A New Year

2010 was the most amazing year for me. I was baptized in May and married in August; both are sacred covenants I made with God and both are gifts of beauty and depth beyond my wildest imagination. I have never felt so fulfilled, loved and safe, the life I have been blessed with is nothing short of miraculous. This fact is not lost on me, the main features of my prayer life are gratitude and praise for the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord. Looking back on this incredible time in my life, I realized that I had been given a gift that ought to be enjoyed through works, service and action rather than appreciated from a cushy seat. I have striven to live a life of love and service for the past nearly 6 years and am so grateful that now I have found a true spiritual thread to bind the labour of my hands to the love of God in my heart. Service and works provide me with a tangible way to strengthen my relationship with God in this world, but without knowing the history of God with His children will I be truly seeking and following His will for me? I have to admit that because of the nearly 14 years I have spent in university, literature searches and theoretical underpinnings of current knowledge and operational paradigms  are important to the way that I think about my role here as a human being. Feeling too long like a fish out of water when it comes to scripture and theological debate, I've decided to embark on a journey through the Old and the New Testaments this year. How can I know God's will for me? How can I know how best to serve Him? How can I know Him and grow closer to Him? I believe that the Lord sent Jesus Christ to Earth to show us how to live a life that will answer these questions. How can I come to know Jesus and live a life in service to Him and the Body of Christ here on Earth? I need to know the history of God and His chosen people, the lessons and stories humanity has learned along the way, the context within which Christ was born, lived, taught and died and to know the origins of the traditions and sacraments of this beautiful, vivid and life-giving faith that has shown me true love (in more than one respect).

So I begin, rather timidly, to read the Bible and to gather up my courage and my words to ask questions, marvel in the grace of God and learn about the Holy Trinity that I love passionately. I jump in to the Living Water without pretense, without protection and with all intentions of stripping myself to the vulnerable quick that sits at the ready to learn and absorb without ego. A tall order for a freshman, but I must remember that I don't swim alone.