The Word 6:11

 This was a fun essay I wrote in college for Biblical studies this semester! Who I Am. I woke up in my bed at the homeless shelter, groggy, and immediately turned to the Lord for refreshment in prayer. Thoughts of peace and hope filled my mind, another day of drug recovery, sailing with God. I picked up my devotional book and read the day’s message: it referenced, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds” ( English Standard Version Jas. 1.2) . I pondered trials in the past where patience was tested, and ridicule was observed. "Am I to be joyous in these moments?” I asked myself. A few days later, at a revival meeting, peace permeated the air like a loving blanket, reminding me of childlike safety. Moments of glee and joy abounded, as we shared with one another in fellowship. The preacher spoke, and we all listened attentively, “Count it all joy”, she began. My interest was piqued, from the lesson repeated, like a sail catching a fresh wind.  ...

We tend to scroll through dozens of posts on social media in a matter of seconds and never take a second thought about what kinds of information we are ingesting. I would encourage people to stop ingesting information so quickly!  Here is an example: if we read 300 social media posts in 2 hours. It would be like walking through a crowded mall and listening to everyone's conversations. There probably isn't much information to glean from that situation. However, if we sat down and listened to a 30-minute lecture from a 30-year professional who spent 10 years researching a topic we are interested in. Their words will be loaded to the brim with information that we would probably have to study for hours to even begin to understand what they were talking about. Imagine a person going around collecting a brick from 300 different people. Each brick is slightly different in shape; some are falling apart, others are rubber bricks, and some are made of steel and weigh a ton. Then, after t...