"Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good. God probes for what is good" ~ proverbs 16:2 (msg)
If I had to put in order the top three things I love the most it would be: God, people, and beautiful places. I love these things so much! As I was looking around Granada for an apartment I was so wanting to live in a cool apartment with a beautiful view of the mountains with little terraces and lots of sun light coming in. (every time our family moves to a new house, my mom makes sure to give me the room with the window that faces the direction of where the sun rises.... that is how important a room filled with sunlight is to me.) I spent about a week looking at apartments and couldn't find one that looked good enough. I found one with cool girls, but the apartment had no view and not a lot of sunlight.
Then I remembered I have been asking for prayer that God would provide a place for me to live with roommates that I could find connection with and friendship with... not for a cool looking apartment. As I kept looking every door kept shutting and this one apartment with the girls was still open. So I gave up my love of beautiful places to live here. I have only lived here for a few days and have already fallen in love with my new roommates. They are so fun and have really welcomed me into their lives. Now I love this place, it has become beautiful to me because of the people in it.
So I have learned again this re-occuring lesson of my life. Living well is not about living in a nice place or a beautiful place, but it is about the people our lives intersect with, the people we live with and share life with. I learned this 4 months ago when I didn't want to move to memphis...because... well, its memphis...but then God introduced me to a whole new world of friends there.
Then I think about how Jesus was like in paradise and left heaven to come to earth... to come to this place we made dark by our sin to restore light by showing us what real love is. He left the most beautiful place to come and intersect his life with ours on the most personal level.
I am learning that love really is the greatest priority and purpose in life.
That is why I must continuously remind myself of how much God loves me by looking at how he proved it on the cross by taking death to give me life, by forsaking his own son in his most painful moment in order to be with me in all my moments. To be grateful for the reality of redemption and his righteousness which is credited to such an undesrving person. That is real love. Remembering this, looking at this and experiencing what that really means enables me to love.
This apartment experience has showed me how he loves even on the most personal levels by not always giving me what I want because it looks good, but by "giving me what is good", what he wants... what he knows is best. And what is best always has to do more with loving people rather than loving places.
5 comments:
What are the girls names?? What are they like? Where are they from?? What is your mailing address??
PS. It looks like you did ok. Most European apartments I visited are junky. It's like the walls are made of plastic or something. Are your walls plastic??
I don't know that "junky" is a good word for the alledged apartments this katie girl has visited. How about "older" or "not as fancy" as we, spoiled Americans, are used to. I include myself in that "we" so as to not insult and to be completely real.
I love the simplicity of life in most European countries. I find I don't need 4 bedrooms, a den, entry way, a dining room, an office, 2.5 baths, a laundry room, vaulted ceilings, and a spacious backyard. All I need is four walls and a toilet--I don't even really need that; I just want it. It puts life in perspective.
Amen, Molly. We were made to be in relationship not in comfort.
Molly,
It was so great talking to you the other day, just to hear the same excitement in your voice even though you are so far away. And then to hear how well you are connecting already to your roomates and their friends. I wish I could see that. It's amazing... a smile, a laugh (esp. yours), enthusiasm for life, communicates in any language!
Love Always,
Dad
Hi Molly,
You do not know me...but I'm wondering if this is a six-degrees-of-separation story... My dear friends here in Nashville forwarded me your "goodbye" email, which was forwarded to them by dear friends in Charlotte "Robbi"... and I'm see photos all over your blog of one of my favorite cities and most recent place I set up tent... are you with a group of crazy people from Iowa, Mexico, New York, and North Carolina??? My name is Tonya--If you're with this group, I would enjoy receiving your updates! One of them will have my email addy!
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