Here goes nuthin'

Despite the urgings of some well-intended friends, I have put off this blog for as long as possible. I don’t know if it’s the hesitancy of establishing a personal commitment (the most difficult kind, as you need not fear letting anyone else down) or the discouragement I experienced from my first blog, which—despite my good intentions—transformed rapidly from cool, collected thoughts into petulant ramblings. (Seriously, the only comments those angst-y posts ever saw were inappropriate spam and lots of Chinese characters.) My unwillingness probably stems from both of these concerns—just throw in inherent laziness and my first semester in college and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a project that is discussed ceaselessly but never approached.

But times are a changin’, I tell you. I’ve got some classic reasons for wanting to take up the metaphorical pen, most of which are self-interested. But this time around I want to add in a twist that will hold me accountable to this page, as well as make my posts a bit more interesting and easier for you kind, encouraging friends to endure. I plan to post pictures, life updates, and creative inspirations to this blog, for sure. However, there will be one thing I am guaranteed to discuss every day.

Two years ago I was in a dark place. It started with an unwelcome move to California the summer before my junior year of high school and stretched into the start of this past summer. It was the product of isolation, (mostly imagined isolation that only became real when I acted upon it) self-depreciation, selfishness, an unhealthy relationship and a lack of faith. To tell you anything more about it would make me run the risk of creating another moody middle school-flavored blog, but you get the idea. It was a dark time, though, and a little devotional book called My Utmost for His Highest saved my life. Well, technically, this was all by the Lord’s hand, but he made his appearance through pages of Lindsey and Paige’s Christmas gift to me. It’s a pretty fantastic little book, full of good inspiration and challenges. And I want to make it my personal challenge to read it; I mean really read it, every day. Then I’ll try to make some sense of it and share my interpretations with you, as well as some anecdotes regarding how the day’s lesson influenced my actions or thoughts for the day.

In the interest of time, I am officially taking up the challenge tomorrow. I may or may not have a Spanish oral interview tomorrow over thirty different stories. However, here’s my foot in the door. And a little food for thought:

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hands to do so.” Proverbs 3:27

(Ironically, Solomon goes on to encourage one not to put off until tomorrow the good that can be done today. I think he ought to cut me a little slack, though. It's been a while and writing feels strange.)