Summa Cum Laude

The title, "Summa Cum Laude," is Latin for "with highest praise." I know that every time the phrase "Cum Laude" comes to mind, it's about academics, like your GPA, your honors, and so on. You can, however, use "Cum Laude" in your personal life, too. For example, you can have "Summa Cum Laude" for a person, or in my case, something more divine, like the One who created me. My Creator and my God. Here is just a little bit of what my journey has been like for the past couple weeks:

I started babysitting on occasion as of two weeks ago. I had posted an add and a profile on Sitter City not too long ago; about six months ago, to be exact. I got a call at work the day before asking if I could babysit this child of the age of 5. A boy. So, I did. After having babysat the boy, even though I was as tired as can be (because, let's face it, children are not quiet beings), I felt accomplished. I didn't feel accomplished because I made $30 dollars an hour, I felt accomplished because someone greater than me did it through me. Summa cum laude.

Before I started babysitting, I started sitting in a Sunday School class as a shadow teacher until I can have my own class to teach out of. After my day of babysitting, I went to Sunday School to find out that the teachers that I am under needed me to teach the following Sunday, (which was yesterday.) I accepted. As the accompanying week occurred, I became overwhelmed with school work because I fell behind. Even though I spent all week on my school studies, I was still able to pull my lesson out of the air on Sunday morning to show the love of Jesus to those sixth graders. Summa cum laude.

Prior to all of the aforementioned text, I had recently taken a break from my relationship with the person I was seeing for a few months. You know how it goes, it wasn't the right time, right place, etc. I went through it, the whole break up spiel. Meanwhile, I spent time on school and prayed that God would turn school into something that I loved. So far, school has been enjoyable and even though I did fall behind, I did catch up and get done with what I need to do to stay ahead. As of yesterday, my relationship with the person that I was seeing before, has fallen back into place. Although I do not know for certain if it will work out in the long run, I shouldn't really matter. It should really be in God's great hands. Summa cum laude.

Earlier today, I spoke with someone who is very near to my heart. This person and I had a falling out, a break up if you will, three years ago over numerous offenses. We had recently talked about our stances and the situation when the falling out was fairly sore; about six months after the fact. Between that time, and today we had not spoken of it on decent terms. Today I finally got up the nerve to send her a message and ask her why it felt like she still held on to the anger and resentment that we had held each other accountable for causing in us so long ago. Her words were this:

"To be bluntly honest, it's not really a grudge. I'm just over you and the whole situation. I've moved on. I hardly don't talk to anyone from back home and I have a few friends/family there but all of my best friends are here (her exact location now). I'm happy."

Normally, this would hurt a sensitive person like myself. But friends, it liberated me! I felt no longer stressed, anxious, hurt, nostalgic about the situation any longer because I got the freedom and closure I needed. God provided that through her. My one prayer for her is that she finds someone along her path that causes her to realixe the greatness of our God. Summa cum laude.

Now, even though this was a stressful week, and while I am fortunate that everything worked out peacefully, I  honestly though would have to say it was just God's everlasting grace that allowed it to do so. Should I have studied harder for my Sunday School lesson and put forth a  little more effort? No doubt. Should have I have thought it through completely before allowing my relationship with my significant other to come back? Sure. All these things could have been prevented or worked out better. But they happened the way that God worked them out for them to happen. 

If I had not have had a single ounce of faith, I don't think I would have made it.

IT IS FINISHED!!

Today, is the day before Easter. This is the most beautiful holiday of all creation. This holiday is about celebrating the fact that the God of all creation stepped out of Heaven, presented Himself in human form, led a perfect life, and hung Himself on a cross for the sins of the whole, wide, World.

You may be thinking that this is old news, but if you really, truly, think about the meaning of Easter and Good Friday, (which was yesterday), the meaning honestly will blow.you.away. Last night our church, Passion City church, had a Good Friday service at Verizon Ampitheatre. Louie Giglio described the true meaning of why we celebrate, so let me briefly describe it:

Jesus was Jewish. Every year the Jewish people celebrate what is called the Passover which is the remembrance of when the Lord sent the Angel of Death to the people who did not have the blood of innocent animals on their house doors. Those people who had the blood of animals on their doors, were the people in which Moses led out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. They were "passed over."
Every year since, on the day of celebrated Passover, the rulers released one prisoner and crucified him. On the night before Jesus was crucified, he lead his closest friends, or Disciples, into the Upper Room for the Passover dinner. They all had celebrated Passover together before, but what Jesus was about to say was different than they had ever heard before: "This is my body, this is my blood which is broken and poured out for you." In other words, Jesus was saying "this is the great exchange -- my body which will be sacrificed for your eternal life." That is the history.

God sent His only Son to die on the Cross of Golgotha because he so loved the world. Love came down in Bethlehem. Love preached the Good News for three years. Justice died to save the world. Justice exchanged His life for the people of the whole world. It's not just what "the Americans believe." Jesus was Middle-Eastern. He died for the whole world -- every race, both genders, every belief, every sin. This is the theology.

You see, history tells us what time it is. Theology tells us what God we serve, and what our God is like.

Love came down -- history. Justice died -- theology. God is both love and justice.

These thoughts are not my own; they were spoken by Louie Giglio; I am simply just passing the message forward.

For my thoughts:
Until last night I had not been treating the remembrance of Christ the way I should have been. I was doing everything imaginable to distance myself from God. I felt like that no matter how hard I tried, I could not be pulled closer to God like I had once been before. I felt as though I had been worlds away from Jesus and could not come back.
Louie Giglio said this last night:

There are two paths: the "do" path, and the "done" path. The "do" path is all about doing right. The "do" path is about what I can do to get back to God; what I can do to earn the righteousness from God. Moses wrote ten simple things to follow; but not one person has been able to do them all. the problem with the "do" path is that it cannot be perfected because our hearts are sick. Sick hearts cannot be perfect. Amen?
The "done" path is the one Jesus has created for us. Love came down, Justice died and made a way for us through the "done" path. You see when Jesus was crucified and had been hanging there for six, unbearable, hours with His last dying breath He said: "It is finished." The price was paid.
No matter what you do, I do, we are sanctified by His grace. Because it was finished on that morning at 9am, we are forever with God. We are forever forgiven, forever loved, forever restored. Our sick hearts do not have to beat so hard, or work so hard to be perfect because it. Has. Already. Been. Done. Jesus did it! Praise God!

I needed to be reminded of that, didn't you?

Happy Easter!! Praise God in the Highest. Hallelujah!