You (Kind of) Asked For It

Okay, not really.  Nobody actually asked for an update to the blog.  But too bad, I miss you guys, so here comes a post.

Yes, I know that it's not Christmas...

Gary, Sam, Ryan, and Jake, you guys commented on the last post, and, therefore, are special…just like everyone else.  In other words, not that special.  But special nonetheless.  Wrap your mind around that one, whilst I ramble on.

I’ve spent some time thinking about the year we spent together on 3MJ, the collective experience, made up of a host of individual successes and failures that have shaped my life in distinguishable ways.  Indubitably – one of Gary’s favorite words of all time – that year impacted each of our lives in many life-altering ways.  Which makes it special.  Just like every other year.  In other words, not that special.  But special nonetheless.

Rexy's 3MJ Hair Cut

I thought it could be cool to share/hear some of the lessons learned individually over the course of that year.  Here are some immediate examples that come to mind:

• Crossing frozen ponds that aren’t actually frozen is apparently not the best idea…who knew?
• Neither is speeding down a narrow hallway in a large laundry cart…
• Or throwing apples at people in close proximity to light poles…
• Or taking over for the Vice President of Student Life & Learning when it comes time to issue fines…
• Another poorly executed great idea that can be chalked up to freshmen year n00b status: jumping off a wall and landing on your collar bone – seriously, who does that?
• Yet another rookie mistake: falling for the fatally flawed, fallacious logic that Niagara Falls looks better at three o’clock in the rainy, foggy morning.

More good hair - thanks to 3MJ Service Day!

Just kidding, those were the first thoughts to come to mind, but I actually considered (only considered) being serious for a moment and thinking through some real life lessons learned.

• Like what it looks like to choose to love a community of diverse individuals, and then try to stick to a decision to love when it gets hard.
• Like how humbling it is to be inadequate in every way, yet still loved infinitely.
• Like how challenging it is when you feel like you’re not making a difference.

And how, despite doubt and disillusion, God is the one actually loving and providing the strength to love, the one who is more than adequate, the one actually making a difference, the one who causes growth, and the one who is above all else.  In the end (and right now, and since the beginning), He is all that matters…He is the one who is special.  Unlike everyone else.

Now wrap your mind around that.

And try not to think about the dynamics in this picture...

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