Broken Swing

Last year, my sister and I went on a photoshoot in our back yard. We found an old tire swing, and so I sat on it and swung back and forth while my sister snapped some shots. "Okay, my turn," she called. Taking a flying leap, she launched herself onto the swing and began to swing back and forth. On her second or third time, however, the swing broke, and my sister found herself sitting on the ground. We both had a good laugh and decided not to take pictures there anymore. 

Today I was thinking though, of how much sitting on the swing is like being out in the world. It looks fun, and it looks tempting, but if you are not firmly anchored onto Christ, you will fall. This has been especially true for me in college, because it's a lot harder to have that firm connection to Him with all of the distractions. I know that unlike the swing, however, if I hold onto Him tightly, I will never fall.

Keep holding on!

Cameras and Chemistry

So, I currently do not know the location of my camera. The picture part of this blog will be picked up again when I find it and begin taking more pictures. :) Until then, I hope you will enjoy reading rather than looking, starting with a devotional I wrote this last week for my chemistry class.

Hide-and-Seek

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

- Colossians 3:3

Hide-and-seek. Just mentioning the name brings up a plethora of memories. Hiding out in the cold, dark woods, squishing into obscured corners, sneaking around for safety, clambering into the dryer... The childhood experience was priceless. I can't count the times that I sat patiently in my hiding spot, waiting to be found. One such time, I had chosen one of our laundry baskets, and had covered myself in laundry. I would tremble with fear as my sister came looking for me, talking her way along, and breathe a sigh of relief when she passed by. Eventually, I would inevitably get bored, sneak out of my hiding place, and try to reappear somewhere totally different. Hide-and-seek was always a highlight of my childhood.

Sometimes, we play hide-and-seek with the world. We are supposed to be hid in Christ, totally obscured by Him, like I was hidden by the laundry. However, we often get bored and come out of hiding, looking for something else to do, and the world has plenty to offer. It's easy to get caught up, and it is often harder to come back in hiding after we have left. It's easy to think that staying in the laundry, hid in Christ, is a lot more boring than being out in the world, but we will be a lot more happy and satisfied when we choose to be hid in Him. When I would try to come out of hiding, my sister would often see me, and then I couldn't hide there again, because she knew my spot. It is the same way when we are hid in Christ – once we leave, it's a lot harder to come back, and it's easier to fall again where we have fallen before.

Hide-and-seek is also a lot like a salt in solution. When salt is completely dissolved in water, you can't see it. All of it is hidden by the water, which represents Christ, the Water of Life. Just like my sister couldn't tell that I was hiding in the laundry, none of us will be visible to anyone looking on. When we are hid in Christ, we do have the opportunity to come out of solution, however – for a salt to stay in solution, it must be pulled apart by the water and become attached to it. If the salt is more attracted to itself, however, then the water's forces are powerless. When we weaken the water's forces, or our relationship with God, by neglecting prayer and Bible study, then we will eventually come out of hiding permanently. The best way to stay hidden in Christ is to strengthen our relationship with Him, today and forever.

- Amaris Benardo

Resolutions