sabbath.

I received my diploma in the mail this week.

How very anti-climatic; the piece of paper handed to me by the postal worker. No email, no congratulations, no personal note from a professor to say confirm that I am actually off the hook from any more assignments. No more chapel, no more no more nose ring; no more all-nighters, no more Cedarville curfew.

This little piece of paper carries a lot of weight.

And now I find myself in the big city. A legitimately big city. That little piece of paper tells me that I am now free (FREE!) to choose how to spend my time. I no longer feel bonded that all my free time be dedicated to the pursuit of an 'A'. I no longer feel like I must be involved in every single campus organization. Yes, the Cedarville bubble has popped.

I am entirely exhausted. The last few months have been a whirlwind, and God has answered some crazy prayers in most amazing ways. I was literally in school all the time since 2007. Three years of non-stop schoolwork has finally caught up with me, and I feel like I have to re-learn how to enjoy my free time.

And DC is such a good place to learn to do that. My weeks are full of good food, free concerts, documentary discussions, and many visits to an insanely good public library. I love it here, and I love the lessons I'm learning with the beautiful community at IJM.

Life has slowed; this is the Sabbath I've been anticipating. It is beautiful, and I really give the credit to God for ordaining it. IJM is an awesome place to work; I've already learned so much professionally and organizationally. More than that, though, my faith is challenged every day as I am forced to live out my love of Christ in this new work-- for my coworkers and for our clients around the world. Christianity takes on a whole new meaning as I team with other believers to fight for justice and peace for the poor. Beautiful, humble, and entirely talented individuals who know the work they do carries more significance than this world can give.

Thank you, Cedarville for finally setting me free. Thank you to God for these new opportunities, for being ironic, and listening to my pleas. Thanks to my friends for seeing me through all of the ups and downs and reassuring me of the path I've chosen.

Happy Valentine's. May you find love.