Perspective

Dear Blog Family,

My tremendous apologies for neglecting ye olde blog for the past, well forever, except for the American Idol recaps. My life has been a complete blur for the past three weeks, save a couple of sweet moments with friends. And I use that term moments literally.

Work has completely swarmed me and held me underwater for a good 10 days. Good thing, I spent all those summer days having "underwater breath holding" contests with my pool rats friends. It seemed to have come in handy recently.

I'm just now getting back to where I can stand on my own two feet and after tomorrow, I think I'll be able to take a few steps forward. And forward toward Jackson might I add. I'm so pumped to go home and see family and friends and spend a Sunday afternoon somewhere else besides a softball or baseball field for the first time in a month.

With all that said, you may be wondering why I titled this post "Perspective." And if you weren't already wondering with that (which I'm sure you weren't), you are now.

Okay, I'll tell you. There are two reasons.

Reason One.

Today started kind of sucky with some parameters being put around me that I thought were unfair. I saw it as me being treated like I didn't know what I was doing and like someone below me would be treated. Although that truly may be the reason for the parameters, I sucked it up after a good 4.2 minutes of sulking and told myself, "Katie. You can either continue to sulk about it or you can suck it up and take it like a big girl and learn from it."

So, I listened to that little go-getter voice in my head and decided that I could continue be in a bad mood everytime this happened or I could suck it up, realize that the parameters have been set to help me to my job better, which will eventually help me be a better person.

So, I change my perspective, put a smile on my face and decided to run with it.

Reason dos (that's two in Spanish for those of you who didn't catch that).

I realized today that it is Easter Week. I mean, of course, I've know that Friday is Good Friday and Sunday is Easter Sunday, but just today, I realized that it is HOLY WEEK.

That's huge for me as a Christian.

This week marks a series of events that culminated in one of the greatest life-changes for me.

All those years ago, a sinless man died for me so that I could live freely, out from under the fear of sin and hell and death.

He died so that I could know what true love is, what redemption is, what sacrifice is.

He died so that I could be free to do the things that he wants me to do.

He died so that I wouldn't be afraid to do those things and he died so that the whole world could be with him one day.

He died because he knew that there would be nothing in myself that could merit a life with him.

He died because on the day when I stand before God and he asks me what I've done to earn a place in heaven, I won't have to list a bunch of good deeds. Because we both will know that there is nothing in me that could measure up to what he's done for me, in me and to me.

I've realized that I haven't been paying attention to the good part of Holy Week. I've usually just waited until Good Friday, thought about what that meant, and then on Sunday, I go to church, sing some songs and then have a big lunch with my family.

This week, I want to focus on what the week is about. What leads up to what happens on Friday and Sunday.

Annieblogs has posted and will continue to post for the rest of the week, the outline that her bible has for each day of Holy Week. I'm going to read it, along with the readings that I'm already going through with my church. (We're in Judges. Good times.)

I wanted to post them here as well for you guys who aren't faithful readers of Annieblogs, which if you aren't, shame on you because she is hilarious and talented and well, you've just got to read her stuff.

She gives all the passages from each of the gospels and I would recommend reading them all. You can look them up or click on the passage and read it a Bible Gateway. It's so neat to see the different perspectives. Ha, see how I brought that full circle.

I love hearing the same story from different people because there are things in one that aren't in the other and different personalities point out or emphasize different things in the story. It really brings the story to life in a different way.

So, read on people. Read on. And I'll see you in another three weeks. (Just kidding, there will be an American Idol post up this week. I can't slack on my duties.)

Palm Sunday:
Matthew 21: 1-11
Mark 11: 1-11
Luke 19: 29-44
John 12: 12-19

Monday:
1. Jesus curses the fig tree
Matthew 21: 18-22
Mark 11: 12-14

2. Jesus clears the temple
Matthew 21: 12-13
Mark 11: 15-18
Luke 19: 45-48