Forever Friends

“Friendship is unnecessary, 

like philosophy, like art….  

It has no survival value;  

rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.”  

C.S. Lewis

Because Life Is Too Short

 

"Most people work just hard enough not to get fired 

and get paid just enough money not to quit."

George Carlin

I read that quote back in October when I was feeling discouraged by my negative work environment and posted this:

"I've been called innocent before, because of my positive attitude in the work place. It's not that I don't get bogged down working the nine-to-five or fed up with office politics. It's that I work hard to not let those things define my work ethic or keep me chained to a desk I'm no longer learning in. I think I'm who marketers like to call, "a mysterious millennial". 

We're not all lazy and non-committal. We crave more out of life than just a j-o-b, we're picky and our dreams go far beyond the white picket fence and pretty pensions. But we work for Gen X and they just don't get it."

I realized that this quote defined the majority of my coworkers.

And I wasn't going to let it define me.

So I quit.

I put my resignation in two weeks ago without having another job.

I know risky.

I've battled my own fears and insecurities,

feeling like the most irresponsible 25 year old "typical millennial",

who throws in the towel on a stable job.

I battled for several months if I should just quit,

all the while submitting resumes left and right for positions within other companies.

Over the holidays I had a refreshing conversation with my cousin who's in residence at Mayo Clinic.

In his very calm, confident, "doctor voice" he asked me two simple questions and told me if I answer yes to both I have to quit, but if I answer no to at least one I have to stay indefinitely;

Doc: "Are you unhappy at your job?"

Me: "Yes."

Doc: "Would you be happier if you quit?"

Me: "Yes."

Doc: "Well, then you have to quit."

In those two very simple questions I found my answer and courage to quit my job.

Today is my last day and I already feel like a burden has lifted.

Don't get me wrong,

I don't think that everyone should quit their job if they're unhappy.

There was a lot more that went into my work environment that led me to quit that I don't feel is necessary to disclose.

However, too many people settle for desks that don't challenge them to keep growing and learning.

I hope to never settle and to always have the courage to move on when it's necessary.

Because life is too short.

When You Least Expect It ...

Things are about

to get really

good.

Whispers of Profound Truth

Truth realized 

is the beginning of restoring a heart that has fallen away.

And He woos me

with the truth 

of my shortcomings

&

the infallible grace

that He relentlessly 

extends to me.

His truth, 

light & love 

will always

pale in comparison 

to the remedies of this world.

And yet,

I will not

always choose 

to see it.

help me to have eyes to see

8 reasons I could never...

Live the "cube" life...

8 Things I've learned from life the "cube":

1. I need creative, colorful, imaginative decor on my gray cube walls

2. I don't think I could work a nine to five job in one of these

3. Coffee, coffee, coffee

4. I should probably invest in a candy jar

5. It's all about the chair, is it mesh and stiff, does it swivel, is it leather...

6. Women really do share recipes over their left-overs during lunch the next day

7. It really is like The Office...

8. #printingproblems 

Let love be genuine...

There's a saying that goes, 

"Be kind
for everyone
you meet is
fighting a hard battle". 

Despite the fact that I've seen that quote way over pinned on Pinterest, there is truth to it isn't there? 

Sometimes its hard to be kind or to love others well, because it takes forgetting yourself and focusing on others. 

Another 'this is reality' moment; Life is not about me.  

What breaks that selfish cycle is the raw encounter with a person who loves genuinely and well. 

And what is becoming so incredibly clear to me, is the reality of broken people who are fighting battles in a broken world. Even as I type this I get a rushing sensation to exclude myself from these "broken people" who are "fighting battles" and live in a "broken world".

Why is that?

Pride. 

I'm not broken. My life is put together. Everything under control over here. Those poor other people... 

No, I am broken just like you. We share our humanity with one another and we are united in the truth of the fall; Not one of us escaped the repercussions of sin. Therefore, we live as broken individuals in a dysfunctional world. This is what makes Calvary so sweet and the hope in Jesus so real.

And sometimes it's the raw (and rare) encounters of genuine love from others that comforts me in my brokenness. Gives me hope in fighting my battles and reminds me that I'm not alone in this broken world.

You never know the blessing, hope and courage you can give to another fellow broken person, by simply forgetting yourself for a moment and being kind.

Romans 12:9 

Let ahavah (agape) be without tzevi’ut (hypocrisy). Hate what is haRah (evil/dysfunctional), be devoted to what is tov(good/functional).

In other words....

Let your love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good.

What Life Is Really Like

We watched the sunset over the glistening lake, sitting on a bench perfectly tucked underneath a billowing tree and listened to the birds chirp and geese splash around in the water.

The evening was so romantic and I was sitting next to....my friend Erin. 

She and I laughed at how ironic it seemed for two 23 year old girls to be sharing such a romantic scenery. She wasn't sitting with some hunk of a man, just me, a fellow twenty-something female trying to grasp her bearings in a new city too.

It was one of those sarcastic - bantering moments that brought about more laughter when we processed out loud what life after college really looks like. 

From spontaneous sand volleyball matches with groups of eight or more friends, waking up at 5AM to get free pancakes from Denny's, camping in the woods, throwing dance parties and raves in the library during finals week... to now discussing what t.v. shows we're watching. We laughed when I excitedly shared that I found a good show on Netflix that had SIX seasons, "My social life is set for at least eight weeks". 

I'm glad we could laugh about it, because post grad life hasn't been an easy transition for any of us. Being in your twenties is harder than I thought it would ever be, and college really was "the best time of my life", as my dad told me it would be as I moved into my dorm room freshman year. 

We joked about starting a blog where we documented the funny and ironic realities of post grad life. Specifically how leaving our small, Christian liberal arts university and entering the big bad world has continued to glean many "this is reality" moments. 

Our blog: The new adventures and exciting discoveries of post-grads living in Dallas, Texas! 

Featuring the things that really excite us like, receiving a text message saying, "Hey, raspberries are on sale at Kroger for 99 cents!",  being excited about waking up before 7AM to watch Good Morning America and discovering a new dating world. 

It would be a huge hit! 

Our sunset conversation turned serious however, when we talked about the fact that we're not doing grandiose things with our lives. I was a nanny and now looking for a job, Erin works in admissions at a seminary and Lauren is an office manager at a marketing agency. 

We're not starting orphanages in Africa, or taking the corporate world by storm by changing business for the better.

We are just one of many post graduates, worried about paying off student loans, trying to make friends in a new city, figuring out who we are in this environment and hoping for our futures. 

It's truly a humbling stage in life and even if Erin isn't "cool" for working at a seminary and I fit the recent college graduate statistic that hasn't found a job yet, our worth and abilities aren't defined by job titles (or by having one). 

And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. Colossians 3:17

The fact is that the way we live our lives matters to this world. Our message, matters. To serve and live for Jesus you don't have to have a grand job title. It takes humility and surrender to His will, His way. 

We just might miss out on the greatest work of our lives if we become too concerned about what others think and how little it seems we are doing to make a difference.

Our university brought in speakers from around the world to talk about XYZ organization that they started, famous authors and business men and women to inspire and encourage the young generation to make a difference in our world.

What about the twenty-something alumna's who work entry level jobs, volunteer to teach Sunday school and still live with their parents. Aren't they making a difference, just by choosing to serve Jesus wherever He has them?

Yes, they are.

We are called to live as His representatives, whether you're working at your dream job or a fast food restaurant. Give thanks and whatever you do, do it all to the best of your ability for His glory. 

Thank goodness.