Summarisation via Quotation

Inspired by a fellow blogger I have decided to post some of my thoughts. As I am feeling rather philosophical at the moment (thanks due, no doubt, to the fact that I ought to be studying for exams) I thought I would just share some of my feelings at this time of life and location.
I'm definitely frustrated with my melancholy attitude. I feel emotionally gross lately, and while I am aware of many of the sources of this grossness, I still cling to...well, the hopeless romanticism of being melancholy...I think. Not entirely sure, to be honest. But I found my struggle to have been summarised by Rich Mullens:

"Surrender don't come natural to me.
I'd rather fight You for something I don't really want
than take what You give, that I need.
And I've beat my head against so many walls
now I'm falling down, falling on my knees...
...Hold me, Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a leaf..."

But this is the age-old struggle. Job spoke the same thing at the end of his captivating, thrilling, best-selling book:

Then Job replied to the LORD : 2 "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.

3 You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.

4 "You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.'

5 My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.

6 Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."

My dear friend Lynn would say,
"We never 'arrive'; this is the lesson we continually learn in life - that apart from Jesus we can do nothing."

And to boot, I've been of late continuing my thinking about the attempt to wrap the mind around things...this issue of control. Last night, in a humorous moment, that same inspirational blogging friend spoke these profound words, "People don't like you if they can't put you in a box."

I feel shy in explaining why that summarised everything I've been contemplating: God's sovereignty, friends, tribes and nations. Sometimes I wonder why my head doesn't explode with all the compounding factors that go into my discussions with myself and I. Yet, I don't think I think too much :o) If anything, I don't think enough. I go just far enough in mental discussion to feel confused and frustrated.

but now that I've circled back around to frustration, I'll sign off by bestowing upon you all the fact that I'm going tanning tomorrow with Mel and Courtney. This much to the chagrin of my red-headed, porcelain-skinned flatmate, Angela, who should be commended in her fantastic skin-protection regime. It's pretty amazing.

I have three reasons for tanning:
1. helps battle the winter blues
2. going to Australia in a week!
3. to provide proof of my India genes

love you all.
really.
:P