Month: May 2012

The Happy Moralist

Published on by Sarah E. CooleyLeave a comment

This is an excerpt from my latest read “Counsel from the Cross” by Elyse M. Fitzpatrick and Dennis E. Johnson…It completely challenge me! Please take a couple minutes and read this section (and consider reading the entire book!!!):

           ” Each of us has something – some more, others less – of the Happy Moralist in him or her. We all lower God’s standards to something we are able to accomplish. For the Galatians it was circumcision; for others it might be avoiding R-rated movies or music that wasn’t written before the 1800s. The problem, of course, is that God is the law giver (James 4:12), not we, and his law is utterly impossible for fallen, flawed people like us to obey perfectly. His law is easy to remember but impossible to do. Here it is again:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets. (Matt. 22:37-40)
           
            There hasn’t been one minute of one day in our entire lives that we have ever really obeyed this command. Because it’s so hard to do, we replace it with other easier rules so that we can stay happy and complacent, our self-esteem intact. The problem, of course, is that we are never made deeply joyful by the gospel because we have never been deeply crushed by it. We haven’t known death, so we can’t know life. We are still trying to assure our hearts that we really are quite competent and, ‘doggone it, people like us.’
            If the Love of God bores you, you are a Happy Moralist. Take yourself to Calvary and see what your sin has wrought. But don’t stand there thinking you are an innocent bystander. Instead, let Luther’s words pierce your soul:
You must get this thought through your head and not doubt that you are the one who is torturing Christ thus, for your sins have surely wrought this…therefore when you see the nails piercing Christ’s hands, you can be certain it is your work. When you behold his crown of thorns, you may rest assured that these are your evil thoughts.
            Are you beginning to despair of being worthy of his love? Yes? Good. Now, let the love of Christ richly soothe your troubled conscience and humbly admit, along with the hymn writer, Augustus Toplady, ‘nothing in my hands I bring, simply to thy cross I cling.’ How does this love of God look to you now? Is it still boring?”

To Be Continued… 🙂

Greatest things (so far) about being out of college (and out of a dorm):

Published on by Sarah E. CooleyLeave a comment
  1. I go to bed before midnight and usually before 11, preferably at 10. 
  2. I can make a healthy breakfast. 
  3. Free laundry is not a drive away. 
  4. I wake up in the early morning not the early afternoon. 
  5. I can go to a coffee shop and read for my own enjoyment and not feel the pressure of homework. 
More to come soon!

To Be Continued… 🙂

Room 147C

Published on by Sarah E. CooleyLeave a comment

Last year around this time, I posted a blog. It was entitled “Things that were and will be. Thankful.” click there and read it. It still makes me tear up!

I remember sitting in the Starbucks off of California Street in one of their comfy leather couches, sipping on an iced caramel macchiato because it was so dang hot outside. I remember people from my school came at sat at the table beside me. I remember holding back tears while typing out the words in fear that they would see and ask me why I was crying. I remember writing the blog because I wanted to avoid the loads of homework I had to do and focus on all the emotional weight and burden that came with a break up. Well, sort of, because the break up was going to happen later that night but with anything of that sort, the anticipation looms over you – you know it’s coming.

I was thinking earlier today that the ‘me’ from a year ago seems so foreign. The person I am now is no longer the person I was then. The person I am now has been shaped and molded by the grace of God. The person I am now has been broken and perfectly placed back together by my sovereign and holy God.  I sat there then thinking how the heck I had learned so much in just one year. I sat there reminiscing on all the Lord has brought to my life and how he was continuing to change me and shape me.

Today, I am doing the same exact thing – minus Starbucks and the caramel macchiato. I am packing up my room, looking through my big box of memories and adding to it, organizing drawers, throwing things away, shedding a tear or two, and looking back on ALL the Lord has taught me this year.

Who knew singleness could continue to teach you a year later!? Well, it has and I am thankful for that. This year has been crazy, emotional, strengthening, damaging, extremely fun, lonely, communal, joyful, depressing, anxious, faith-building, relationship-building, convicting, challenging, maturing [and a little of the opposite seeing that I lived with 23 freshmen girls :)], etc. I have cried myself to sleep. I have laughed till I cried. I have been so angry I cried. I went on California Screaming at California Adventure and “cried” because it was soooo fast it made my eyes water. I have cried because I was so thankful. Basically I have just done a lot of crying… HA!

This year as been full! I was looking at my journal from last May and I saw just how much the Lord has used this last year to change me and grow me. God is good and he is always faithful! He always provides and he always protects. That has probably been the biggest theme of my year. He always provides, is faithful, good, and always protects.

I have seen his goodness cover my life this year and my whole life. He has shown me grace in countless ways – most in freeing me from my bond to sin and death and giving me life. He has provided me with comfort, encouragement, sweet sweet friendships, correction, a beautiful community, the GOSPEL, a job, a roof over my head, food to eat, options after college, life-lessons….

He is so GOOD!!!!!!!!

So as I end this chapter in my life and move onto the next, I am grateful. It is crazy to think that I finished college. I’m sitting in my room on 1C where it all began and in awe of everything he has taught me since I began here as freshmen in room 142C as a young 18 year old uncertain about what the next four years of my life were going to look like: who my friends were going to be, if I’d be single or married out of college, if I would have a job, what my major would be, what type of person I would be, if I would continue to follow the Lord or not, if church was important to me, etc.

Now I KNOW all of those things. I have a great group of friends coming out of college. I am single. I have a job starting in a week from today (!!!!). I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Behavioral Science. I am an extrovert who loves people, lover of truth, enjoys deep, challenging conversations, love dresses and skirts and anything girly, loves anything outdoors – hiking, swimming in a lake/ocean, loves friendship and thrives off of my community. I love the Lord and desire to serve him with everything I have. Church is so important to me because I have seen the value of living in a close, intentional community that is seeking after Christ. Now, I know all of these things. In four years, the Lord has completely changed who I am.

Now I sit in 147C and as I look into what I am going to do in the future I know with certainty that the Lord will shape me and mold me because he has been faithful to do that the last 22 years of my life. I will look back on May 7, 2013 at this year that lies before me today and think, “WHOA, how did the Lord teach me everything he did in this last year?!”

~~~

Here are some pictures for your enjoyment from Saturday’s graduation:

To Be Continued… 🙂