Late Night Reflections

I am laying in bed right now. It is 12:45 am. This might be the latest I have stayed up since I've been here. The reason probably is the fact that I received a package from my parents and it contained dark chocolate and Starbucks Via packets. I haven't experienced this kind of caffeine since I've been here. I just got done Skyping with two of my good friends in a three-way Skype call. One is in Jerusalem and the other is in Upland. Technology is crazy. I should have been working on my history paper that I am continually putting off. Hopefully I will be able to pound it out before it is due on Wednesday.

I am approaching the three month mark here, which means I have one more month left in this place. It is crazy. I have so many conflicting emotions. I miss home a lot. But I am truly enjoying life here. I am sick of school. But I am loving my friendships. I am getting to the point, however, that I feel like I have learned so much that I am not sure I can learn much more. The pace of learning has been so quick that I feel like it is all being stored somewhere, waiting to be processed and sorted out. The problem is that I feel like that storage is getting full. I can't imagine what else God can teach me or that I can take much more.

As the storage continues to fill, I feel like it is getting more and more difficult to express what I am learning. Even talking to Laurie tonight (my friend in Jerusalem), we hardly talked about our experiences and what we are learning because there is just too much to even begin...for both of us. It is an interesting place to be. I put pressure on myself to be able to come back with all my lessons learned packed neatly in a little box ready to present to everyone.

But I am realizing that won't happen, and that's ok. Hopefully this time will be something that will continue to teach me in the years to come.

One degree change that over a long period of time leads to significant impact.

"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." -2 Cor. 3:18-

This is what life is all about. Whether it's in another country or whether it's at home. God is faithful to change us into his image.

One degree at a time. And we might not always see that one degree as it is happening. But it is.

"Transformation is not something you see in the moment. It is something you look back and see." -Kory Lantz-

What is that one degree change that is happening in your life? And if you can't see it right now, what is one way God was faithful to you today?

He is faithful. He is working. Sometimes we just need to open our eyes so we can see it.