The beauty of "Not Quite First"

Some had all red.

Some didn't have any at all.

Mine consisted of mainly blue with the rare splotch of red or white.

Now, getting first at the elementary school track meet might not be some peoples life ambition. But to me, at the age of 11 or so, it was a big deal. I would look around in envy at the people with all the red, or look down upon the people with just white, or didn't have any at all. I would start judging people on the ratio of red to blue to white that they had pinned to the side of their size M children's gym shorts and admire my superiority or wallow in my inferiority that the "Not Quite First" ribbon labeled me as.

I slowly come to realize the amount that I have been influenced by the happenings of my childhood. From things as large as the expectations I was to meet in all area's of my life, to the pathetic drive for accomplishment brought on by the ridiculous concept of worth judged by not only the amount of ribbons you had acquired, but also the color that they most brilliantly shone.

I just bought, Sex God, by Rob Bell.

In the opening chapter it talks about objects that are more than just objects. The wedding ring that isn't just a wedding ring.. it's a sign of commitment and love. The ribbons that aren't just ribbons... they're check marks, stickers, a thumbs up, or any other form of acknowledgment that try convince you that you are worth more or less than the people who received more or less than you.

Why are we ruled by the idea's that we must attain something? Why do people go around teaching other people or their children that they MUST be number 1? Why do we let ourselves fall into the immensely arrogant idea of thinking that we are better or worse than others?

I've grown up my entire life thinking that I should be getting good grades. While I agree that we should do our best, I completely disagree that we should work hard for the sake of accomplishing a set standard or grade that we have set up for ourselves. Do you think God will love you more if you get 100%? Do you think the person that got 65% is any less of a person or less loved for the simple fact that another human thought that they didn't do as good?

Now don't get me wrong, I think that we should strive for excellence... but when our striving gets in the way of the real reason we are doing it, then we have completely lost the reason as to why we started in the first place. That reason is to bring glory to God. Working for our own gratification is not only meaningless, but you will always walk away disappointed. Someone will always be better, faster, stronger, smarter, more able. First shouldn't be our goal, peace and joy in the presence of God should be.

Matthew 6: 19 - 21

19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Another wash, a different load

Everything is new to me at them moment. A new city, a new landscape, new friends, new classes and even more new experiences. I don't really know what I expected. While I was passing the time the last 5 months in Moose Jaw and at camp, till the date would arrive when I would make my long and arduous journey out west.

Saying my goodbye's to the ever increasingly beautiful Saskatchewan prairies, my travels through Alberta (/spit), which eventually took me through the rugged east side of the rockies all the way to Kelowna. Visiting many a friend along the way, I got to view the amazing hugeness of the deep rockies as "Misery Signals" blared in my CD player. I have never had the chance of travelling through the mountains on my own, but something about the solitude of the trip awakened something in me. The very thought that I am just a speck driving in a slightly larger speck beneath huge mounds of bone crushing stone.

My prairie-ness got the better of me and I felt the first pangs of slight claustrophobia as I made my way further and further away from that which was comforting to me. Non-the-less, I fortified myself against the impending doom of a inevitable death dealing avalanche and continued my journey.

I love sunsets. I am going to miss them more than I imagined as they are a very rare commodity out here in the west. But as I passed through the unforgivable eastern and central part of the rockies, I came upon the smoother, lusher, more calm mountains that make up the Coquihalla and the most eastern part of the lower mainland of BC. It may have just been the calm weather and setting sun, but I have hardly ever seen anything that beautiful (with the exception of one thing... you know). I also know that coming from Saskatchewan has greatly increased my appreciation for tree's, but the area around Hope (city) just blew me away.

The next few days consisted of chilling in Chilli(no pun intended)wack and abbotsford, at the local coffee shot, listening to some good acoustic tunes and many, many hours of "Heroes". The reconnection of good friends from days past and getting accustomed to the strange ways of the west coasters.

Soon enough I found myself in a strange building filled with strange people getting ready for a strange year. Thats right, I enrolled in Bible School. So the next 8 months of my life will consist of homework, people and a ministry practicum. Now those of you who know anything about me at all, know that I was coming out to school here, and that reason being the ministry practicum which I am now the leader of (fancy that, eh?)

I am stuck in a new place, with new people, with new classes and new experiences. It may take me a while but i'm still trying to decide if new is good, it seems that it's starting to look that way.

From the flat openness of the tree-less (commonly thought) prairies, to the cramped and much to fast paced, tree filled lower mainland, and everything in between...

Everything is the same...