Saving the World

I just saw the movie Bella on Tuesday night. I wasn't prepared for what my reaction would be. Bella is an independant film with a pro-life message that I thought was very well done. I really enjoyed the movie, although it's simple, and several of my younger (I like to think less cultured) friends, didn't like it so much.

At the end of the movie I was in tears. All I could think of was how I wanted to change the world. How I wanted to take pain away from one person, or bring joy to one person, or do something to make my stand against all of the death, pain, and anguish, lonliness, hopelessnes, confusion, and anger that is eating away at our world like an aggresive cancer.

I looked at my life, and felt insignificant, like I wasn't doing enough, but knowing that there's not much more I can do. I'm busy, I'm pretty much full to capacity. Believe it or not I am involved in several things that I think will help people, I guess my frustration comes when I don't see many results.

I don't see that tearful joy of a life that's just been changed.

Instead I see the hardened indifference of a college student who doesn't want free water or a short conversation.

I see the irritated Cuban who's name I just spelled wrong as I'm trying to help them get to Cuba and see their family and bring humanitarian aid to the poor.

I see the coldness of my friend who just doesn't want to hear the gospel truth I'm trying to share.

Jesus is the answer...the cure...the remedy, but no one seems to want to listen, no one seems to want to be healed, no one seems to want to admit they are broken.

I am reduced to praying.

Funny how I say that, as if praying is such a weak and insignificant thing to do...'reduced' or privileged?

When will I learn that more gets done when I let God be God?

This post doesn't really have a conclusion - I'm not even sure how cohesive it's been, but these are my thoughts, and I hope this post has provoked some of your own.

Stress

Chances are, if you're a college student, you know from personal experience what stress is. Come to think of it, no matter who you are, we've all experienced stress.

It's only Tuesday, and I already feel burned out from work. Too many people, and too many things all wanting my attention, all claiming to be urgent. I feel stretched in so many directions I think I just might break.

So what do we do when this happens? Go shopping? Grab the ice cream? Watch a movie or get lost in a book? These proposed "solutions to stress" are many, but do any of them really work? I've tried a few, and although some of them may bring temporary relief (Buying a pair of *gorgeous* shoes, for example!) none of them bring ultimate or lasting peace.

I heard a quote today that I want to share with you:

The busier I get, the more I need to spend time in prayer.

It seems like the total opposite of what we should do when our lives start filling up and going crazy, but think about this, if we don't have time to pray over the things we've got going on in our lives, maybe we shouldn't be doing them.

I'll let you think over this for a little while.
Is there something in your life you know you shouldn't be doing - even if it's a good thing, it's keeping you from having time to pray to God?

Stress is unavoidable, but let's make it something that drives us to God instead of away from him.