Lessons Learned From Moving

I don't like moving. Not because of the sentimental value that you attach to the place where you live (especially for 14 years), but because it takes a heck of a lot of work to box everything up and move all of the wonderfully heavy furniture that you have accumulated over the years. Fortunately Advil is there to ease the pain.

However, in the midst of the stacks of boxes, frequent trips to the thrift shop to donate assorted junk, dozens of games of Settlers of Catan, and being kicked out of my room for the last week of break, I have been learning a lot through this process. A few thoughts:

- I have had many conversations in the last year about what it looks like to live out a life of discipleship obedient to the teachings and example of Jesus. The conclusion that I have begun drawing recently is that while the lofty goals of loving my enemy, intentional communal living or world peace are beautiful concepts, they are nothing if I cannot take the smaller, simpler, harder steps of loving the people around me daily. This break, I have learned a lot about loving my family. And it is difficult, but I realize that it is impossible to even begin to obey God if I cannot obey my own parents, and how can I love my enemies if I can't even love my brother and sister? I am currently reading The Politics of Jesus by Howard Yoder (amazing book!) and I do think that Jesus' message should radically transform the way that Christians live in their society and how we interact with the powers of this world, but still the greatest of these is love.

- Tonight I learned a little lesson in grace. This last semester, I came to realize that I frequently hold people to unrealistic standards and am not very gracious when they don't live up to them. Around the end of the semester I remember an episode which involved an unfortunate injury. A friend had been warned explicitly to be careful to avoid stepping on a certain sharp object, yet within minutes had succeeded in splitting open their foot. My reaction was not of compassion, but of disbelief that they wouldn't take head of such clear advice. And today, after being pretty explicitly warned, I managed to mangle my own foot on a set of floor tacks while taking up carpet. I guess it's good to have a lesson to take away from 4 tack holes in your left foot.

I'm sure that there is more to be learned, and I may put those lessons up as I think of them. Still a week to go before I head back to school. And despite the pain that will accompany the rapidly approaching midterms and late night Arabic work sessions, I'm really excited to head back!