A distraction from paper writing

I have about 5 drafts that I've never finished sitting in my folder. I keep trying to write, but nothing seems fully appropriate. My blog certainly has been lacking in content over the last year, but I'm hoping that will change, starting now.

My second last semester of Redeemer is already almost half way over. To be perfectly honest (which is the point of a blog entitled truth be told), it has been a challenging one in a few ways. Don't get me wrong, for the most part, it's been awesome. The group of girls I'm living with really are awesome. We cook together, clean together, and do devotions together, and we're not even being forced. To me, that's pretty remarkable.

Mostly, school is what has been difficult for me. I'm getting to a point where I'm ready to be done, but I still have these last two semesters to get through. I'm trying to keep the best attitude I can, but sometimes, self-pity gets the best of me, and I sulk about all the assignments and classes that I have to go to. I'm trying to continually remind myself of what a blessing it is to be at such a great university, but sometimes I just don't have the best memory for things like that.

Yesterday I stumbled across a fantastic verse yesterday, which I love, and which is also the lyrics to one of my favorite songs. Four Seven by Jars of Clay.

2 Cor. 4: 7-12-
⁷But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ¹¹For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. ¹²So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

So often I feel sorry for myself, and complain about all the hardships or stress that I have built up in my life. It's so refreshing to be reminded that although we may think that we are hard-pressed, we are NOT crushed. We are never abandoned.