What will you study in college? What do you want to do for a career? Wait…you don’t want a career? How on earth will you make enough money to pay for all these expenses? What is there to do now that speech and debate is over? What if you never meet a Cool Guy and live happily ever after? What if the world is just plain out of Cool Guys? What about your writing? What happened to all your dreams of being published one day?

Do you even know what you’re doing, anyway?

When it’s a well-meaning friend asking the questions, it’s easy to smile and brush it off—I’m sure I’ll figure it all out as I go, right? There’s plenty of time to change college majors…pick a cool-looking career field…meet Prince Charming. Sure.

When I ask those questions of myself, it’s a little harder.

Because really, I don’t know.

In some ways, that terrifies me. I’m not a fan of uncertainty—particularly when it involves my life. I’d rather have at least a little heads-up about this whole “growing up” thing.

But the reality is that I don’t.

Thought: If I did know, would I need to learn to trust?

Coming to that point of uncertainty might just be a crucial moment in the life of a Christ-follower, because it’s here that we really become followers—walking by faith and not by sight. It’s easy to toss around that “trust” word; more difficult to understand what it entails. Trust isn’t a fluffy feeling you get when you think about God. It’s an action you take based on your knowledge of who God is.

So next time I’m asked one of those unanswerable questions? It’s okay to not know, because God does.

Only when I feel uncertain will I ever truly learn to rest in his certainty.

Life has a rather high-speed feel to it lately–like watching a VHS on fast-forward. The slow way, where you can still see the picture moving. (Does that make any sense? Okay. We’ll move on.)

Graduation

I’m in desperate need of something profound to say on Saturday afternoon, while I stand behind a mic in a ridiculous-looking cap and gown. Nope, mental images do not help my level of confidence.

School

(This category shouldn’t exist.) In every way that really counts, I’m done. Except for the rest of that Rosetta Stone course that I’ve been putting off for…well, way too long.

Speech and Debate

Our end-of-the-year banquet is this Friday. Lots of last-minute preparations going on, but I’m excited about the whole thing. Banquets mean dressing up, and when is dressing up not fun??

Work

Waitressing is an interesting profession. My co-workers are really what makes a shift good or not-so-good–customers are easy to handle, but the people behind the scenes can make life difficult. I guess I’m learning to deal with difficult people?

General Life Happenings

Music performances, shopping trips, babysitting, sisters coming home and leaving home, awkward conversations with The Guy at the bank. These are the random odds and ends that don’t fit anywhere, and yet somehow come together to fill in all the empty places in my life. (There aren’t many.)

Profound Thought

“Trust” is a verb as well as a noun. To “trust” God with my future means much, much more than saying the words or thinking the thoughts. And really, it’s the action that seals the deal.

I probably need to take more action.

I’ve been going through old pictures to use in my graduation slideshow this spring. So many memories in those boxes! Funny things, sad things, happy things…bad hair days…and more.

Those were the good old days.

]]> http://bethmaisano.com/2011/01/when-we-were-young/feed/ 4 http://bethmaisano.com/2010/12/give-or-take/ http://bethmaisano.com/2010/12/give-or-take/#comments Thu, 30 Dec 2010 06:20:16 +0000 Beth http://bethmaisano.com/?p=869 Why is it that human nature gravitates towards relationships?

I love my friends. As I get older, the simple presence of someone who will listen has become something I depend on when life happens unexpectedly. On the flip side, friendships will mature as people do–and so will the issues they face.

Maybe it shouldn’t surprise me that a few things change in those years between eight and eighteen.

What is it, then, that drives this unique connection between two individuals?

We value relationships because our Creator values relationships. But as in most areas, His way of conducting them is infinitely superior to ours.

See, I become so wrapped up in the idea of a friend that sometimes, I forget what it means to be one.  No relationship is exempt from that simple little phrase: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” (Matthew 7:12)

Most of us have gained from relationships. How much have we put in?

If I were to be the sort of person who treated everyone in a way that sought their pleasure instead of my gain, there would be no such thing as petty disagreements, strained relationships, or heated arguments. It’s not much, really. Consider what Jesus gave for the sake of a relationship.

So I challenge you: Stop taking, and start giving.

It’s what we were designed to do.

Skeletal arms, reaching outward

Grasping at the barren sky

Beauty gone and beauty come

And no one yet the wiser

Sun relents and loses its hold

The earth grows cold and fruitless

Wringing out its final cry

A harvest of life from death.

Bad hair day?

Beautiful.

“He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength…” Job 39:21

Photography {credit}

What’s this? Beth drops off the face of the blogosphere for nearly a month and comes back with a bunch of measly pictures?

That pretty much sums it up.

Unfortunately, the actual tournament wasn’t very well documented…I guess I just found too many other things to do aside from take pictures.  But I put together a slideshow of our adventures on the trip there and back, so for all you interested people, here you go:

In other news, it’s spring!

(See?)

I had hoped to put together  a video blog of the wedding shoot with Toni this past weekend, but somehow time has gotten away from me again.  Who knows—maybe I’ll come up with something in New Mexico.  We shall see!

Hope is simply amazing, and I am pretty much amazingly blessed to have her for three weeks.  I have a feeling we’ll enjoy ourselves…but maybe that’s just me?

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