Seams and scars and stitches.

I am reading about healthcare and insurance and the provision of medical services now. It is not uninteresting, and my mind is not distracted much by other things, but still I cannot concentrate on the excerpt in front of me. I might as well share some thoughts while I'm here..

"The word religion derives from the Latin verb religare, which means to bind together again that which was once bound but has since been torn or broken; to heal." -- Michael Perry, in Legal Rights: Historical and Philosophical Perspectives

I like this sentence.  I came across it in one of my philosophy readings last week, and its reference to healing makes me think of how awe-inspiring it is when our bodies repair themselves.  On the issue of repair, the word "repair" comes from the Latin verb reparere, which is composed of "re-" 'back,' and "parere" 'make ready.'  So to repair is, in essence, "to make ready again." What joy it is to know that not only do our bodies fix themselves when something is amiss, but that they also prepare us to go forward in experiencing life.

I find that this semester, more than any other, I've been constantly rushing from class to meeting to appointment to info session to activity and what-have-you else. It's different, and while it's been bearable so far, I'm not sure it's a good thing entirely. It's strange. I feel that I have more time being alone to think, but I find that I spend the seconds mind-wandering to what engagement I have to rush to next, instead of utilizing the time on matters more important and dear to me. I would like to soon rest in Christ and actually experience life in the moment.

God, will You repair me? I've many a seam to be stitched up, and if there need be scarring, I'll know at least that the marks are reminders and signs of Your love. For the Lord disciplines those He loves...

Obéissance

Combining notes from Merriam-Webster's online dictionary as well as the one automatically found on my Mac, the etymology of the English verb "obey" is such: Middle English obeien, from Anglo-French obeir, from Old French obeir, from Latin oboedire, from ob- ‘in the direction of’ + audire ‘hear.’

To obey, then, is "to hear in the direction of." There have been increasing numbers of times recently when God has been speaking pretty clearly to me through various nudges and a couple of surprising incidents, here and there. I just have to listen to Him, to obey...

Genuinely of Heaven

I've been itching to get this post out for a while now (not that long, actually) because it makes me excited, hehe. Which leads me to wonder what in life we're excited to share with our friends, why we hold such excitement, and so on. It also makes me think of how at church they say you should be excited to share the Gospel with friends and people around you (not that I'm not, just that this is what the whole thing makes me think of).

“天真” (tian1 zhen1) -- oh, what a beautiful word! Haha. I was thinking of WL a few days ago, just picking apart his personality in my head, and suddenly, it came to me, "In some ways he is very 天真." Huh.. what does that mean?

Now, the conventional translation of this word into English as "innocent" or "naive," which, in my books, more often than not doesn't carry the most pleasant connotation. It's hard to apply the word as such to WL, though. I don't find him naive or innocent in knowledge of the ways in which many people choose to conduct themselves, "the ways of the world" and whatnot. No, in that sense he has at least some idea of what goes on. Hm, perhaps it can best be said that he is able to retain a sense of purity, or.. separateness/otherness.. he knows of the world and engages enough with it, but doesn't fall victim to its every allurement?

When I came to that idea, somehow the neurons linked it to how Jesus says to his disciples that whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will not be able to enter (Luke 18:17). (I'm not quite comparing WL to a little child, though it may be true sometimes, but still, haha.) Like a flash: "天" = day or sky. But it can also mean "of heaven"! To be "真" is to be real, true, or genuine. Put those together! Ohh, "天真" -- how beautiful a word, and how beautiful a description, that this person may be genuinely of heaven! :) It could be that his decisions to act selectively reflect a childlike faith (Note: not the faith one has a child, but faith as pure, radiant, and untainted as children should and tend to be), haha. I do hope so, for that would be glorious indeed..

But yeah, oh, the beauty of the Chinese language, hehe. I pray that we may all be 天真 -- not naive, but choosing in spite of and with our knowledge of "the world" to seek out and follow a Christ of faith, hope, and love, a Savior and Friend whose constant presence brings us more joy that we can ever otherwise know or imagine! =)