weather has not yet settled in. If you were to close your eyes, you would probably guess that we were still in the middle of the month of June. Or, to put this in more blatant terms: It is still pretty hot outside! Yesterday was a perfect example!: I'm not going to lie, I kind of broke a sweat on my walks to class.

That being said, this hot weather has apparently given females to have an open invitation to dress....pretty much however they want to. And, the sad thing is, our society thinks that this is totally okay!

So, i just have to go ahead and say it: it is distracting! And remember, this is coming from a girl's perspective...God only knows how distracting it must be for all the males out there! But, I guess that is kind of the point? Our society feeds us this idea that we have to be able to catch a guy's attention. Or that we are "liberated women"...which means we can dress or act however it is that we want.

I'm here to tell you that it doesn't have to be that way. Actually, I'll take it a step further and say that it's not supposed to be that way.

1 Timothy 2:9 says: "I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles and gold or pearls or costly attire."

Modesty. Decency. Propriety.

Society can feed you all the lies it wants to about what it means to be "beautiful" or what needs to be done or worn to "keep a guy around." I'm here to tell you that we should protect ourselves. We are more than that: we are children of God. We are not meant to be stumbling blocks for the males that surround us. We are not meant to allow for ungodly thoughts to be sparked. We are not meant to disrespect ourselves and our brothers in Christ.

So, to all the females out there, I would like to say this: you are beautiful. You do not need approval from guys to feel that way. One day, if according to God's will, you will find a guy that loves you for exactly who you are...and he is going to respect that you chose to be modest. God loves you....and that's the ONLY approval that you will ever need.

Lending A Helping Hand

So, at the start of every new school year at UNC, we have this thing known as "Fall Fest." It's this super big event where they close down a couple streets on campus, and every possible club or organization you could imagine attempts to recruit new members. All of the students at UNC line up down these streets, and we're all packed like sardines, just moving in which ever way the traffic flows. 

Now, members of clubs and organizations do A LOT to try to get you involved with whatever it is that they are advertising. The members volunteers their time. They'll have conversations with you. They'll give you free food. They'll help you sign up. They'll give you free souvenirs that advertise their organization. The list goes on and on.

A couple of weeks ago, a couple friends and I decided to make our way down the streets of Fall Fest for the start of our junior year. Just as I expected: it was insane! Thousands of people were on the streets, and people were walking around with their signs and advocating like crazy! I started walking down this one street that had many poster boards and such set up on tables. Most of their advertisements were for Pre-Health clubs: aimed at all of those UNC students who typically wish to pursue going into some sort of health-related field. As I walked by, I could hear the random, casual conversations that advocates were having with potential-members.

 As I passed by this one table, I recognized one of the members as a guy that I had had a chemistry class with last semester: he was pre-med. I walked by, and I heard him talking to a girl about joining this volunteer-related club. Apparently, the organization allowed for pre-med students to go to different foreign countries to volunteer and give aid to individuals in need. It sounded like a great organization! But, he then followed up by saying something that bothered me greatly: "Yeah, you should join! It looks great on applications for medical school!"

How sad of a world is it that we live in today? It doesn't take an expert to tell you that we live in a very crooked, selfish generation. The sad thing about most of the decisions we make today, is that we make them for our own selfish benefits. We obtain prestigious degrees so that WE can live the comfortable lifestyle that we would like. We sometimes go to church and read our Bibles so that WE can feel like we did our "Christian-ly" duties. We diet and exercise so that WE can feel good about ourselves and look "good" in the eyes of society. And, what I think is the saddest of them all: sometimes we volunteer our time and resources to those in need, only to feel good about ourselves or for OUR own selfish benefits.

What if we changed our attitudes a little bit? What if we allowed Christ to truly renew our minds?

Romans 12:2 says: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing our your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

God selflessly sent His one and only Son to die for each and every one of us. Whenever I start to think about what this truly means, I cannot help but to get excited that there is somebody that loves me THAT MUCH! After we accept Christ into our lives, we should allow this good news to consume our lives and everything that we do!...starting with our attitudes, especially towards others!

So let's get the education or degree in which God calls us to obtain because we want to honor and please Him with the gifts that He's blessed us with. Let's be in His Word and meet in His house because we want to fuel ourselves with the Holy Spirit and learn more about Him. Let's take care of our bodies because we know they are of the Kingdom of God, and we wish to please Him. And, last but not least, let's lend a helping hand to those in need because God has called us to do so and because He has called us to be a light to this world!

Our society demands you to work for yourself: this has become the way that it's supposed to be. However, as Christians, we all have a destination that's beyond this world that we live in. 

So, just like the famous Christian song by the band Fee says, I challenges us all to allow God to: "Take my life and let it be all for You and for Your glory; take my life and let it be Yours."