Snow and sanctification...a.k.a. life.

This is the second morning in a row that I have awoken to see snow on the dock and surrounding vicinity. I have the most passionate dislike for cold, especially being cold, but there's something about snow that is marvelous. At least for now, it sparks a sweet excitement within me to see it there, all laid out nice and smooth. It isn't even a quarter of an inch, but it's snow all the same and that's what matters.

Speaking about what matters, I've been contemplating recently what really matters in life. There are some things that we pursue in life that have absolutely no long-term value, or simply no value. There are other pursuits that contribute to some of the greatest purposes and desires of all time. God-given ambition and dreams are wonderful and need to be pursued.

There's a lot of selfish motivation as well. I know that I am often guilty of self-motivated accomplishments--some that have even no intrinsic value whatsoever except that I might enjoy or like it. We must be very careful when we go after something because we like it though, because I see very often that sin can be enjoyable and many people sin not because it's disgusting (though it is) but because they want to.

Some sin appears horrible and ugly. It's easy to avoid that, I don't particularly think of murdering someone as enjoyable. But other sin looks nice and attractive and often disguises itself in innocent ways.

A question I've run into is this: how important is it that we conquer these presumably innocuous and petty self-centered interests/sins when they don't seem to be contributing to any sort of absolute moral corruption within myself?

Now, that's a little extreme, let me clarify: God demands all that we have and because of His love for us and our love for Him, we should wholeheartedly devote every part of us, every area and aspect of our lives, to His transformation and sanctification. Yet does one little sin make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things? It's not like it will keep me from Heaven, right? I don't speak of the daily sins that we are always committing, we aren't sinless, but I speak of those vices that we hold onto, knowingly hide away, and continue in.

This shouldn't be too hard to answer, because obviously a life surrendered to Christ would not partake in even the smallest thing that is displeasing to Him. However, it's not as easily done--because sometimes those little things are really hard to let go of.

It's a work in progress, a struggle, a challenge; but I'm convinced that it's a good one and for a goal worth fighting for. Because Paul counted all as loss: "indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ," we also can count all as loss for that surpassing worth of knowing Jesus. And besides, we'll be much freer and find that living without that sin is far better than living with it.

This is what I've been mulling over...and I wish that it was easier done than said, but there are some things in life that are hard and we will just have to work at it together.

In other news, I've been super-ably (I know it's not a word, that's okay), busy and immersed in my schooling which consists of Spanish 2 and Leadership Theory and Practice. Every now and then I come up for air and the English language so as to participate in various activities with my family and friends. It's actually been a very lovely November so far and, though busy, I've enjoyed a lot of good fun.

I rather wish that I could press pause on this season of my life and just keep everybody with me. But we have a mission to live out and a God to serve and things to get done. So I'll just treasure every part of it in my heart and be thankful for what I am given, all while looking forward to the future that God has prepared for me.