Ouachita

A few more OBU posts. The first is the boys' dorm I stayed in (with a bunch of other girls) as a Senior. Boys are weird. My room showed the remnants of the words "Big Al" on the wall.
The bridge shows the way to the boys dorms from the main campus...across the ravine. I was trying to understand what makes this such a special place to me on the way home Saturday. And much of it depends on growing up there, really becoming who I am. Away from my parents and family, on my own, alone, meeting and making friends, learning what I like and deciding who I'm going to be. It wasn't always easy or fun, but I wouldn't have wanted to do that anywhere else. The thing about OBU is that you can't help but feel closer to God. God is there in that place and in those people. Obviously, not all those people, but enough to make it so easy to feel his presence. Daily. That's hard out here in the real world. I think Peru is so special to me for the same reason. I was close to God there. There really was no other option. He was already in that place. It's tempting to want to remain in those places, close to God, surrounded by others who can lift you closer to him. But God doesn't want us to stay there, safe and secure from all alarms. Here is where he wants me to be, here where I can share the little God I have with others. Is it possible to feel the same connection here that I do in places like OBU or Peru? I'm not sure. It's a question of focus, right? How well can I focus? That's me. God's the same here as he is there. I'm the one who's different. Focus.