How to End

The semester is almost over. Only finals stand between me and home. Oddly, I am not stressed at all. Now that, I know, has nothing to do with my awesome grades (uh...), nor my abilities to pull off amazing grades (hah, so funny...), or all the time I plan to put in studying (who am I kidding?).

I am not stressed because of God's grace. I am reminded daily of what He has in store for me. So, I can go about my day with four exams looming, and not be completely obsessed with how I spend the next few minutes of my day.

Reading Cross Cultural Connection has also taught me a lot about the "American" view of time. We stress about being early or on time to an event. We stress about how fast we can get stuff done. That isn't how the whole world works. Most peoples focus more on what you are doing than how fast it can get done. In other cultures, the relationship of the person who randomly drops by matters more than the meeting at 2 o'clock. The event going on, taking place, matters more than being "punctual." Tardiness is a largely white concept reinforced from an early age. The United States functions by bells. A bell for school. A bell for lunch. A bell to end school. A bell to start church. A bell to let workers know they can go home. So much noise that comes largely from our roots in industry, where efficiency is valued. Where times and dates become important for deadlines and deliveries.

I am looking forward to a summer of a different concept of time. I want to learn how to enjoy people more than my "inner drive to succeed." We measure success by what we get done. Other countries measure success by honor, by family, by relationships, by who we leave behind.

So, trying to take a note from my brothers and sisters in Christ, I am going to spend less time stressing about school and grades, and more time hanging out with friends who I probably won't see over summer, or next semester because they are going abroad, or even graduating. I don't think we were meant to run on stress alone, but on the love and encouragement of our friends around us... but first, we have to take the time to talk.

God bless!