Appreciation

Today, as a celebration of finals ending and time and freedom beginning, I have decided to embark on the Reverb 10 challenge. I know, I'm starting 14 days late... but cut me some slac, college is crazy. For those of you who don't know, what this means is that I'll be blogging (hopefully!) every day for the rest of December in response to their daily prompts as a way to look back over the year and look forward to the next one. So let's get started...

the question: What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it?

a piece of the answer:
As odd as it sounds, this year I have come to truly appreciate the beauty found in the struggles of life. I've seen a lot of hardship this year, some in my life and a large amount in the lives of others, and while I may never fully understand how we are to consider it pure joy (James 1:2-4), I have come further in seeing the beauty of the broken this year. And you know what? It's been one fantastic year because of it.

Today I found myself wandering the aisles of a bookstore, lost and dreaming per usual. I have a passion for books... not even so much for reading them as simply walking through and admiring them all. Sending me to the bookstore is dangerous, especially with the knowledge of Christmas money in the back of my head. I stumbled across a book called Expressive Photography which captivated me for it's beautiful cover but also because it's written by the authors of one of my favorite blogs, Shutter Sisters. So I bought it. Go figure. And as I sit here reading it, I'm captivated not only by the images but also by the beauty of the stories that are behind them. As I was reading it, I stumbled across a quote from a woman named Andrea that truly speaks to my heart:

"There are times when we go through the fire, when we must undergo unthinkably painful trials to grow and change, and become fully who we are. We come out on the other side new, stronger, and more beautiful for it. I think of a piece of clay being fired in a kiln and coming out even more dazzling than it was before. Colors you didn't even expect come to the surface, the whole piece stronger and more stunning."

Amen to that, Andrea. What a beautiful and realistic picture! I have come to appreciate the things that struggles teach us about ourselves and also what they teach us about those around us. I have incredible friends and family and have been more than blessed to in turn be a strong shoulder for a friend in need the past few weeks. On our last day in the classroom, my cohorts and I did an "appreciation circle" where each person stood and picked someone to say what they have come to appreciate about them this semester. The smiles on everyone's faces were priceless and wonderful and it's amazing to see how a community can bond together, especially in the face of adversity. Now, as a class we haven't faced that much adversity (other than failing papers and unorganized assignments) but there have been hurts in that room that have been soothed only with the love of friends and I can see that reflected in my own life as well-- I have incredible friends all over the country and I have truly learned this year what it looks like to give selflessly back to those who are falling.

Hindsight is always 20/20 but we must learn to take the knowledge from our pasts and apply them to our daily lives. Appreciate the struggles that we face, the shoulders we are given to lean on, and the unthinkable blessings and plans that the Lord has for our lives each day. Take them for what they're worth, friends, because life is a beautiful thing.


just a thought.