I thought I’d sum up some realizations:
People never really grow up. As a kid, you always think that adults are adults and that children are children. There seems to be some kind of imaginary wall that you hit, and then you transition into adulthood; that’s not the case at all. Kids, with their kid-desires and kid-thoughts and kid-behaviors just get older and get better at masking their kid-ness. Don’t get me wrong, there is so much maturing that happens over time, and there is such a huge difference between adults and kids. But once you hit adulthood, you don’t leave all of childhood behind. I’ve seen one too many adults this week having temper tantrums, drunkenly yelling on a train, and over-joyfully tearing into the package of whatever gift they just got themselves.
Life can be summed up into two things: perspective and balance. First, if you view God correctly, you’ll view yourself correctly. If you view yourself correctly, you’ll view the world correctly. Instead of seeing what you want to see or what you think you see, you’ll see what actually is. All things are relative and everything can be interpreted individually; understanding and improving your perspective on God, yourself, and your world will completely change your life. Secondly, most of life is a battle of balance. Time between this or that, relationships here or there, money on A or B, the fourth cup of coffee or stopping at three: balance. We’re trying to balance all of these things, all of the time, and it’s exhausting. Balance is hard because it requires constant evaluation and prioritization. Balance helps us see what we really value most, and sometimes, we aren’t happy with what we value. But balance correctly, and that out-of-control feeling of the anxiety of choice vanishes.
In Old Testament times, covenants were common between lords and servants. Sacrifices would be cut in two pieces and laid in two rows, and the servant would walk between them, signifying that he would hold up his end of the bargain to the lord or king, or else he would become like the sacrifices. He would act out the curse of the covenant. Abraham asked God to show him that He meant his promise of blessing, so God asked him to set up two rows of sacrifices. Abraham expected God to call him and ask him to walk through the rows, making a vow to his Lord (lords never walked through the sacrifices.) Instead, God put Abraham in a deep sleep, and during that sleep, the Spirit of God passed between the sacrifices. God took Abraham’s place, saying, “Here is my covenant; I promise to hold up my end of the bargain, and if I don’t, I will be sacrificed.” But here’s the incredible part: God never asked Abraham to walk through the sacrifices at all. God said, “Not only will I be torn to pieces like these sacrifices if I don’t hold up my end of the bargain, I’ll be torn to pieces if you don’t.” Incredible. That’s the love of our God- a covenant love willing to hold up both ends of the covenant.
All people are more or less asleep, and either we don’t realize it, or we do but can’t figure out how to wake up. We become numb to things we weren’t numb to before, we feel lazy and tired and apathetic and not ourselves. Real joy becomes harder to grasp. Everything becomes monotonous. We’re distracted. It’s almost like we can’t get life to become real. How do we realize we’re sleeping? How do we wake up entirely? I don’t have a clue. I feel just as sleepy sometimes. I’m sure there are plenty of answers- enough for everyone on the planet to have a few- and I have my own, too. But this is a lesson I’m still learning.
Introverts and extroverts each have their own very real drawbacks. Today, I traveled alone through Cologne, and realized it firsthand. I went everywhere I wanted to go, took plenty of pictures and videos, and saw some breathtaking views. But I didn’t have anybody to take pictures with or to talk to about the beautiful views, and I didn’t get to try anybody else’s burger when I had lunch. I missed being with someone. I’m realizing more and more that as an introvert, I really value my time alone and desperately need it, especially after the long days we’ve been having. But also as an introvert, I’m realizing the immense value of relationships and their huge importance in our lives. We were never meant to walk alone.
The world revolves around money, and that’s such a sad thing. There are way more important things than money. I’ve seen so many people this week in nice suits, eating nice meals, and driving nice cars. There comes a point where money can only buy clothes and cars, houses and watches- things that don’t last. Money can be an incredibly good thing; it can be beneficial and helpful to others, and it can buy memories that last a lifetime. But money is a dangerous game. Perhaps that’s a reason that so many people in my generation are afraid of money and don’t want any part of it; many run to the mission and nonprofit fields for that reason. They don’t want to contribute to the money-madness. I don’t really blame them.
That bit about men’s brains working like waffles and women’s like spaghetti is, undoubtedly, a truth-fact. I work in compartments.
This certainly isn’t all I’ve learned, and there’s plenty more to be learned in the next few weeks. This is just a summary of the big points, and chances are, I’m not 100% right about any of them. Regardless, I’m so thankful that the Lord has been moving mountains and showing me brand new ideas I hadn’t thought of before. I’m excited to see what’s next.
I’ll spare you on the lessons of market penetration in Eastern Europe or what challenges the Eurozone will face in the next decade.
--
Follow Hunter as he studies business in Germany at https://heartoverseas.wordpress.com/
For more internship and study abroad opportunities within Walton College, visit http://walton.uark.edu/global/index.ph
People never really grow up. As a kid, you always think that adults are adults and that children are children. There seems to be some kind of imaginary wall that you hit, and then you transition into adulthood; that’s not the case at all. Kids, with their kid-desires and kid-thoughts and kid-behaviors just get older and get better at masking their kid-ness. Don’t get me wrong, there is so much maturing that happens over time, and there is such a huge difference between adults and kids. But once you hit adulthood, you don’t leave all of childhood behind. I’ve seen one too many adults this week having temper tantrums, drunkenly yelling on a train, and over-joyfully tearing into the package of whatever gift they just got themselves.
Life can be summed up into two things: perspective and balance. First, if you view God correctly, you’ll view yourself correctly. If you view yourself correctly, you’ll view the world correctly. Instead of seeing what you want to see or what you think you see, you’ll see what actually is. All things are relative and everything can be interpreted individually; understanding and improving your perspective on God, yourself, and your world will completely change your life. Secondly, most of life is a battle of balance. Time between this or that, relationships here or there, money on A or B, the fourth cup of coffee or stopping at three: balance. We’re trying to balance all of these things, all of the time, and it’s exhausting. Balance is hard because it requires constant evaluation and prioritization. Balance helps us see what we really value most, and sometimes, we aren’t happy with what we value. But balance correctly, and that out-of-control feeling of the anxiety of choice vanishes.
In Old Testament times, covenants were common between lords and servants. Sacrifices would be cut in two pieces and laid in two rows, and the servant would walk between them, signifying that he would hold up his end of the bargain to the lord or king, or else he would become like the sacrifices. He would act out the curse of the covenant. Abraham asked God to show him that He meant his promise of blessing, so God asked him to set up two rows of sacrifices. Abraham expected God to call him and ask him to walk through the rows, making a vow to his Lord (lords never walked through the sacrifices.) Instead, God put Abraham in a deep sleep, and during that sleep, the Spirit of God passed between the sacrifices. God took Abraham’s place, saying, “Here is my covenant; I promise to hold up my end of the bargain, and if I don’t, I will be sacrificed.” But here’s the incredible part: God never asked Abraham to walk through the sacrifices at all. God said, “Not only will I be torn to pieces like these sacrifices if I don’t hold up my end of the bargain, I’ll be torn to pieces if you don’t.” Incredible. That’s the love of our God- a covenant love willing to hold up both ends of the covenant.
All people are more or less asleep, and either we don’t realize it, or we do but can’t figure out how to wake up. We become numb to things we weren’t numb to before, we feel lazy and tired and apathetic and not ourselves. Real joy becomes harder to grasp. Everything becomes monotonous. We’re distracted. It’s almost like we can’t get life to become real. How do we realize we’re sleeping? How do we wake up entirely? I don’t have a clue. I feel just as sleepy sometimes. I’m sure there are plenty of answers- enough for everyone on the planet to have a few- and I have my own, too. But this is a lesson I’m still learning.
Introverts and extroverts each have their own very real drawbacks. Today, I traveled alone through Cologne, and realized it firsthand. I went everywhere I wanted to go, took plenty of pictures and videos, and saw some breathtaking views. But I didn’t have anybody to take pictures with or to talk to about the beautiful views, and I didn’t get to try anybody else’s burger when I had lunch. I missed being with someone. I’m realizing more and more that as an introvert, I really value my time alone and desperately need it, especially after the long days we’ve been having. But also as an introvert, I’m realizing the immense value of relationships and their huge importance in our lives. We were never meant to walk alone.
The world revolves around money, and that’s such a sad thing. There are way more important things than money. I’ve seen so many people this week in nice suits, eating nice meals, and driving nice cars. There comes a point where money can only buy clothes and cars, houses and watches- things that don’t last. Money can be an incredibly good thing; it can be beneficial and helpful to others, and it can buy memories that last a lifetime. But money is a dangerous game. Perhaps that’s a reason that so many people in my generation are afraid of money and don’t want any part of it; many run to the mission and nonprofit fields for that reason. They don’t want to contribute to the money-madness. I don’t really blame them.
That bit about men’s brains working like waffles and women’s like spaghetti is, undoubtedly, a truth-fact. I work in compartments.
This certainly isn’t all I’ve learned, and there’s plenty more to be learned in the next few weeks. This is just a summary of the big points, and chances are, I’m not 100% right about any of them. Regardless, I’m so thankful that the Lord has been moving mountains and showing me brand new ideas I hadn’t thought of before. I’m excited to see what’s next.
I’ll spare you on the lessons of market penetration in Eastern Europe or what challenges the Eurozone will face in the next decade.
--
Follow Hunter as he studies business in Germany at https://heartoverseas.wordpress.com/
For more internship and study abroad opportunities within Walton College, visit http://walton.uark.edu/global/index.ph
