The Circle of Life

A church is supposed to be a home. A symbolic home, meant to serve as a sacred place on earth to symbolize what is in store in heaven after death. A church is a special place, like a jigsaw puzzle, made up of many parts, may units, many different features that make it a unique combination (see 1 Corinthians 12:12). The people that make up a church are all care. The body is compassionate, concerned about each member, quick to pray for someone or simply be encouraging and say that one thing that makes someone's day that much better.

I guess I just need God to remind me of that daily. 

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Transitioning always seems to be tough and I have struggled to understand why. The trials of moving back into a place after being removed for months on end is understandably not totally easy. Despite anything I do or anywhere I go, life continues to fly by at a rate and speed that it is impossible to catch. Coming back into that place and realizing a lot has gone without you takes some getting used to. 

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Welcome Week at a campus the size of a small to medium-sized town is always an adventure. People flood in from all directions at the same time. Cars are jammed everywhere; Freshmen are confused, struggling to find their classrooms; organizations try to obtain as many people as possible. Welcome Week for a campus ministry is just as hectic, just as busy, just as stressful. Activities every day, maybe several times a day. Conversations are endless, between new people and veterans, old friends that haven't seen each other in months, new people trying to gain a foothold in this crazy environment that is college. Everyone trying to get a sense of everyone. For a veteran, there is a certain pressure that tempts one to speak with as many people as possible, or rather feel that he or she needs to speak to as many people as possible. Failure seems imminent with this mindset, but the thought still lingers. 

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Then there's problems that life tends to throw at a person. Common problems that can be identifiable. 

"I have trouble with change." 

"Transitioning is difficult to deal with."

"I have problems, but I don't want to be a burden to someone or burden someone with said problems."

"I can take care of said problems myself." 

"Can someone please ask me what is wrong!?!?"

"I don't want to ask for help because it makes me look weak and/or inadequate."

Guilty on all counts. One would think that these problems would be solved by now or prevented after dealing with them over and over. It's like you're running on a hamster wheel and the cycle keeps repeating and repeating itself, making life a continuous loop of having problems, dealing with them, feeling better and then being tempted again into believing that these problems are either A) serious enough to make life that much harder for us, or B) just plain lies. 

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My family constantly would tell me that asking for help was something that my brother and I should do or consider. I never liked doing it, feeling that I was not capable of figuring something out myself if asking was the only remaining option. In retrospect, I guess I should have realized that, according to the Bible, people are not really capable of doing anything perfectly (2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Romans 5, etc.). As much as I deny it, I need help. I struggle, I mess up, I need guidance, assistance, care, among other things. 

I guess I just need God to remind me of that daily.