Tuesday, January 31, 2006

I'm eating rice with butter and sugar

No really--family tradition. It's good stuff. Don't knock it before you try it.

In other news, I should be working on my paper but since it isn't due tomorrow, I feel little need to do it today. Perhaps I will attempt some sort of outline later...

Anyways, this post is going to be a bit less philosophical (sorry to those of you who were looking for some sort of wisdom a la Mere) but just a this-is-what-I've-been-up-to post.

Last weekend I went on a retreat with my fellow Bible study leaders, which totally rocked. We spent the weekend relaxing and listening to life stories. Then on Saturday night, we did written and verbal affirmations. I think this was my favorite part--not so much because I enjoy being praised (actually, it sort of freaks me out), but it was so encouraging to know that the other girls actually like me. What's that all about? Why is it I have such a fear of being liked? There's definitely a part of me that has always yearned to be as perfect as possible so that no one could find a fault in me that would make them deny God. It was as if I had to be as perfect as possible if they were going to see God in me. I know now that more often that not, that is less of a motivation to seek God, and more of a condemnation of me for being self-righteous. I'm learning now to share Christ through my weakness, but there is still something inside that wonders, am I good enough? If Christ's strength is made perfect in my weakness, why do I feel like I still have to strive so hard for approval from others? It's a proven fact that those who rise to leadership socially and in the work place are generally attractive people (physically and in their personality) because people would rather follow someone they'd want to be more like. So how does that translate for me? Is it possible that God would use my appearance and personality do draw people to me, so that I can point them to Christ? And why does that theory seem so self-centered?

I guess what I've come to (a rough theory) is that since Christ made us who we are, he will use us as such. That is to say, if we have an especially quick wit or high intelligence, he uses those if we let him. Really, it comes back to the fact that anything we are is a gift from God. When treated as such, my personality is not useful to win people because I am fabulous or something, but instead God gave me such a personality because he wanted to work through it. The big question is, when we are praised, do we look to ourselves for credit or point to Christ?

Really if I think about it, I shouldn't feel weird receiving affirmations or encouraging words from others because they affirm things about me that I could never have developed on my own. If there is anything in me worth praise, it is there because Christ is alive in me.

Ok--so much for not trying to be philosophical. I think too much..

Anyways, on Sunday evening, I went out with a few friends after church and we got into a discussion about dating vs. hanging out. Let me tell you--it was pretty intense. The problem we wanted to solve was how guys and girls can be less ambiguous about initiating so that they are not leading someone on. For instance, when a guy says, "we should hang out," what exactly does that mean? Does he want to take me out on a date? Does he want to hang out as friends? Does he want it to be a group thing? It can be kind of hard to tell. Well we got into all sorts of do's and don't's such as, guys (or girls) can be more intentional in the way that ask you out if they want it to be a date (can I take you out sometime?), or the receiver can avert a date situation by suggesting friends come along, and so forth. What I really want to get at is the reason why all of this is so difficult. Honestly, I'd be completely happy if my parents wanted to arrange a marriage for me. They know me well, and I trust them to pick the sort of person that would make a good match for me (read: not the highest bidder). However, I really have no right to complain about how complicated it has all gotten in the past couple of years because I'm the one complicating it.

My problem is that I have forgotten my first Love. Some days feel lonely, so I get more desperate to "try out" any guy that seems interested--even if I'm not too impressed so far, I might have misjudged him, so I don't want to discount him just yet. Really though...I know what I want. It's been almost the same since our first dating talks in junior high. Granted, I had no clue back then, but when I said I wanted a man of Godly character, I meant it, even if I didn't quite know how that would look. As time goes by, I am better able to define those characteristics and distinguish them in guys I meet. Point is, am I really trying not to be judgmental by going out with random guys just to "check them out" or am I just making excuses to receive the attention that a date brings? Yikes...kind of convicting. At this point in life, my priorities are more about building friendship relationships and serving at church (or elsewhere)--oh yeah, there's school too--so going out with a new guy is probably more of a dating "fix" for me. What I really want is not just someone that may be cool somewhere deep inside if I really dig for it, but someone who really intrigues me.

Alright, so what does that look like for me? Well if you ever read any of my stuff, you might pick up on the fact that I kind of like God. He's like...ultimate fab. It's not about looking cool or trying to be super-spiritual, but sometimes God gets me all sorts of riled up and I just have to share with other people the cool things he's done. So if that is what's most important to me, it's naturally the most important thing I look for in a guy. I want someone who gets excited with me when I talk about God. Someone who inspires and encourages me but also challenges me--in Christ. If I can't share what's at my core with him, we will never really connect. Obviously there are other things that I'd like to find--someone who is tall and musical, wants a family, and likes to cuddle--but those things are second and potentially compromiseable. The God Thing is the Main Thing. Without that, there's really no point as far as I'm concerned. I want someone who really turns my head.

Some additional thoughts:
Sorry if that was too Christian-y or bizarrely worded, but it's just how my mind works and what comes into my head, comes pretty much strait out, with little filtration.
A note for any male readers--not all girls think like this. I have no intention of representing the views of anyone but me, so it may not be to your advantage to apply these ideas to others.
Finally, this post is in no way intended to come across like a personal want ad, so please don't comment with any awkward theological discussions meant to impress. Because...yeah...that's.... awkward...

Saturday, January 21, 2006

The person who can finish this quote may very well be my soulmate...

"What'd you wanna marry me for anyhow?"

Monday, January 16, 2006

Aslan's Country

So as cliche as it is to be one of the hundreds of people dusting off their set of the Chronicles of Narnia due to the release of the movie, I got the series for Christmas, and I just finished The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

I don't quite know what it was about the ending (though I'll try to explain) but as the story drew to a close, God surprised, amazed, and delighted me so profoundly that I wept--purely and deeply--the sort of weeping that comes with a thousand indefinable emotions. I'm not going to quote anything because I don't know that the words from the page are really what did it, nor do I think this specific part will have a profound effect on everyone else. But something in those words reached down into the deepest part of me, and I knew it was God. Then the tears came, except they weren't really tears. One moment I was reading the fairy tale, then the next I gasped and the weeping began, full-force. It felt as though God intended me, Meredith Yvonne Cooper, to read those very words at that very moment, as if to say, "I hear your prayers, Beloved, and I know your deepest desires. Rest. I meet them." I was instantly humbled and broken. Who am I that God would speak to me so personally and so deeply?

It's moments like these that I wish I could capture and bottle to share with everyone else. This will have to do.

I believe in the power of prayer.

(Ok so to prevent having my man-hating blog entry be the first thing people see when they look at this page, I'm going to add a new post.)

I believe in the power of prayer.

One of the great blessings (of which there are many) that God gives us is the ability to talk to him and make our requests known to him. I fully believe that He hears our prayers, and when they are asked in pure faith, as our hearts seek after Him, they will be answered. I also believe that bearing others' burdens through prayer is a blessing. So many people have prayed over troubled times in my life, and God has been faithful to them and me.

So here are some things that have been on my heart and in my prayers lately:

* that the Lord would develop in the hearts of all the girls in my Bible study the desire to understand and know Him more, that we would be excited to spend time in the Word because it allows us to know Him more, and that we would seek together during our meetings to learn and understand the God that Paul describes in 1 Corinthians
* that the Lord would provide ten people to go to Sprachcamp this summer (ask me about this if you don't know what it is)
* that God would teach me how to find satisfaction and completion in Him, that I would learn patience and discernment in relationships with guys, and most of all that they would never consume more of my thoughts, energy, or time than God does.

Feel free to post your prayer requests on the comments section. I'd love to pray over you :)

Saturday, January 14, 2006

I'm blaming this on how late it is right now

I hate men right now.

Please die.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Taming the "Don Juan"

In my Theatre 311 class, Paul Backer has been talking the last couple of weeks about the Don Juan archetype that runs through theatre history. For those unfamiliar with the term, Don Juan is this fabulously romantic guy who is mostly a huge womanizer--women are drawn to him because he has all the right lines and is so hot and suave and all those other things, and yet they are repulsed by him because they know that he loves em and leaves em. In the end, though, the woman always falls for Don Juan and convinces herself that this time he really does love her...which he does, but not for very long.

This story changes some throughout the years as different cultures look at life in different ways, but I think that Don Juans have been around through all of history and will never really die out. Why? Because we don't want them to. There's something in our nature that is intensely attracted to him.

Now before you start thinking this is another of Meredith's man-hating posts, I will be the first to admit that Don Juan is just as often a woman. I will get to more of that later, but for now I will refer to Don Juan as a him for simplicity's sake...only because I have never heard of a girl named Don or Juan and he's generally male in the stories we read in class.

So what is the attraction to this said Don Juan? I think this goes back to the way God designed us as humans. Don Juan promises adventure--he is passion in human form and sparks that part of us that desires to be a lead in an epic story. Everyone wants to have the type of life that would make a good movie or book--something with excitement, and that's what Don Juan offers, though he is dangerous. Though the practical side of us desires safety, there is something alluring about danger, so without the possibility of danger, nothing really seems that fab.

Now when we look at people, they seem to fall into two categories--the type you date (or in the worst cases, one-night stand as long as you don't have to talk to them) and the type you marry. Despite our adventurous side, we all have a practical side that wants to make sure we are secure, so for a lot of people, they come to a point in life where they give up Don Juan for Lame John because he'll help pay the bills and sit in the rocking chair next to you on the porch once you retire. And if you're lucky, there is a passionate or adventurous moment or two that could make for an adequate short story.

But if all of us yearn for the full epic, why do we settle for Dr. Seuss? I think it's because most of us have forgotten that there are all sorts of categories in between, different versions of the Don Take-Home-to-Your-Mom. Why are we as people confining ourselves to one group or the other? And I say "we" because I think a person's categorization is partly his or her own fault...or society or whoever you like to blame for inherent problems. This ties into my new theory about how Christian women need to learn to be sexy. I don't understand why society thinks you have to be a slut or a virgin...and I really don't think that's how God intended it to be. Inside all of us is a sexy, adventurous side that desperately needs air. Yes, it's important to be pure and holy, but God made sex for us to enjoy. It's supposed to be hot and dirrty (thank you Christina Aguilara for adding the extra r) and awesome--within certain confines. But for some reason passion is associated with sin and chastity is safe and holy, though mildly boring.

Though rare, I fully believe that there are people out there that are more of a blend of adventure and security. This part of life is definitely not black and white--and if all of us secretly want a "bad boy" why do we (as the Christian community) try to blot out all things sexual. This isn't an encouragement to foster sin, because the Bible clearly says there are certain things that are sin and are wrong. What I am suggesting is that we embrace and appreciate the nuances of our personalities and nature in Christ. Yes, I strive to be pure and holy. Yes, I'm a virgin. And yes, I want to wait until I'm married to have sex, but that doesn't make me a prude. Undoubtedly, there is a very sexual and playful and fun side of me--that God created--that will really please my husband someday.

Of course this still leaves us with the Don Juan problem. I, like everyone else, find myself strangely attracted to him, and a time or two, I've been the Don Juan myself. It happens. But like all good things in life, finding the right balance is best. Not everyone is quite so one-dimensional. And the cool thing about people is that we are all looking for a slightly personal blend (think your Starbucks' usual)--there's not really one personality that works for everyone. Though I'm not a big proponent of the whole "The One" theory, I think each of us is looking for a different combination of Don Juan and Ward Cleaver.

And as for me, I'm not so sick of Don Juan that I really want to give him up completely, but I'm certainly a little much for Dr. Seuss to handle ;)

I want the epic, with all the ups and downs--a real fairy tale. And it's not really my style to settle for less.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Wise words on the second day of class

I switched some stuff around so now I'm taking this Shakespeare class instead of acting, which makes my schedule a lot nicer because my Tues/Thurs classes are back to back and I can go home and get work done at 2 when I am done for the day.

Anyways, here was the highlight of today's classes, wise words from the title of a book:

Shakespeare is Hard...But so is Life

Carnike says its kind of a crappy book, but we'll give credit to the genius of its title.

Monday, January 09, 2006

Adventures!




So tonight Justine and I went on one of our fabulous adventures, which tonight found us on Hollywood Blvd. The purpose of the trip was to go get my nose pierced, but as always there were other fun adventures like getting mooned by some guy in a van and going up the seedy-looking stairs to the place where a very kind looking gentleman would soon jab a bit of medal into my flesh...

Overall, quite a successful journey. Here's me ^^ looking dorkishly excited (not to mention eyes watering) just after the event.

It didn't really even hurt too bad...but of course I'm not looking forward to the whole healing process. It's so small...maybe it will heal fast. *crosses fingers* Man I love college.

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

A part of me died tonight at the Rose Bowl...

So uh...great way to spend my last night in College Station...

I kind of want to die.

Monday, January 02, 2006

Narnia and the New Year

Tonight I went to see Narnia with my parents and sister--awesome movie...granted, not the most fabulous from a cinematic standpoint, but I adore the story, which I have also recently read. Being an allegory, it's one of those movies you really want to talk about after you've seen it to discuss the different aspects of the analogy...so here are a couple of my thoughts:

The characters of the children are really interesting because how they relate to their calling (to fight a war and be kings and queens of Narnia), the other creatures, and Aslan Himself (the Christ figure). I can see bits of myself in all of the characters, though what I thought was interesting was how certain male and female characteristics were displayed. Especially in the characters of Edmund and Lucy, the movie showed how certain male and female characteristics are used both for good and for temptation. For instance, Edmund's ego is arguably the driving force in his turning to the White Witch--he's angry with Peter and wants to prove he is better. Also, his selfishness in devouring the Turkish Delight and eagerness to become king tempt him to the dark side. However, in the end, his pride and desire for honor motivate him to fight the Witch, which ends up saving his brother's life and turning the tide of the battle. Lucy's feminine quality of caring finds her in a dangerous situation with Tumnus, who at first was going to kidnap her, but then her caring pushes the children further in their journey. It was all as if to say, God meets us where we're at. As men and women (or just people in general) we have certain traits and characteristics that often get us into trouble. But if we let Him, God can work in us in really cool ways, using those traits for His glory. Basically, He rocks.

The other part I noticed about the movie connects to my New Year's evaluation. Every New Year I evaluate myself in different areas in my journal--just to get an idea of where I am and to track where I've come. It's all dorkishly objective commentary in areas like physical, emotional, spiritual, relational and so on. I write about how I feel I'm doing in each area. Anyways, what I really noticed this year was that though I am not really satisfied with where I am in any of those areas, I am definitely "in process"--a term that Lyndsey uses that I've really picked up. It's not that I'm wallowing in dissatisfaction. I am finding myself mostly content with the fact that I know God is working in me. I'm not there yet (and I know I never will be) but I think if we can learn to see where we are going--what's ahead that we want to get to, without hating ourselves for being where we are right now, then that's what contentment means. I see where God has brought me if I look back, and am excited about where God is going to take me when I look ahead, which makes me happy with where I am right now. Accomplishment behind and an adventure before me makes right here a pretty cool place. This is all sort of funny because if I made a laundry list of the year, it would look kind of sketch and pretty pathetic at times. But through it all, God has been there, and He is good. So this brings me to the Narnia connection. I wish they had kept the dialogue just as it is written in the book, though moving the conversation to the end of the movie allowed it to really make a point. This is what I consider the best part of the book...as well as a bit of a life-theme for me:

"Is--is [Aslan] a man? asked Lucy.
"Aslan a man!" said Mr. Beaver sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-beyond-the-Sea. Don't you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion--the Lion, the great Lion."
"Ooh!" said Susan, "I'd thought he was a man. Is he--quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."
"That you will, dearie, and no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver; "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly."
"Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy.
"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver; "don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."
--C. S. Lewis, emphasis mine

Really, that's been my year--and a lot of my life. It's not so much safe, but God is good.

I wish blessings for you all this New Year :) I'll be back in Cali in a couple of days. Can't wait to see everyone!