Reality? Check!

As some of you know, I spent last weekend at WWU, registering for classes, etc. The weekend was kind of a reality check for me. I spent 36ish hours with a bunch of really worldly college students, and even in the short time I was there, I could feel a huge difference in the atmosphere. It made me realize that I really take a lot for granted. There is such a contrast between the world I live in currently, and "the real world." But I can also see that I don't want to be "of that world," and my life thus far has been wonderfully void of the kind of worldliness I saw.

The contrast between the lifestyle I saw on campus Friday and Saturday, and the people I saw Sunday was kind of crazy. It really reminded me of what a wonderful thing it is to have such a great God to worship, and honestly I can't even imagine what it would be like to live without even the belief of something greater than ourselves.

All that to say, I have just had a major reality check.

Fast forward from Friday to Friday. It's been a week since my WWU visit, and it's been a week of reflecting. As I was getting dressed this morning, I was listening to one of my favorite albums, It is Well, by Kutless. The last track of the album, I have undoubtedly heard a million and two times, but this time, the song really stopped me. The song says:

If all my world was swept away
Would You be enough for me?
Would my beating heart still sing?

If I lost it all
Would my hands stay lifted
To the God who gives and takes away

If You take it all
This life You've given
Still my heart will sing to You

When my life is not what I expected
The plans I made have failed
When there's nothing left to steal me away
Will You be enough for me?
Will my broken heart still sing?

I guess subconsciously, I've always agreed with the song. ..If I lost all my stuff, and my house, I'd still be a Christian. If something bad happened, I'd get though it.

Today though, a question popped into my head. "What if there's another meaning?"

It's just been established in my mind that the atmosphere at WWU will be very different than the one I've lived in all of my life. To some extent, I will be living in a toxic environment. What if the lyrics read,

"If I lose the Christian atmosphere, the safe Home, the Godly friends, and my World was taken away, WOULD I STILL LIFT MY HANDS TO GOD?"

It's a hard question. I got to thinking about the story of Joseph, and Potiphar's house. I'm just taking a stab out there, but I kind of don't think that he was in the best environment too. But the interesting thing about the story, is it doesn't mention that. What it does say is:

"The LORD was with Joseph so that he prospered . . .When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant . . . the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field."

The atmosphere in College may be less than desirable, but God is bigger than even that. I find that comforting.

Cheers!
Lauren