This is a solid, silver ring that I got from Vons. I'd wanted to get a "thick," inornate ring for some time, and Vons has quite the collection of metallurgical specialties at fair prices--so I picked this up. This actually doesn't have much deep spiritual meaning to me (unlike the other bijouxs), but it is something that I think is very fashionable. Sometimes I feel that artists and craftsmen become too fascinated with adorning their creations with elaborate designs that they forget the beauty of simplicity, and sometimes it's because they're trying too hard to emphasize their skill that they forget their trade.
I can really relate to this; it is a very sensitive balance. Especially with my song writing, I try to create elaborate guitar parts more for the sake of them being elaborate and less for them being what I actually want a song to sound like. I'm getting better though. I can't help but think that sometimes the better musicians write "harder" music, and sometimes that's true, but the best musicians know how to make music enthralling while simple or complex.
And I suppose that I lied when I said there was nothing innately spiritual about this discussion. I find that I sometimes carry this mindset into my relationship with Jesus. At times I am so focused on doing what I would call "the incredible things of God," such as healing someone who can't walk, etc, and (sadly) uninterested or unaware of the little ways that God works. I have a story relating to this.
I was skating and stopped to chat with my friend Steve outside of the Math building. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that my statistics professor was walking by. Steve and I were engaging in conversation, so I didn't want to be rude and interrupt what Steve was saying but I also noticed that my professor had his head down as he was walking by to his office in nearby Haas. After Steve left, I had the earnest conviction of what I thought was to "share the Gospel" with my teacher. I assume that he is Muslim, because I see him from time to time at the Greater Lafayette Islamic Center right across the street from where I live. The first day of class he told us that he was born in Bethlehem, which I think is really sweet.
And so I was skating, trying to figure out what in the world I would do about this feeling. I knew that it was from God, there was no question; but what should I do? Just walk into his office and start talking about Jesus? There's a point where I disgust myself because I feel that I love my own life too much, that I'm concerned about my reputation and not the reputation of Jesus. I told God at that moment, "You're timing is awfully inconvenient for me." I was kinda joking, and kinda serious. Of course, I want to be stretched and grow, so I welcome the thought of going beyond what I'm comfortable. But, I also kept in mind that the Gospel is a way of life, not a conversation you have with people. What could I do that might allow Jesus to shine through? I couldn't get away from the thought that the only logical thing to do was to begin a conversation about Jesus, but I kept thinking. Because it wasn't just me involved in this, it was God. I was going to labor through this until I was confident about what I should do.
I remembered that just down the way there was a group handing out free hot chocolate. I decided to get a cup and deliver it to my professor. Suddenly I was taken back to my painful freshman and sophomore year research where my advisor practically despised me. On her birthday (and she was quite pregnant at the time) I brought her a small cake. I walked into her office to give it to her. "Happy birthday," I said and presented the cake. I thought maybe it would lighten the stress she felt and give her a reason to be a little nicer in the lab. She stared back at me, "I'm diabetic." I carefully apologized and left the room. So with that in mind I prayed to God, "Lord, don't let him be diabetic; let him enjoy this." I got closer and closer to his office, and I actually became increasingly excited to see what would unfold. I walked to his office and he looked up to greet me. I told him that I had gotten him a cup of hot chocolate. He smiled and told me that he loved hot chocolate, it was one of his favorite drinks! I said, "Have a good day," and he said, "Thanks Andrew."
That was it. No thesis on atonement, no discourse on salvation. A cup of hot chocolate. God's practical love.
Here is a summary of Bijoux Week so far:
Stay tuned!
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