Going Global

...the most important of these is love.

The approach most often employed when valuing an asset is its fair market value. It seems everything has a fair market value too, property, labor, education, even life.

Though I've never seen a FMV for grace and sympathy, I expect that one day there will be, and it will be drastically underrated. Nevertheless, I've found that loving thy neighbor, actually employing some grace and sympathy in how we treat others is like the Hope Diamond...rare and priceless.

Reading my Immigration Law textbook today, I was thinking about how my attitude towards immigrants has been shaped, and how it will have to evolve over the next several years. Though I do not now and most likely will never advocate a policy of "open borders", I think perhaps a little love, grace, and sympathy could be employed when dealing with immigrants. There is a lot of focus placed on what an illegal immigrant is doing (namely, "invading" a country as some would term it), but there is very little attention placed on why a person seeks shelter in a country illegally. Of course there are those with malicious intentions, but what about those people who, albeit self-seeking, have relatively innocent intentions, such as earning a living to support a family?

Without engaging in a cost-benefit analysis, and assuming a benefit by cooperation versus isolation, I think laws based on policies that support international cooperation versus isolation are more prudent in the long-run. Isolation, as all hermits know, begets isolation. It is not good for man to be alone....and it would appear the same rule goes for nations.

Alone in a Crowd

There I was, surrounded by people in a bustling Barnes & Noble. There I was having just hung up the phone with a friend, about to skim what I hoped would be a good book. There I was, feeling completely alone.

Taking note of my feelings, I "googled" about the topic. (I mean, it is 2006 after all..). After a brief search, I came across this site. Quote: "Emotions are a good tool, but a poor master. Instead, we can trust God."

I know it seems like a simple idea, but it was a truly profound thought to me. Too often I let my current set of circumstances affect my outlook on life. Instead of letting my emotions make me feel lonely and abandoned in a room full of people, I should use this to effect change in my life. What change, I'm not sure...that will come through prayer...but change nonetheless.

A cool link

Here is a cool website, Google Trends. It allows people to see the world's interest in various search terms. For example, searches for "tax" peak around April 15...go figure!

The Importance of Focus

The following is an excerpt from “Dealing with Depression”. This particular post I find personally relevant, but the other four on the website are equally as good.

Here is the excerpt:

Raining Inside

Just four months ago, I was able to purchase my first solo home at the ripe age of 29. The first two months were great; I spent most of my time unpacking and setting the house up the way I wanted it. But I eventually finished unpacking and there was nothing left to do but be there … alone.

Then my only sister and I got into an argument, and she quit speaking to me. This led to a fallout with my parents, and I was left with no one to talk to. As the depression started to sink in, I decided to drive to my parents' house to talk things over—only to discover they'd invited the family over for dinner but had failed to invite me.

That night, I drove all over the city, crying my eyes out and letting the depression set in deeper. When I got home, I didn't want to leave. The next Sunday, I didn't even set my alarm so I'd get up for church. The following week, all I did was come home from work, sit on my bed, and cry. Soon after, I couldn't even get out of bed. It seemed no one cared about me.

Then a line from an old Amy Grant song popped into my head: "I'm raining on the inside." That's what I was doing. I hadn't heard that song in more than 15 years, but God brought every word to mind. As I lay in bed singing this song out loud, the Lord met me. He reminded me I'm his child, and that if I looked to him, he would take care of me. I got out of bed and was able to make things right with my sister and parents. And I attended church the next morning. I promised God I'd never again let anything get in the way of honoring him.

In the days following my return to church, I heard from a friend I hadn't talked with in a long time. She needed some part-time work done and wanted to know if I was interested in helping her. She had no idea what I'd been through the previous weeks, but God did. He knew I'd probably face loneliness again, but he sent her to rescue me.

I've since finished the part-time work, but I'm not lonely or depressed. I know I might get depressed again in the future, but I also know God is right beside me no matter what.

-Becky