Abide With Me

Greetings from the great state of MN! Currently I'm writing from my cozy little dorm room at Martin Luther College in New Ulm. I have not been this relaxed in... probably a year? The sun is shining, and my heart kind of feels like it's shining, too.

I just transferred here from UW-Madison, and to be honest, the differences between these two places couldn't be more vast. I went from a liberal school of 44,000 students in a city of 200,000 to a majorly conservative school of around 700 HUNDRED students in a TOWN of 13,000. Light and dark cannot be more different than the differences that exist between Madison and MLC.

But do you know what? I LOVE IT!

A lot of my friends from Madison wanted to know how the culture shock of transferring to MLC would go because a couple of them are thinking of coming here, too, so this blog is mostly for them - giving them an inside look at what MLC is really like. I'm like Merriweather Lewis exploring unknown and dangerous country, mapping it out so they know what to expect if (AND WHEN!) they too make the pilgrimage. Just kidding...it's pompous of me to make that kind of metaphor.

But really. You should all come to MLC! It's unexpectedly glorious!

I should stop screaming about this. Anyways...

I mentioned in the beginning that I was more relaxed here, today, than I have been in quite possibly a year, and I wasn't lying. I think a huge part of it has to do with peace of mind - they say with relationships, "when you know, you know". I just know that this is where I am meant to be right now, and it's literally thrilling seeing how God has orchestrated the past 8 months of my life to get me to this point. The biggest thing that I learned in the past 8 months undoubtedly is that God does indeed have plans for your life, and He, in His infinite wisdom, will guide you where you need to go, no matter how hard you try and dodge His plan. No matter how you hold on to things you want, God can see the big picture. He knows when things that you selfishly want are detrimental to you, and He cares enough about YOU to shepherd you on to easier roads, greener pastures. The difficult things we all encounter isn't God vindictively messing with you; God sometimes allows daunting roadblocks to stumble us to test our faith, teach us lessons we need to learn that will help us in the future, and ultimately, to strengthen us in Him: "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD'S purpose that prevails"(Proverbs 19:21). Contentment and surety in Him and what He is doing in my life is a huge relaxant.

I think another huge reason why I'm so relaxed is that I just had the most enjoyable morning. I ate breakfast with my friends, drank some pretty great coffee, and had an art class where I learned about God, got to listen to soothing music, and just drew for an hour. DRAWING?! I don't think I had a truly relaxing morning at Madison... ever. Scratch that, I don't think I ever truly ate breakfast at Madison... ever. Much less with friends. And I was always scrambling to get out the door and sprint miles to a class, whereas now I can leave to go to class 5 minutes before it starts and comfortably get there. There's just less stress built into the very mentality and framework here... for me, it's a breath of fresh air.

Finally, I'm so relaxed because I got a really great chance to reflect on everything at Compline last night. Compline is an evening prayer service on Monday nights here at MLC. They dim the lights and everyone is quiet, and the atmosphere that pervades the service is akin to the attitude of a tenebre service. We just got to sing the nicest arrangement of psalms and hymns in the stately Chapel of the Christ. Everything was warm and honeyed, and when the organ dropped out on a couple verses of "Abide with Me" and all these people - my fellow classmates - were singing in beautiful harmony, it literally made me eyes kind of well up with tears to realize how much I am blessed I am to be here. He has a plan, and He's abiding with me just as He abides with you.

"I fear no foe with thee at hand to bless;

Ills have no weight and tears no bitterness.

Where is death's sting? Where, grave, thy victory?

I triumph still if thou abide with me."

- verse 7, "Abide with Me"

CW 588