Of the essence

Today in our class that serves as a "staff meeting" for our online newspaper, we talked about the usual stuff. I wasn't sure who was working on a particular story, myself or another writer, and I asked in a manner similar to this: "Who exactly would you like writing this story? I'm trying to figure out what to devote my life to."

Sounds kind of lame, doesn't it?

In all reality, my words spat out of my mouth so that I could fit them in and, well, that's what happened. I had fully intended to say "devote my time to" instead of "devote my life to", but I ended up concluding that it means pretty much the same thing. Right?

In my other class, a course on Christian theology, my professor continued his lecture on creation. Several different theories of possible conceptions of the universe came into play, including some I had never heard of or thought about. Some theories proposed the possibility that the six days of creation were literal 24-hour days while others pondered the idea that the six days of creation were just six different stages, ages or time frames.

Is a day just a literal matter of time? Or is it something we live out?

Finding myself in a routine of sorts, I asked myself this question today. Am I living my life out in stages, years, months, weeks, days, semesters, episodes of The Office? To what am I devoting my time/life to?

Funny how that works. I come to the close of the day, wrap up homework, check various communication outlets, shower, switch out notebooks and textbooks in my backpack, load the refrigerator with a new bottle of Snapple peach tea, blog, read a chapter or so of the Bible, journal, pray, go to bed. The rest of the day comes with it, packaged up in a quaint, factory-made right-off-the-supply-line box.

In other words, today starts to feel the same as yesterday, if you know what I mean. And tomorrow follows suit. But here's this:

"Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God." - I Peter 4:1-2

I don't know exactly what the will of God is, but I know he has provided us with plenty of ways to follow his lead. If I desire him more than the things of this world, it will be very difficult to mistake the path to bringing him glory.

It's really rather comforting, I think.

Things within my reach right at this very moment:

1. Cell phone
2. Bible
3. Journal
4. The latest copy of People magazine
5. Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity by Mark A. Noll
6. Morning Glory by Diana Peterfreund
7. Cup of water
8. The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Vol. I by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
9. Ibuprofen
10. Kleenex

To everyone seeing Harry Potter right now, I hope you're enjoying it. Whatever will we do after Part II releases? Wingardium leviosa! Swish and flick...which, if you ask me, sounds more like something you would tell a child to help describe how to brush your teeth. You tell me which is more likely.