...on earth are those idiots in the middle of the street for?
...could they have been thinking??
...do you think you're doing?

Sound familiar? does to me.. much too familiar for my taste! Reactions, responses, reflexes.. whatever you call them, I seem to have caught a syndrome of them.. or to be theologically correct, my Immunity stopped fighting them temporarily. 

How easy it is when someone really is stupid, to say so! Or even better.. to think so! The thought comes like a flash, and then I think about it and decide not to judge. not to assume.
The speed of the brain is incredible! (In your 20s, the average speed of auditory processing is 68 milliseconds.) If only you could put governors on them:

...when seeing man who's pants are at his knees, consult Bible verse on love before producing response

...when hearing brothers break rules check Proverbs on patience before delivering command

...when reading misinformed author refer to passage on humility before constructing rant

...when seeing certain shirt on Christian consider personal responsibility before judging.

The problem is these things don't come from the mind but from the heart. Sure, the flesh will present you with fleshly thoughts--always has, always will--but the check must come from the Spirit.

Not quite so easy as an Auto-response-delay. Wait--not so easy, Grace? Isn't it the Spirit doing the work? Isn't it God who makes over our hearts and His grace that allows us to do right?
Absolutely! Phil2:13 - for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. 
His grace works in us.. transforms us.. however I don't believe He forces us to accept the grace He gives us for that, but makes it  always available:

1Cor10:13- "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."

That's why He wants us to call on Him in trouble. to walk in the Spirit. to pray without ceasing. to put on His armor.

Discipline that leads to an (almost) automatic response.
Guess it's like exercise for me.. hard to start, but once you do it's hard to remember why you ever stopped.

Jumping back in the race,
Grace

The past couple of weeks have been a whir of college preparations... scholarship apps, essays, visits, meetings, essays, scholarships... !

In this transitioning from high school to part-time to full-time college student (current status being the median), I must have forgotten what it's like to be too busy to hang out, watch movies, and do non-studently activities of the like.

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Symptoms of this forgetfulness: checking my email, making an appearance at Starbucks, napping/sleeping, attending Bible study.

Side effects include: loss of sleep, neglect of photography, 9:30pm recommendation form requests, disregard for food.

Positive results: Three scholarship applications finished, new connections formed, touch for writing essays returned, more prayer!, loss of nervousness about making important phone calls, increase in intiative and motivation (had been rather lacking of late), and ultimately: possibility of entering DAAP in 6 months!?!

_____

So here I am tonight, in keeping with this unscholarly temporary memory loss, typing up a silly excuse for leaving you in the dark about what has filled my days these past two months.
What can I say? I'm celebrating my first day of REAL spring break ever!

Enjoying every day while I have them =]
grace