My Greatest Comforts

I previously introduced a project I've been working on called 52 Lists. The prompt this "week" (I use that term lightly because I tend to do a prompt about every two months...) is 'What are your greatest comforts?". I've been putting off this list for some time now; mostly because over the last few months I have been consumed with the great responsibility of making some pretty big, life changing decisions, and along with making those big changes comes much discomfort. I will dive into some of those decisions in an upcoming blog post, but for the time being I thought I would face my hesitation head on and take a moment to step back and think about what it is, in the midst of this mental kerfuffle, that brings my soul comfort.

My cello.
I am in love with the cello. The rich, deep sound, the curves of the body, the way the strings vibrate under my fingers as I slide the bow across them. I recently started taking lessons again, and while it is one of the most challenging things I have ever tried to master, it is one of the most rewarding. I demand such respect in all that do from both people and my hobbies, and the cello is the first thing I've done in a long time that demands just as much respect, if not more from me. Simultaneously, it challenges me and provides me with an outlet. When I am not playing, I can usually be found listening to Yo Yo Ma or Kevin Olusola's cello covers of my favorite songs. The video below is Olusola covering Justin Timberlake's 'Mirrors' with a few of his friends. It has been on repeat on my iPhone for weeks. It's brilliant. (I mean, who doesn't love JT?)

My art.
I am now realizing that for someone who is a biology major, I spend a majority of my spare time partaking in the arts. Don't get me wrong, I still geek out, memorize the periodic table of elements, and make punnett squares for fun, but there is something special about the way art brings together what society would normally tear apart. It defies logic and reasoning, and connects people. Maybe that is what I find so comforting about it. While science is fantastic and has greatly helped develop our world, art reminds me that emotion is sometimes just as valid as science, and things are not always so black and white. Life is full of grays - from charcoal to heather - life is messy, and not everything can be explained in a rational way.

My faith.
I became a follower of Christ shortly before I graduated high school, and when I accepted Christ as my savior on that cold, February night, my entire life was turned upside down right side up. Nine, intense, stressful, crazy months later I was on a plane headed towards Africa on a mission trip that would change my life. Over the next three months, I would contract malaria (twice), spend my Easter holiday in a hospital bed, and tragically lose a family member. All while being in a third world country, ten thousand miles from my family and friends. You could say that my first year as a follower of Christ was challenging, and while there were parts of it that were trying, I am so grateful for those difficult moments. They helped grow and shape my faith into what it is today. It is because of my faith that I can make decisions with confidence. I lay my worries down at the foot of the cross, and make my choices knowing that I am filled with the Holy Spirit, and following the path that God has placed before me. The calling God has placed upon my life is not at all compatible with society's ideal of how a young woman should act and live her life, and while that sometimes creates tension, I am completely content with that knowing the reward of following God's plan for my life is far greater than I can even fathom. So while I may not know the exact ending of my story or even where I will be in five years, I have complete confidence because I know the map maker, and I know that He can be trusted. 

"Jesus replied, 'You do not understand what I am doing now, but someday you will." John 13:7

"He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine." Ephesians 3:20