Ambiguity of Language

This book.

It is a fun read in a my brain-feels-like-mush sort of way. Hitchings quote to ruminate, "All of us, besides using language, comment on it, and we complain about others' usage far more than we applaud it. Where language is concerned, some are engineers, but more of us are doctors" (p11).

I have several agreements and arguments but I will take my seat as someone who has read all of 23 pages.

WORD OF THE MOMENT:
swev.en [swev-uh n] Noun. A vision, dream
Origin: Old English swefn, akin to Old Norse sofa to sleep, Latin somnus, Greek hypnos sleep

Arrival and Settlement

We have 5 million neighbors now to love. Even if their driving skills are horrendous.
Any restaurants or stores we could want are five miles from our apartment. Not five minutes, mind you.

I rather like our apartment, it makes me feel spoiled in light of my expectations. It is on the second floor, has a balcony and enough space for us. Our apartment complex is reasonably quiet. There is the singing child, the indecent neighbor, and the couple with a cute curly-haired little girl who live next to us.

Exhibit A: The Content of the Car, UNLOADED 4500 miles later.

Exhibit B: Furniture. And Some Form of Order.

Exhibit C: The Second Story.

Another Love Story

Another love story of two rather common characters.

Not very long ago in a faraway land lived a girl, who, much like any other, liked dreaming of other faraway lands, finding books long enough to meet her fancy and putting inordinate amounts of cream in her coffee. One day she was intrigued by a dashing blue-eyed fellow; though she thought him to be rather nosy.

Then this particular fellow moved to The Ridiculously Humid country and stared a computer monitor, for a whole year, filling his mind with the great and wondrous facts of medicine. Let this be known to you, that while medicine was on his mind; the girl was on his heart. And if he dare forget, he was a video chat away from remembering.

He traversed land and sea to visit again and entreated the girl of life-long commitment. She was thrilled and the plan-making began. Many months later, much to their wild joy, God showed them married love.

After all the festivities and such, here we are in his parent’s basement.

I do believe this story has great potential.

The Wonder of the Wait

Are we waiting on God or is God waiting on us? or with us? Waiting is frustrating. My husband and I can make plans to start his clinical rotations once a particularly wonderful individual in a scheduling office does their job. However, we are not waiting as if God is late to an appointment and He is in the way of progress. God has us in an holding pattern and I know well enough I always need more faith, more patience, more breaking my will and seeing His.  It is the Divine liberty to frustrate plans.

"God's sense of timing will confound ours... Jesus in effect says (to Jairus) 'I will not be hurried because I love you. I know what I'm doing. And if you try to impose your understanding of schedule on Me, you will struggle to feel loved by Me.'" (Timothy Keller, "King's Cross").

Daniel saw "the Ancient of days (sit down...and) thousand thousands ministered unto Him" (Daniel 7: 9-10). How do we standby and minister to God? I don't suppose He needs His slippers brought to Him. Are we truly capable of refreshing God's Spirit? Somehow, Omnipotent God lets us do Him service.

If you want something done right, do it yourself, or "One is never served so well as by oneself" (Charles-Guillaume Etienne). That is the motto of me, the impatient human. In contrast, it is the glory of God to be long-suffering with our inferior service. Because of His patience we have opportunity to wait on Him, and somehow, it glorifies Him! The greatest measure of our devotion is obedience, even and especially in waiting. We can wait near His throne, available to do whatever His heart desires. "How blessed are those who dwell in Your house! They are ever praising You. Selah" ( Psalm 84:4). Real contentment is in a life awed by God.

"'And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.' Deliver me from all my transgressions..." (Psalm 39:7-8).

The Mercy of Suffering

Graying blue clouds blow across the sky and I inhale a steamy breath of rain, thunder and flickering light. And all I do is stand, grinning to God with rain splatting pearly wet on arms and lifted face. Grace like rain…and is it not the grace of God that rains on our parade to bring us in under the Tree of Life?

It has been said "Christ’s suffering was for propitiation and our sufferings with Him the propagation" (Joseph Tson). This suffering is deeply painful, and in this deep sorrow we feel how infinitely more must be this weight of glory in the Father! We squirm with the package of suffering, but to receive it gratefully we gasp supreme joy! And God’s faithfulness proves richest for us in the fire of suffering.

Your Neighbor

A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 

Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 

But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back’ (Luke 10:30-35, ESV).

Jesus is that Good Samaritan; the One despised and rejected of men. The one from whom we learn compassion.

I am this unfortunate man, travelling my own road. I left the city of God to seek a city cursed of God.

What did I expect? I received what I deserved. I knew there were bandits lurking around each bend, hideous grimaces in the dark. It was my folly that lead me here to die with my pride, stripped naked and penniless.

A priest, only to be busied by sacred rites, shrouds me with indignation. His cleanliness-conscious brother, the Levite also quickly steps by my obscene figure in his lane of travel. The law offered only justice, no life. But wherein the law was weak, thanks be to Jesus!

He came to where I was, saw me, and had compassion. Compassion enough to bind the wounds and pour the wine of the wrath of God, on Himself!

Truly He ever “binds up the brokenhearted (Isaiah 61:1, KJV)”! He paid the uttermost farthing. He poured the oil for my healing and for my lamp because He will come back!

So this loving your neighbor, hasn’t Christ lived the life? To love GOD entirely requires a tireless effort to not only cease from our own works, but entirely abandon blasphemous acts of self-manufactured fruit.

The Return of the Bloggers

Husband and I are working on this merging of lives. Both of us had barely alive blogs that contained a handful of posts. We let them die their woeful deaths and, well, we have returned to bore you even further! HA!

The Chronicles of our Medical School Journey. And be forewarned: both of us are apt to rabbit-trailing. You may find more information than you really want. Or less, depending how nosy you are.

I rather enjoy living my life and am a bit uncomfortable with people's noses all over the windows, literally or metaphorically. However, I love contemplating nonsensical questions and delicious food. We do plan to keep any interested parties updated on school information: where to send care packages and such!