Just Your Ordinary Extraordinarily Unordinary Kind Of Day

I've realized lately that nothing is ever what it seems. I often miss the simplicity that was "childhood," but today I came to the conclusion that even in complicated situations with complex subject matter, there is always a simple solution.
I attend Trilakes Church of Christ with my family on most Sunday's and often Wednesdays to fellowship with my church family. This past Wednesday, two of my favorite people of all time and definitely my favorite preacher and preacher's wife of all time, Greg and Trish Smith, began teaching my class. Now Greg, being the awesome guy that he is, was talking to us and giving us some background on himself and his work. He was telling us about how there would often be times when two people would come up to him with two different opinions on the same subject, and ask him to tell them who was right, and who was wrong. He said that he always had the perfect answer. "Jesus." I laughed with the rest of the class at the time, but I've thought about it a little bit and I've come to this conclusion. He's very right; it is the perfect answer. It's simple, yet complex. Which is true of many things these days.
I wish, sometimes, that things were simple. Black and white. Good and bad. Easy or difficult. No messy in-betweens. No shades of grey. As dorky as it is, I'm going to quote Harry Potter. I think it was in the fifth book/movie that Serious Black (Harry's godfather) says to Harry when Harry is going through some anger issues and is concerned about if he's a bad guy deep down, "The world isn't made up of good people and death eaters. We all have good and bad in us, what matters is what we chose to act on." (rough quote - haven't read that book in a couple years now, and I don't have it with me at the moment!) Now, obviously, we don't really have to worry about the death eaters of the wizarding world. However, we have our own "death eaters" that we deal with. And the world isn't made up of Christians and devil worshipers. There are people wandering around who are totally and completely lost. We have to help them. They are often complex people who are stuck in those shades of grey needing the perfect, simple answer. Jesus.
I won't pretend for one second that I'm very good at sharing my faith through bible studies, preaching, or just sharing my biblical knowledge in everyday conversations, but I do try very hard to live for God and let Him show Himself to people through me. I know that God is always with me. I love feeling safe because I know He is protecting me.
Tonight I had coffee with an almost perfect stranger. We had a lot of mutual friends, and I had been to a movie and soccer game with some friends that he was also at. We'd talked on facebook, and texted quite a bit. We decided to get some Starbucks. As we walked up to the counter, I heard someone say, "Kortney Good." I looked up and saw my neighbor, Jared, standing behind the counter. I didn't have any idea that he worked there, but it was nice to see a familiar face. It made me feel more safe, and I really enjoyed myself. It was a simple thing. A friendly face. It was a simple event. Coffee with a friend. And it was just what I needed. I guess what I'm saying is, look for the simple things in life, and make sure you appreciate them. Sometimes, they are the things that matter most.
Some simple things that I am thankful for:
* Smiles :)
* Kisses
* Flowers
* Warm sunshine on blankets in the yard
* Hugs
* "Thank you"
* A text that says "Thinking 'bout you!"
* Chocolate
* Clouds
* Laughing
* Fingernail polish
* Candles
* Bubble Baths
* Strangers who hold the door for me
* Maggie Moos
* Listening to my sister play the piano
* Watching Westin sleep
* Holding Hands
* Christmas Music
* Hot chocolate
* The fireplace
* A good morning prayer
And the list goes on and on... make one! It'll brighten your day :)