"My Child, do not trust in your present feeling, for it will soon give way to another. As long as you live you will be subject to changeableness in spite of yourself. You will become merry at one time and sad at another, now peaceful but again disturbed, at one moment devout and the next indevout, sometimes diligent while at other times lazy, now grave and again flippant.
But the man who is wise and whose spirit is well instructed stands superior to these changes. He pays no attention to what he feels in himself or from what quarter the wind of fickleness blows, so long as the whole intention of his mind is conductive to his proper and desired end. For thus he can stand undivided, unchanged, and unshaken, with the singleness of his intention directed unwaveringly toward Me, even in the midst of so many changing events. And the purer this singleness of intention is, with so much the more constancy does he pass through many storms.
But in many ways the eye of the pure intention grows dim, because it is attracted to any delightful thing that it meets. Indeed, it is rare to find one who is entirely free from all taint of self-seeking."
- The Imitation of Christ (Thomas A. Kempis.)
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"Worship is a way of life and God is equally relevant to every endeavor."
"As we align our ways with God's ways, any legitimate activity has the potential to be beautiful, good, pleasing to God, and truly fullfilling." (Assumptions; Christian Overman.)
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These quotes have been a great encouragement/conviction to me recently.
I am quite good at serving God & having a cheerful attitude when everything is going great. But, when it comes time to do math, the intent of my heart switches from Jesus to the dread and frustration of geometry.
I must look at every situation in life as worship. I must look at every situation as opportunity to rejoice, have patience, increase in learning & wisdom, etc...
Even when disappointing SAT scores arrive in the mail.
And when I have to memorize 30 of the hormones within the endocrine system.
And when I have a writing paper due -- "A high school student has been eaten by a giant hamster! You get to report the news story as if it was a real occurrence!"
Recently, I read Jim Elliot's book, "Shadow of the Almighty." Something that has stuck with me from that book was his outlook on life. He viewed everything as training for the mission field and divine appointment from God to prepare him for the future.
Could God really be using geometry as training for my future?? maybe, maybe not. Either way, I can look at math as opportunity to practice joy, when I do not have to rejoice. And I can fix the intent of my heart on Jesus, instead of on the frustrating feelings I might have at the moment.
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(Mom is in the next room grading a geometry test. )
-Nikki
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