The Tug on My Heartstrings.

      Has it really been almost two months since I've posted something? Shame on me! Truth is, until now, I had nothing to say. There is a part of me that has just been so unsatisfied with a lot of things in my life, and I've let it get the best of me. Lucky for you, I'm done moping and whining about it! 

      In two days, I start my junior year of college. I really can't believe that I'm already halfway done with my undergrad time at LSU! This place has been so good to me, and the longer I'm here, the more I understand why people love this place for decades after they've graduated. I can't wait to see what this year has in store for me. There are so many opportunities I can hardly stand it!

      So, what inspired me to post tonight, you ask? Oh...you didn't ask? Too bad. Earlier, a friend and I were talking about life in Jamaica and how much better it seems than life here. The people we spend most of our time with there have no family, no possessions, and no chance of ever living an independent life again (if they were one of the few to live independently before). How can we live in one of the most, if not the most, prosperous countries in the world and still feel so empty inside? It's probably because we're seeking out the wrong things. While I was thinking about Jamaica, two things came to mind. First, this picture:

Have you ever seen anything more perfect than that? Immediately after I looked at this picture, I thought about this:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

      If those two things don't go together, then I don't know what does. Each and every day, we should challenge ourselves to become the kind of love spoken of in this terribly misunderstood Bible verse. This is not about man's love for a woman but about God's love for his creation. Although we will never be able to achieve this perfect love, we should strive to get as close as possible. We should be able to say, "I am patient, I am kind. I am not envious, I do not boast, I am not proud," and so on. I don't know about you, but that's not something I can honestly say very often. Tomorrow afternoon, I'm going to challenge myself to living this out as I'm surrounded by people who are not typically present in my comfort zone, and I can't wait to see what they're going to teach me. Later!