Lately, things are looking up. I'm feeling a lot more optimistic than I have in quite some time.
I've been turning off my TV at night and devoting the time before I fall asleep to prayer. For as long as I can remember, I would spend most of my nights just praying before sleeping. Since I've moved into the apartment with my own room and a TV, I've been falling asleep to that. So last week I made a conscious decision to turn off the TV and take some time to pray and that has really helped me out.
I went to RiverView Church in Holt yesterday. It's a nice church that's similar to NorthRidge, but definitely has it's differences. This was the second time I went there and I'm really glad I did. They were talking about how much pain and suffering there is in the world and how the answer to it is Christ. Most importantly, they reminded me that Christ's love is unconditional. That really hit me. I've been dealing with so much stuff and so much uncertainty and so many "what ifs" and doubts that I forgot that the most important thing Christ gave was love. He was all about love and how we should love each other. He had so much love that He gave up his life in such a horrific way so that I could have eternity. In all of my wondering and wandering these last couple months, I seemed to forget that.
I found out a few weeks ago that my Dad is being deployed to Iraq. I always knew it was a possibility, but I never thought it would truly happen. He leaves in a couple weeks to go to Texas for some training. He'll hopefully be back for Thanksgiving and then he'll leave for Iraq in the beginning of December. So far it hasn't impacted me a whole lot, mostly because I'm away for school; kind of an out of sight, out of mind thing. He's going to be gone for a little over a year. He's going to miss Christmas. He won't be here for my 21st birthday. He won't be around for any internship I do this summer. He won't be here when my brother starts high school or my sister gets her driver's license. He's going to be on the other side of the world for 430 days.
I know that everything happens for a reason. I've been a believer in that for so long. It's just tough to see the reason for this right now. Eventually it'll make sense I suppose.
I understand the reasons for starting this war. I understand that there was a man in power that was doing horrible things. I see the fact that he could have been the next Hitler. All of these are good reasons to do something. I don't see why years and years later, we're still there. I'm not like a lot of people who will blame Bush for this, because I know it's not all his fault. There needed to be a better plan for action. I believe that the Iraqi people carry the most blame. I don't want to say too much because I'm afraid I'll make a statement I'll regret, but the Iraqi people need to just step up and take control of their country. The people there have had a dictatorship for so long that they don't understand what it means to take part in the government of their country. The country is filled with these lazy people that would rather just have these things done for them. And on top of that, you have brainwashed muslims trying to use this as an opportunity to make statements or gain power. I understand that it's irresponsible for us to leave them without a strong government in place, but I'm sick of being responsible for their incompetence and indifference.
That said, I'm definitely not happy about my dad leaving but I know there's no choice. I'm trying not to let it have a negative effect on me and just know that something positive will come from this.
I've been turning off my TV at night and devoting the time before I fall asleep to prayer. For as long as I can remember, I would spend most of my nights just praying before sleeping. Since I've moved into the apartment with my own room and a TV, I've been falling asleep to that. So last week I made a conscious decision to turn off the TV and take some time to pray and that has really helped me out.
I went to RiverView Church in Holt yesterday. It's a nice church that's similar to NorthRidge, but definitely has it's differences. This was the second time I went there and I'm really glad I did. They were talking about how much pain and suffering there is in the world and how the answer to it is Christ. Most importantly, they reminded me that Christ's love is unconditional. That really hit me. I've been dealing with so much stuff and so much uncertainty and so many "what ifs" and doubts that I forgot that the most important thing Christ gave was love. He was all about love and how we should love each other. He had so much love that He gave up his life in such a horrific way so that I could have eternity. In all of my wondering and wandering these last couple months, I seemed to forget that.
I found out a few weeks ago that my Dad is being deployed to Iraq. I always knew it was a possibility, but I never thought it would truly happen. He leaves in a couple weeks to go to Texas for some training. He'll hopefully be back for Thanksgiving and then he'll leave for Iraq in the beginning of December. So far it hasn't impacted me a whole lot, mostly because I'm away for school; kind of an out of sight, out of mind thing. He's going to be gone for a little over a year. He's going to miss Christmas. He won't be here for my 21st birthday. He won't be around for any internship I do this summer. He won't be here when my brother starts high school or my sister gets her driver's license. He's going to be on the other side of the world for 430 days.
I know that everything happens for a reason. I've been a believer in that for so long. It's just tough to see the reason for this right now. Eventually it'll make sense I suppose.
I understand the reasons for starting this war. I understand that there was a man in power that was doing horrible things. I see the fact that he could have been the next Hitler. All of these are good reasons to do something. I don't see why years and years later, we're still there. I'm not like a lot of people who will blame Bush for this, because I know it's not all his fault. There needed to be a better plan for action. I believe that the Iraqi people carry the most blame. I don't want to say too much because I'm afraid I'll make a statement I'll regret, but the Iraqi people need to just step up and take control of their country. The people there have had a dictatorship for so long that they don't understand what it means to take part in the government of their country. The country is filled with these lazy people that would rather just have these things done for them. And on top of that, you have brainwashed muslims trying to use this as an opportunity to make statements or gain power. I understand that it's irresponsible for us to leave them without a strong government in place, but I'm sick of being responsible for their incompetence and indifference.
That said, I'm definitely not happy about my dad leaving but I know there's no choice. I'm trying not to let it have a negative effect on me and just know that something positive will come from this.
"War creates no absolutely new situation: it simply aggravates the permanent human situation so that we can no longer ignore it. Human life has always been lived on the edge of a precipice." -C.S. Lewis