Learning: Psychology

It seems to me that the usual process is this: the older you get, the more you learn about the world, the people you know, and hopefully, yourself. Of course, some people differ from that trajectory, as is true of all generalizations. Some people are just really self-aware naturally, and at a young age. Others are in denial, not understanding things about themselves or others, and not wanting to.

As a christian, I spend quite a bit of time reflecting on my personality and the decisions I make. In fact, last year, during a bible study, I realized that some of my close friends were so self-aware that they could understand why they had made a bad or foolish decision, and had even begun to prevent themselves for falling into the 'traps' that they had succumbed to in the past.

I was astonished. I couldn't do that, I couldn't understand why I did a lot of the things that I did, as strange as that sounds. So I decided to embark on a journey of self-discovery! (Ha!) Okay, I didn't phrase it or think of it like that, realistically I thought: "How great to be able to understand your own decisions so clearly! I want to be more like Adriane and Jennifer!"

So I tried it. And this year, I have become much more aware of my own tendencies and feelings and thought processes. You can see that even in how my writing has changed! Part of that is my adventures into self-awareness and reflection with God, but also in the past couple of semesters, I've been taking psychology classes for fun. While there is some questionable content in the world of psychology, overall, it can be really helpful when you are trying to classify and categorize features of your personality. (And in other people, interestingly enough.)

I guess what I'm trying to get at here is the idea that people deserve more credit than we usually give them. The more I interact and get involved with people, the more intrigued, baffled and in love I am with them. We're all so different, and funny enough, so much the same.

As I slowly come to understand why I act the way I do with some people, I also begin to understand why they act the way they do, and its causing me to be a lot more forgiving. I make mistakes. And so do you. And you know what? It's not the end of the world. (Not yet, anyway! Mayans...)

So forgive one more time, but really think about it, and maybe there won't be a next time to worry about.

Do you think that you are "self-aware"? Do you think that it's important?

Learning: Teachability I

As my time as a college student draws to a close, I'm in the process of taking that next step -- getting a job. Part of the process to get the job I'm hoping and praying for (which is in ministry), is an interview in which some tough questions were asked about my spiritual life and my relationships. 

One thing that came up (and has been mentioned to me in different capacities in the past) was "teachability". 

 -- Is it telling that it's been brought up several times?

Maybe it's cultural, maybe it's because I'm the oldest child, maybe it's because my parents raised me to be independent -- who knows. In any case, I'm pretty stubborn. Which means that too often, I don't take advice and instruction and actually listen to it. 

I'll admit that this is sort of an exploratory post, so lets dive in, shall we?

Why wouldn't I listen to (and act on) perfectly good advice or instruction from people that I trust and have considered my situation prayerfully and lovingly? Maybe you've guessed it: there is no good reason. 

I'll be honest, it makes me feel pretty awful when I think about it this way. Really, it shouldn't be a shock to me, because like I said, it's been mentioned to me before. But really considering the idea that I'm doing a series of not-so-good things: disrespecting my friends and mentors, disobeying God, making avoidable mistakes, indulging my stubbornness, learning things the hard way, limiting my ministry; that list makes me feel like an idiot.

So I'm here to figure it out and get with the program. I'll end it here for this post, now that we're at ground-zero-of-stupid. 

Until next time, do you struggle with teachability? Do you know what teachability is?

Seasons

Hello friends!

After a busy completion to the school year, I spent one week at home, one on Catalina Island at "Chapter Camp" and then 5 weeks having one of the most life-changing experiences I've ever had.

While I would be happy to fill you in totally on my five week cultural exchange, this is not the medium to do so in, so please, let me know if you would like to talk about it! But what I will talk about here is the changes that happened in my mind, in my heart and in my relationship with God.

While my semester was full of really fantastic and fun experiences, I was also struggling with maintaining a long distance relationship, though the distance was not the real issue. This came to a head at the end of the school year, and my boyfriend and I took a 'break' (which is essentially having space to think and process without dating other people). Then, I left for the exchange.

On the trip, I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with God and with people who challenged me to follow and know God more fully. I spent a lot of time in scripture and worship. All in all, it was really inspiring and challenging trip, and some big things changed in my life.

So, the essentials:

Then: I thought I would graduate and then apply for the InterVarsity internship (which would still be awesome!) at my chapter.

Now: I really have a heart for global ministry, and hope to be preparing to move out of the country this time next year.

Then: I thought that I would be married to my boyfriend this time next year.

Now: I realize that our relationship was not all that it could have been, and our differences both in communicating and in our goals led to me ending the relationship.

Then: I was vulnerable in conversations or ways that made me seem like I had it all together.

Now: I'm real. I'm not perfect and I don't have to be. It's all good.

All in all? This summer is the best I've ever had. Can you believe it?

How is your summer so far?

Playing Favorites

As you might have gathered, for example in my "Who's Who" post, I'm not a fan of things being ranked or valued over other things.

However, I'm here to admit that I have been playing favorites. I have some favorite bible verses. Ha-cha-cha!

So obviously, having favorite bible verses isn't really a bad thing, right? So I thought I would round up a few of my favorites and share them with you. You never know, they might be just what you needed right now! It always seems that way with me.

Romans 12:12

"Be happy in your confidence, be patient in trouble, and pray continually."

All around just pretty good advice right? A lot of chapter 12 of Romans is simple truths like this.

Proverbs 31:20

"She opens her hands to oppressed people and stretches them out to needy people."

I love this verse, of course, since it's mentioned in my post about the vision God has for me!

Romans 1: 11-12

"I long to see you to share a spiritual blessing with you so that you will be strengthened. What I mean is that we may be encouraged by each other's faith."

My best friend sent me a text that only said "romans1 11-12" on a crazy day a couple of weeks ago, and that night when I got around to reading it, I was blown away. Having that kind of support is great and exactly what God expects from people who love him.

That's all I've got for now. Do you have a favorite, or even goofy verse that always comes to mind for you? Leave a comment! Who knows who might benefit from it!

Conviction: Between a Rock and...

Well, you know.

One of the things that I struggle with in regards to service and giving is the discrepancy between what I have and need in material things compared to what others have and need in them.

In general, I have more than I need, and many people in the world don't even have the things they need to live, let alone live comfortably. I have all the food I could want to eat, clean running water, indoor plumbing, heating and air conditioning, a car, money for gas, nice clothes, a laptop, beautiful jewelry, a room of my own, a phone and so many other things. In other parts of the world and right here in my city, there are plenty of people who don't have two cents to rub together, let alone all of the luxuries I live with.

Hence the struggle for me. How do I justify the excess that I live in when I know so many people in the world are hurting and hungry? And it's complicated by the way I feel about ranking and comparing: these people aren't better or worse than me, nor do I deserve more than they do, but it is still important that I help, isn't it?

Though it is still a day-to-day issue for me, here's my thoughts on the issue now.

First, God has given us many blessings, and he wants us to appreciate and enjoy them.
"There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families will eat and enjoy everything you’ve worked for, because the Lord your God has blessed you." Deuteronomy 12:7

However, as we've been discussing, it's important to love and help others:
"The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’" Matthew 22:39

So what it comes down to is balance. If I know there is something that I don't need or use, shouldn't I give it to someone who does need it? It doesn't mean I need to sell everything I have and give it all to the poor, but I shouldn't live in a mansion either.

What are your thoughts on this? I'm still so frustrated by the two! Leave a comment with your ideas or advice!

Conviction: My Girl

I have wanted to sponsor a child for a long time, but different issues have prevented me from doing so until very recently, when I had the opportunity at a Women of Faith Conference.

In the arena where the conference was held, World Vision was one of the biggest sponsors, and as well as having many booths situated about the arena, they had placed a child's information on each chair. After getting seated, I picked mine up, and slid out the little slip of paper that told me about this child. Serah, the card said was her name, and her picture was small but colorful.

As cheesy as it might sound, I started loving that little girl at that moment. Here was a flimsy piece of paper that only told me her birthday and gave me the tiniest glimpse into her life, but my goodness, did I love her. My mom looked at her child's packet, and a few others in nearby empty seats and asked me if I wanted a different one, but the answer was definitely negative. Little Serah who was not quite three years old was the one I wanted.

Though many things have influence my journey towards living a life full of service, very few have influenced me as strongly as the knowledge that I can change my girl's life, millions of miles away in South Africa -- the knowledge that I need to change her life.

So now I am. I send $35 every month, on the 25th of each month, and that money will help to feed her, give her clean water, pay for school clothes, and supplies and medications and anything else that she needs to grow into a strong, beautiful and healthy woman. And I know that it won't end there. When she is equipped to become everything that God made her to be, she can do the same for others.

I love my girl, and the change that she means for me and the world.
Do you sponsor a child?

Conviction: Starved

Yesterday, I gave you a little information on how many people in the world, and how many children in the world suffer from hunger. So today, let's talk about what hunger really is!

Hunger is simple as far as our definitions are concerned. However, in deference to our previous definitions, here it is:

hun·ger   /ˈhʌŋgər/ [huhng-ger]
–noun
1. a compelling need or desire for food.
2. the painful sensation or state of weakness caused by the need of food: to collapse from hunger. 3. a shortage of food; famine.

A need or desire, a sensation, a shortage -- hunger is a very bodily thing. You feel hunger, you have hunger, you are hungry. Unlike our previous definitions, I think that in the case of hunger, all of the definitions are necessary and important to our learning.

For you and I, we will most certainly feel hungry in our lifetimes. Actually, probably this morning, after you rolled out of bed and finished checking your email (I know you did it!) you thought: "Gee. I could really go for a bowl of cereal." So you wandered out to your kitchen and fixed a bowl.

It's not out of the ordinary to feel hunger, that's the first definition: a need or desire that compels you to find some chow.

The second and third definitions? Well, it's a little less likely that you or I will experience these. This is a sense of hunger, an aching in your stomach that isn't caused by a few hours without a meal, but by a few days. And a single meal won't fix it, either, though it's a step in the right direction. Perhaps its not that you didn't get a meal, you just didn't get enough of a meal for weeks on end.

I don't know about you, but I can't imagine experiencing it myself. And it saddens me that other people have to experience that.

I'm not going to tell you to stop saying anything in respect to people who suffer from hunger. I don't care if you say "I'm starving!" or "I'm so hungry I could die!" because when you say you are starving, that may well be the hungriest you have ever been. Instead, keep your eyes peeled and look for a way to help. Those will be here at the end of the week!

Until next time, how have you noticed the way food is used and misused? Leftovers, food thrown away, extra food sent to food banks? Tell me about it!

Conviction: Pay the Debt

As I wrote in yesterday's post, poverty isn't all about money. But there is a debt involved in poverty -- being poor is to be lacking something. So today, I'm gonna go real easy (it is final's week after all, gimme a break!).

Here are just ten things you can do to help the poor: (I pared it down some, Google returns 38,100,000 results...)

1. Give some coins to a Salvation Army bell ringer.
2. Be a Salvation Army Bell Ringer.
3. Donate to a food bank.
4. Volunteer at a food bank.
5. Donate old clothes/shoes/appliances/whatever!
6. Buy a needy family's groceries
7. Volunteer at a homeless shelter
8. Do a mission trip
9. Provide free childcare
10. Collect school supplies

I know it's not much, but anyone of these things will most definitely make a change. We just need to remember that these people are our neighbors, friends, and family. I'm hoping to do at least one of these things over the winter break, and I challenge you to do the same!

Conviction: Support

Yesterday I shared the definition for Poverty, (which is of course from Dictionary.com) and today I want to talk a little bit more about that.

Just to refresh your memory:
pov·er·ty  /ˈpɒvərti/ [pov-er-tee]
–noun
1. the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support; condition of being poor; indigence.

While all of that is important, the part that is most important today is the end of that first clause: no means of support.
While money is important (unfortunately because I hate it, but don't get me started) a lack of money is not the sole cause of poverty. It's important to realize that in too many cases, families are in poverty because no one will help them. Sure, there are organizations and groups and government programs that are helping the poor.

But if everyone, everyone helped? The results would eliminate poverty. Completely eliminate poverty. You might think that I'm overstating this, but think about it. If everyone in this world took care of just one other person who needed it, we would most certainly be in a better place.

Here's a verse often referenced towards the poor, found in James:
James 1:27 --
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

But there are plenty of other verses that strike a similar note, including this string:
Deuteronomy 24:19-21 --
This is what you must do when you’re harvesting wheat in your field. If you forget to bring in one of the bundles of wheat, don’t go back to get it. Leave it there for foreigners, orphans, and widows. Then the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. When you harvest olives from your trees, never knock down all of them. Leave some for foreigners, orphans, and widows. When you pick the grapes in your vineyard, don’t pick all of them. Leave some for foreigners, orphans, and widows.

So just help. We know that everything we earn here is useless after we die, so why not make other's lives just a little easier?

Pretty straightforward, eh? Stay tuned for tomorrow's post!

Conviction: Role Models

In service as with many facets of life (Christ-focused and otherwise), there are a million role models to choose from. People you know, people in your family, celebrities?

I used to generally pin the label of 'Role Model' on older people -- women in my church who through years of practice exemplify the characteristics and attitudes that I want, people who have spent their lives traveling the world, people who are exemplary at what they do -- usually, they just had to be older, experienced and wiser people than me.

However (and please, excuse my slow uptake if you already knew this), age has nothing to do with being a role model.

Especially in this past semester, I have been around so many people who I have come to respect, admire and appreciate deeply. And you know what? Not one of them is over 30. I still do count many older people at my church and elsewhere as role models, but I've come to realize that that role model is more than a badge for doing well in your life by the time you are 50. The people that I want to emulate now encompass many of my friends: Elise: who serves constantly, with a schedule I know would knock me off my feet, Adriane: who doesn't gossip and doesn't even scold me when she catches me doing it, Amy: who is so motivated and resourceful but crazy and silly and fun... and really, that's just all I have off the top of my head. I'm friends with people who are wholeheartedly following God, and on top of the encouragement that is to do the same and love and serve the people in my life, mostly, it makes me proud to be friends with them.

Do you have non-traditional role models in your life? Share!

Conviction: Coffee for a Cause

Hey! For today, a total treat. After catching sight of Three Avocados on Twitter the other day, I realized it fell right in with what I'm posting about this month. So I sent an email through their website hoping to get an interview, and voila! Joe Koenig, a founder of the company, responded promptly to my questions. Here they are!

Real Fine Place: Please, tell us just a little about Three Avocados:
3 Avocados: Three Avocados is a non-profit coffee company, using 100% of our profits to provide clean water in Uganda. We were founded in February of 2010, and had our first coffee available for sale in April of 2010. Currently, Three Avocados focuses on Uganda, but the plan is to expand into countries like Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Hondouras, Guatemala, and virtually any coffee-producing country that has a need for clean water.

RFP: What inspired you to start a company where you give all of your profits away?
3A: I visited Uganda in January of 2010 and saw great need. I was amazed at the number of people living without basic necessities, such as clean water. I saw how much I truly had been blessed with and felt called to do something. I wanted to find a sustainable way to make a difference. Something that didn't rely on donations, and something that could be produced in Uganda. Giving away 100% of the profit seemed natural - I truly have all I need, while others in the world are in great need.

RFP: How has your life changed since Three Avocados was founded?
3A: I am a lot busier :) Three Avocados is something I work on in the evenings and weekends in an effort to grow the organization. I am passionate about Three Avocados and truly believe it has the potential to make a significant impact, in Uganda, in the world, and in the business world, by showing what we can achieve when we place others before ourselves.

I definitely have a new perspective on life since visiting Uganda and starting Three Avocados. I am significantly more thankful and aware of all of the blessings I have been given. I certainly did nothing to deserve to be born with every opportunity placed at my feet, nor did anyone in Uganda do anything to deserve to be born into a life of constant struggle. That blessing also comes with a responsibility to do everything I can to help my brothers and sisters throughout the world. Three Avocados gives me the opportunity to do that, which is an amazingly gratifying feeling.

It's a neato story, but even more exciting -- it's just that easy for you to get involved. Maybe send your favorite uncle a nice bag of Ugandan coffee?
This is the cool thing about service. Once you see that there is so much you can do (you don't need to start your own coffee company! start smaller!) it's hard not to just start doing it.

If you want to know more about Joe's company, visit the Three Avocados' website, or find them on Twitter and Facebook. Muchas Gracias to Joe & the rest of the Three Avocados crew!

Whew! One week down. But that isn't the end -- see you tomorrow for more of our regularly scheduled programming.

Conviction: Clean Water = Clean Bill of Health

Just a video today, but I know that learning how things actually help and work are very interesting. Makes it a little more real, you know?

Come back tomorrow for an interview with Three Avocados, a non-profit coffee company!

Conviction: A Fighting Chance

We now know that HIV/AIDS is a disease that anyone could contract without proper precautions, and while once contracted it is eventually fatal, often, it's symptoms can be treated successfully for a long time. But a question still remains: Why do so many people still die from HIV/AIDS, especially internationally?

Here, in the US, treatment and prevention of disease is pretty closely tracked by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. You probably remember the CDC as a big player in the recent H1N1 shenanigans, but they also have records on things like HIV and AIDS -- keeping track of cases as well as providing educational information on the disease. However, a less developed country, like many in Africa, may be struggling to keep power, and disease control and prevention can be pushed to the wayside.

The only way to change this is education, learning! In the same way that I had to educate myself on HIV/AIDS, people everywhere need to be informed of just what HIV/AIDS is and how you contract it. By doing this, fewer people will get the disease, and the stigma that comes from ignorance about the disease can be relieved.



Another factor in the health and survival of people with HIV/AIDS is how clean their environment is: if they live in a clean environment, they are less likely to get any other infection or sickness. I know even in my dorm room, we have clean running water, a refridgerator to keep our food at a safe temperature, and oven to cook food and be sure that no harmful germs can get into our stomachs. Unfortunately, a lot of the rest of the world is in a different situation. World Vision lists this statistic:

"Worldwide, 884 million people lack access to safe water, and 2.5 billion lack basic sanitation."

That's rough. And again, I'm not writing this to make you feel guilty about your running water. Please continue showering on a regular basis. (That means you, Russel Brand!)

When you don't have clean water, it affects every facet of your life. You drink dirty water which leads to illnesses and often diarrhea, which will lead to dehydration. When you are too dehydrated to find your next meal, soon enough, without outside help, you have very little time left. Clean water can prevent all of that.


These are the big two, really. If people in less developed countries can be educated on the risks that can lead to HIV, and then we can do our part to provide clean water, the change would be remarkable.


Isn't it wild the things that are so easily changed? Stay tuned for some ideas coming up on how you can help, and who you are helping.

Conviction: AIDS Here and There

Now that we have a little better understanding of what HIV/AIDS is and what it does in a general sense, we can discuss what impact it has on an individual level.

Bringing it down to scale like this is a familiar concept. We think that stealing is bad and people should be punished, but when someone steals our car, we have a much stronger reaction. The same holds true of something like AIDS or Malaria or hunger. We are in agreement that those things are bad, but when your best friend gets HIV, or your mom gets malaria, or it is your daughter who doesn't get to eat tonight, aren't you going to spring into action? I know I am.

To look more accurately at what HIV/AIDS does, I think that we should differentiate between what happens when you contract HIV/AIDS here in the US and what happens if you were to contract it as a citizen of (for example) sub-Saharan Africa. (Please understand that these are generalizations, but that does not mean they don't happen. See World Vision for more information on the situation in other countries.)

As an American, you can get HIV/AIDS from having unprotected sex, coming in contact with blood that is infected (if you are a doctor or caregiver for someone who is infected) or by receiving it from your mother at birth or soon after being born. If you were an African, the risks are identical.

After exposure to the disease, and after potentially experiencing symptoms, an American would go to a doctor and be tested for various sexually transmitted diseases, then test positive for HIV/AIDS. However, an African who is fearful of the stigma against people who carry the disease might avoid seeking a medical diagnosis.

After a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS, an American patient would decide a proper course of treatment with their doctor, and a series of medications would be prescribed to support the immune system and fight off disease and infection. Since the African has not received a diagnosis nor a treatment plan, their compromised immune system has no chance against any infection. His or her imminent death may leave an entire family helpless and without hope.

Do you see the discrepancy here? HIV will infect anyone -- location is irrelevant. It is after contracting the virus that something goes wrong. Why should a person here live a longer life than someone who is in Malawi or Uganda or Haiti if they have the exact same disease?

I can't think of a good reason either. It's because there is no good reason. It comes down to differences in the environment of these two people.

The American lives in a place where education on sexually transmitted diseases is important and frank. The stigma against those who contract HIV/AIDS is minimal if not nearly non-existent. Treatment is available and the likelihood of infection and illness is very slim thanks to our standards of health for food and drinking water. But the African may not be aware that they can contract HIV/AIDS through unprotected sex, and if they contract the disease, might be too scared to see a doctor. Medication for AIDS is scarce, and the rate of infection and illness high because of dirty water and various pests and parasites.

Now what did you notice about the situation of the African?
Every one of those problems is one that can be resolved.

Conviction: A Deeper Understanding

Many people are aware of the ravages that HIV/AIDS has wreaked on our world. It does not respect the boundaries that separate our map, it cares not for race, class or social standing. When it attacks, it leaves children alone and helpless, families searching for a means to survive. However, many of us are able to see HIV/AIDS as a far off issue -- a boogieman that we in the developed world can easily sweep under the rug.

Instead, let's look a little closer. The Mayo Clinic has great resources on what HIV/AIDS is all about:
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome is a illness in which a persons immune system is weakened and unable to properly defend against sickness and infection -- it causes a lowered white blood cell count which means that your body is not equipped to combat disease. While a healthy immune system will fight and eliminate viruses and bacteria in order to keep you alive and well, the immune system of a person who has AIDS is unable to fend off intruders. HIV or Human Immunodeficiency Virus is what leads to AIDS, though it can take years for HIV to develop into AIDS. The virus is spread through bodily fluids, meaning that sex, childbirth and coming in contact with infected blood are all possible ways to become infected.

There is no cure for HIV or AIDS. Both are like many of the cancers that we are familiar with -- the symptoms are treatable, but eventually fatal. However, in places like sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti where living conditions are not as we are used to, the disease and its complications kill much faster. These facts from World Vision illustrate the impact:

An estimated 32.9 million people are living with HIV and AIDS worldwide.

Every day, nearly 7,400 people become infected with HIV and more than 5,400 die from AIDS.

Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region most heavily affected, accounting for 67 percent of all people living with HIV and 72 percent of AIDS deaths.

It's devastating, isn't it?

But let's recap: if we have established that yes, HIV/AIDS can be treated though it is eventually fatal, why are 5400 people dying every day from it, and why are so many of them in sub-Saharan Africa?

Conviction: Right Under Your Nose

As you might have inferred from the title of this post, I've been skimming over something for a while that I can't believe I missed. Remember this post from way back, about how I really wanted to hear from God about what he had planned for my future? Go back and read it. It's quick.

Just kidding. But in case you hadn't noticed, I never updated with what God had told me! Was that because I forgot? No. Because I wanted to keep it a secret? No. It was because he hadn't told me anything.

Yet.

That was what I didn't realize. To be honest, I was a little put-out. I thought, "God, if you will tell Jordan what you want her to do with her life, what is the difference with me?" It seemed unfair, silly, and I racked my mind for months. What was I not doing right? Did I have some grudge to forgive, some person to reconcile with, some sin I hadn't repented of or confessed?

Then I stopped worrying about it. I don't know how it happened really, since I just let it go, but I did. I wasn't laying awake at night wondering where I would be in five years or whether I needed to change my major or who-knows-what.

Over the past few months, I've been doing a verse-by-verse study of the Proverbs 31 woman. It's my favorite passage in the Bible, but I hadn't ever really studied it. So in the prayer room last night, the memory of my future came back, so I prayed about it, asking for a purpose, a plan. I opened my bible, and after skimming a few verses in Chronicles absentmindedly, I opened to my bookmark. My bookmark that has the picture of my sponsored child.

I had opened to the end of Proverbs, and when I checked which verse I was supposed to study next, it hit me.

"She opens up her hands to oppressed people and stretches them out to needy people."

Proverbs 31:20. I felt it. This -- this verse, right under my nose -- was the one I had been looking for. And where did I find it? In my favorite passage, marked by the little girl who is the needy that I need to stretch my hands out to. I wanted to dance, to jump up and down and sing and squeal. God had showed me what he wanted, and I can't be more excited to do it.

Are you still waiting to hear from God? Don't give up.

Conviction: Defined

To be honest, I titled this series "Conviction" without even really looking up what the word meant. That's a little embarrassing!

But while writing up some other posts, I realized that I needed to look it up. If I am asking you to be convicted, shouldn't I really understand what conviction is myself? I think so.

The 'connotation' or popular definitition of "conviction" for me boiled down to having a personal sense of commitment to an idea or issue. A feeling of being compelled to do something about an issue or idea. In this case, a sense that I need to love and help the people in this world. It's not a bad connotation, but I don't know what word that 'definition' belongs to.

The definition ('D' is for dictionary!) of the word "conviction" is as follows, borrowed from Dictionary.com:

con·vic·tion  /kənˈvɪkʃən/ [kuhn-vik-shuhn]
–noun
1. a fixed or firm belief.
2. the act of convicting.
3. the state of being convicted.

Not so far off, eh? But what I really like is when you get down to that third definition, where it notes the "state of being convicted" which you can then boil down to "convict" (we like losing the endings in the dictionary, right?) Check out the definition for that one:

con·vict   /v., adj. kənˈvɪkt/ [v., adj. kuhn-vikt]
–verb (used with object)
2. to impress with a sense of guilt.

To impress with a sense of guilt. Is that how you feel about what needs to be done in the world? Because for me -- man, oh man. I have the ability to do some much, to create so much change. And so do you.

Will you be convicted?

Conviction: Great Expectations

It will probably happen everyone at one time or another. You will sit down and think "Now, how did I get started in this in the first place?" For me, it was as I began to consider the thought that service is one of those things that I really love, but honestly, where does that come from?

The same can be said of other people. What makes some people, like Mother Teresa, so keen on helping and loving others? It might seem that the first and most obvious and correct answer to a question like that is "Duh, Stephanie -- God. He gave Mother Teresa a gift in taking care of his sheep." Hey now, no need to be rude! I'm just kidding. (Mostly.)

While I agree, yes, God gives us gifts and he will bless the work we do for him with those gifts, I think that the way that God makes us (which can also be interepreted as which gifts he gives us) determines us to like certain things. Generally, if you are good at writing, you like it, yes? Yes.

But environment plays a part in that too. If you are around people who tell you that writing is repulsive and you should never, ever do it, what is the likelihood that you will do it? Not so good.

Here's where it makes sense to me: I like service. I have as long as I can remember, but as long as I can remember serving, I have been surrounded by adults who are eager to serve and to serve with generous and joyful attitudes. The two adults who showed me this the most often? Well, they also happen to be my parents and I cannot believe how grateful I am that I had such great influences and support in doing something that I would finally realize I loved. My parents, because of their love for God and the people around them, expected me to love God and the people around me, too. The lifestyle that they created for my brother and I fostered that and now look what we have to show for it.

So today? I'm grateful for opportunities to serve, and parents who had great expectations for me in them.

Conviction: Road Map

I've always liked the analogy of a relationship as a journey or a road trip, if you will. It works well, really: as on a road trip, in a relationship you make decisions that will influence where you end up. Who you are (what sort of car you are in) will determine how you will make those decisions and how you will get to your destination. The changes you make to yourself (maintenance and repairs) are also essential to arriving successfully.

Looking back on my own map, I have made a lot of choices that have brought me where I am, and the biggest one was giving up all control of my future to God. Now, this is not to say that I expect to have a career fall into my lap feeding babies in the Congo, but instead that I'm not going to obsess about it (I have a tendency...) and that I'm going to do what he wants, what will glorify him.

In the last year, I applied for leadership in Intervarsity, attended a week-long camp and a pre-semester training conference, a fall semester conference as well as numerous mentoring sessions and leadership meetings. Things that I have discussed in these meetings and experiences -- my relationships, my goals in life, my plans after college, what I think of serving others -- all of them are shaping my future. And everything in the first sentence led to all of that.

One of the biggest changes in myself has been my viewpoint on service. Personally, I love service, and everything that it means. But I didn't know everything that it meant until pretty recently, because I associated service and serving people only with 'community service' and 'service projects'. This isn't bad, because I still loved serving and sharing my time with people in need. But in the past year, my definition of 'people in need' has stretched to include not just the homeless, or people living paycheck to paycheck, or people with HIV/AIDS. Now, my definition includes anyone and everyone on this planet. It wasn't so much that I hated other people before, but now, I want to serve everyone from my roommates to my boss. It's a big deal!

If God loves everyone and wants everyone to love him and live under his blessings, doesn't it make sense that we should love everyone too?

Conviction: 31 Days to Serve the World

As I write this post, there are 6,887,790,073 people in the world, and the number keeps growing.(1)

In the United States alone, there are 310,823,879 people.(1)

That's all well and good, right? But here's what gets me:

This year, 4,617,263 have already died from water-related diseases, and since there are 1,452,739,846 people without access to clean water, the deaths will continue.(1)

This year, 1,867,113 people have died from HIV/AIDS, and another 32,885,805 people are infected.(1)

Today, in Africa, 2000 children under the age of 5 years old will die from Malaria. Hundreds upon hundreds of other children are affected by dirty water, lack of food, their parents' deaths and the deaths of their guardians.(2)

And though these statistics are just that -- numbers that tell you that tragedy is widespread -- these statistics are not only numbers. They are actual flesh and blood people. People that you and I should care about.

Here at Real Fine Place, December 2010 is the month of conviction. After having quite a few experiences that have showed me God's love, and how it should be extended to the world, I'm convicted that I have to love people the way Jesus would have -- people here and people a million miles away -- and that extends into telling other people about it. For the 31 days that make up December, each will have a post that I hope will provide you with a little insight, hope or inspiration to love the world the way Jesus does.

Each weekday, I'll post a little bit about one of four issues that I've chosen for the month: HIV/AIDS, Poverty in the US, Hunger, and Malaria. Then, on the weekends, posts will be about why helping others even matters, and what to do about it. Of course, regular posts will be peppered in too, so I hope you can keep up!

Here's to the world!
(The statistics at the top of the post come from 1. Worldometers and 2. World Vision)