Joy in the midst of it all

As we near the last weeks of the semester, almost all of us are nearing the brink of stressful insanity (and some have leaped clear off the edge). The studying, the essay writing, the reading all quickly build up into a drastic lack of sleep, food, and, most importantly, fun.

It’s all too easy during these busy, stressful times to isolate ourselves from each other and from God. We tend to think we’re alone, that we’re the only ones drowning, and that we are the only ones who can fix it.

On Wednesday night, however, I was reminded that I’m not alone. We have a whole community there looking out for each other and all of us are going through craziness right now.

For our LCM Christmas party, we all hit pause and took time to bake cookies, listen to Christmas music, and hang out. The night started with using coffee pots and glasses as makeshift rolling pins and ended with some of us tap dancing in a circle in the church kitchen. Needless to say, laughter abounded.

It was a wonderful feeling – to just turn it all over to God and rejoice in life. I was reminded that everything becomes a lot easier when we stop trying to hold onto it so tightly. In these next two weeks, the stress will undoubtedly continue, but hopefully we will seek solace in community and remember to laugh through it all.

– Bryna