For Such A Time As This

On the evening of Christ’s birth, in the year two thousand and nine, I am humbled by the idea of the sacrifice that was brought and born into this world. His main purpose for becoming human was to die. To die for me. To die for my sin. To die for my ignorance.

My main reason for being born into this world? To live. To live for Him and with Him. To live near Him. To live for His glory.

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”.

My thoughts this season have been different than they would’ve been in past years, for a variety of reasons, but my heart is the same. Christ’s birth is a time a celebration, of joy, of beauty. However, many of my thoughts were more directed at smaller ideas. First, God told the shepherds -the lowest of society’s low- that their King and Deliverer was born. They were told before anyone else, so that they may have the opportunity to worship the Prince of Peace the same as people of higher class. I can only imagine them there, in their rags, with their blistered feet and sores around their fingers that had gripped a rod and staff for many years. I can see the dirt in their hair and the affect time and the elements had taken on their faces. They were probably hungry and thirsty, cold and tired. Yet, when they received news that God’s son had been born, they gathered up whatever strength they had left, and made the trek to the stable. Maybe God provided the stable for Mary and Joseph as a means of making the shepherds feel more welcomed, more at home. I wonder, no matter the amount of faith they had in the angel, if the shepherds would have traveled to a palace to welcome a king? Maybe the stable was a means of making the wise men, wisest of all, feel more humbled? That was train-of-thought number one…

Number two? The wise men gave the gift of myrrh, oil associated with the burial process. They may not have known the significance of that gift, the representation of the suffering that would take place, and the pain that would proceed death. Yet somehow, they knew it was the perfect gift for this humble being. They may not have known what would come in the days to follow, but they knew it would change the course of history. They simply followed a feeling on what to present to the King of Kings, and it was their humility in presenting them to Him that made them men of honor.

As I look to the future, I also look to the past. All that has happened, and all that is left to come. I think of fears and failures, of dreams and hopes. I sometimes shy away from the bigger issues because they intimidate me, but then I am reminded, by that still, small voice…

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline”
2 Timothy 1:7

Be courageous like the shepherds and be humble like the wise men. Be blessed the way God wants to bless you.

-Rin

Blessed Ones

"Don't Save It All For Christmas Day"

Don't get so busy that you miss
Giving just a little kiss
To the ones you love
Don't even wait a little while
To give them a little smile
A little is enough

How many people are crying
People are dying...
How many people are asking for love

Don't save it all for Christmas Day
Find a way
To give a little love everyday
Don't save it all for Christmas Day
Find your way
Cause holidays have come and gone
But love lives on
If you give on
Love...

How could you wait another minute
A hug is warmer when you're in it
And Baby that's a fact
And saying "I love you's" always better
Seasons, reasons, they don't matter
So don't hold back
How many people in this world
So needful in this world
How many people are praying for love

Don't save it all for Christmas Day
Find a way
To give a little love everyday
Don't save it all for Christmas Day
Find your way
Cause holidays have come and gone
But love lives on
If you give on
Love...

Let all the children know
Everywhere that they go
Their whole life long
Let them know love

Don't save it all for Christmas Day
Find a way
To give a little love everyday
Don't save it all for Christmas Day
Find your way
Cause holidays have come and gone
But love lives on
If you give on
Love...
Love..

This is one of my all time favorite Christmas songs. However, it has meant more to me this holiday season then ever before. I am slowly learning that there is pain and sorrow in this world. That there are people just waiting for someone to hug them, reach out a helping hand, or offer a smile. How easy it would be to do that every day, yet how seldom I actually do. Why is that? Am I too busy to say a “hello”? Am I better then them, therefore being excluded from sending a smile their way? While in Ireland, I resolved to “be a better person”-I could start on that one today, without needing to waste another moment.

This seems to be the theme of the week for me, as when I was swinging by my old stomping grounds last night, the topic of discussion was the spirit of Christmas, the season and reason of giving, and the prayer for a right mindset. My friend and I were talking about how easy it is for us to forget about the simple fact that everyone is fighting their own battle. We can be as friendly and kind to someone who has a cast on their arm or who just lost a relative, yet we forget so often about the people who don’t show any outward signs of pain and suffering. While engaging in conversation, it is a hundred times easier to think about what we’re going to say next or what we’re feeling than it is for us to listen to them. That’s something else I need to work on.

Another resolution in Ireland was that of contentment. While trying to shove 3 ½ months worth of life into two suitcases at one in the morning, I was frustrated. And I think, for the first time, I wasn’t frustrated at the size of my suitcase. I was mad at myself. I didn’t need all this! I was especially disappointed at myself in the shoe department- I only have two feet. Therefore, someone please tell me WHY I have 9 pairs. And those were only the ones I took to Ireland. It was a humbling lesson, and one I believe I will be working on for a long time. Fortunately, my incredible roommate doesn’t struggle with this, and therefore, is keeping me accountable.

Yet, all was not in vain for the lesson Christ was attempting to teach me. In one of the least dramatic moments ever, I thought about how blessed I am, and what gifts have been given to me. There was no “Hallelujah” chorus in the air, no bright light going off over my head-Just the way someone said something to me. I thought about other people, all over the world, in every country, in Ireland, in my own country, and I wondered why I haven’t done more to bless them. My charge to myself was to be a blessing to people, whether through a smile, a hug, or a gift. I want to bless others as I have been blessed.



“And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth…”
Matthew 5

Be blessed!
-Rinny

And So It Had To End

You can’t top the time of your life.
I just had mine.

So, this is what it feels like to leave. I miss it. I certainly do. But something I realized on the plane home was that I had my time there, and now it’s time somewhere else.
To sum up the general idea of what has happened, I’ll give you a note I wrote on the way home:

Life changing. Inspiring. Difficult. Amazing. Breathtaking. Challenging. Different. Testing. Moving. Interesting. Incredible.

…but that’s the way it always is, isn’t it?


I just got home from Ireland, where I spent my first semester of my freshman year at Taylor University. It was all of the above and more. And so much more… I learned. I grew. I was challenged, pushed, asked to change, asked to be open. I was shaken, torn apart, shattered broken. I was healed, renewed, fixed, transformed. They were the best of times, every moment. And I’ve come to realize, it’s not the location that matters the most; it is the people you are with. It is the laughter you share, the tears you catch, the hug you give, the smile you show. It is not what you say, but how you say it. Life isn’t measured in the number of breaths you take, but the number of moments that take your breath away. If that saying is true, my life has been measured vastly.

I cannot sum up all that has happened in the last 3 months, nor will I pretend to be the same person who left. You can ask about Ireland, and I will tell you…it was wonderful, beautiful, stunning. You can ask about what I did…hikes, DART rides, museums, castles, abbeys, etc. You can ask what I loved the most, and I won’t have an answer.

But the one question you can ask that has been most pertinent to my experience there would be “what have you learned”? I was actually studying there, so I can rattle off Gothic and Romanesque architecture terms and features. I could tell you about early Irish settlers, or about Irish painters in the nineteenth centaury. I can tell you something significant about every county in Ireland, or the history of the 1916 Easter Rising. I could tell you about heroes, villains, leaders, and tragic love stories. I could tell you about the Belfast Agreement and the events that shook Ireland during the 80’s and 90’s. I could name every major historical event. I could tell you about the last High King of Ireland or the current president.

I could, but I won’t.

Instead, I would tell you that I saw God in every rainbow He painted for me. I heard Him in every crashing wave. I touched Him on every hike. I listened to Him in every cool night breeze. I felt Him when I conquered every fear. I found Him on every corner, in every city. I saw Him in every person I met, and a few times, I hugged Him. I heard Him laugh and saw Him cry. I watched Him create a new day, every day. I stood back, amazed.

I’ve gone everywhere. I’ve seen everything. However, it seems to me that the more I learn, the less I know.

I could list off the hundreds of places I went and the countless people I met, but I’ll leave that one to the photos. Anyway, a picture is worth a thousand words.

All the same, my prayer would be that I would never stop searching, cease looking, or quit seeking Him. I pray for the strength to fight the battle, the forte to forgive, and the courage to love. I ask for the patience of the sun, the steadiness of the oak tree, and the passion of the ocean. I pray I would find Him in every corner, in every city. I pray I would change, always. Change is inevitable, but growth is optional.

“Preach the gospel; if necessary, use words”-St. Francis of Assisi

Since man is made in the image of God, I’ve learned to seek Him in every person I meet. I have learned about His redeeming grace. I have learned that every time I describe God, I put Him into a box. I have learned that He asks me to have a spirit of courage, and not of fear. I have learned that every person has a story, and that it is just waiting to be told-maybe to me. I have learned how to listen, because most people won’t. I’ve learned to love people the world finds unlovable. I have learned to change.

“You are the face that changed the whole world
No one too lost for you to love
No one too low for you to serve
So give us the grace to change the world
No one too lost for me to love
No one too low for me to serve”

It was a semester I’ll never forget, nor one that I’ll live again. But it was one that helped shape me into who I am now and who I am going to be. It was one that God used to teach me and lead me. The people He brought into my life, the lectures I heard, the chapel times, praise and worship on the beach, and rainbows witnessed were all set in motion by His hands, and for that, I am truly grateful.