Let them eat (graduation) cake!

My mom and I were having a discussion about my graduation cake (what kind, what message, etc.)

My sister suggested these two gems: "We never thought you'd make it. Thanks for surprising us!" and because I'm salutatorian, "You didn't win second. You lost first."

You have to love siblings--they keep you humble and make you laugh at the same time.

Meaningless Hyperbole

It seems like everything is exaggerated today. When someone is sad, he says he is "depressed." When another person goofs off, she's called "insane." "Epic" is a popular adjective for anything remotely funny or interesting.

In actuality, "bipolar" does not mean someone who is in a good mood one day and a bad mood another; it is a very real psychological disorder. Most teenagers who use the word "depressed" fail to remember that depression refers to a persistent, unreasonable low mood, and not merely being sad for a reason.

Almost everyone I know exaggerates when they tell stories: "And then my mom yelled at me for an hour" "My friend gave me, like, a 5 dollar Ross card for my birthday" "Everyone on the street was laughing because I screamed and jumped a foot in the air"

The problem with hyperbole is that when it is overused, it becomes meaningless. I can't just say something is funny. If I want to convey its humor I have to say it is the "funniest thing in the world!" Then what do I say when something actually is the funniest thing in the world? It's like "lol." Now, if you actually laugh aloud, you have to type "alol." When meaningless hyperbole is tossed around, there is no way to convey shades of meaning.

I've been trying to avoid hyperbole. I've never been one to exaggerate stories--if something is funny enough for me to tell other people than I tell it the way it happened. If it needs to be exaggerated a lot to be funny, then it just isn't worth telling. What I've been working on is not exaggerating when describing things. So please, don't be offended if I say that something you do is just "pretty cool" and not "the most awesome thing I have EVER seen in my ENTIRE LIFE!"

My Own Skin

This isn't just a post about my feelings, I promise. It has a more universal meaning than that.

I think one of the best things about being a Christian is knowing who I am. I know that a lot of teenagers struggle with identity issues (Erikson's proposal that the adolescent conflict is identity v. role confusion has a lot of validity). This is not to say that Christians are always happy... that's not true. I can't speak for guys, but I know that most girls, even Christian girls, go through periods of insecurity. However, as a Christian, my identity is set. I don't have to work for the praise of others or the attention of boys; I can live to glorify God. One who is a Christian can be comfortable in his own skin, and be free from the plague of self-doubt. The Bible says that a Christian is a friend of Christ, a son or daughter of God, God's workmanship, a temple of the Holy Spirit, a part of the Church (which is the Bride of Christ), an ambassador for Christ, a part of the Body, and a citizen of heaven. Christians are redeemed, ransomed, forgiven, free, protected, anointed, sanctified, strengthened, and complete. Since I am complete in Christ, I don't have any need or right to complain about who I am. I can worrying so much about the opinions of others, and be secure in the knowledge of who I am in Christ.

"If the praise of others elates me and their blame depresses me; if I cannot rest under misunderstanding without defending myself; if I love to be loved more than to love, to be served more than to serve, then I know nothing of Calvary love." - Amy Carmichael

"For in Him [Christ] dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power." Colossians 2:9-10