So I went and saw The Passion last weekend and it was amazing. I was completely speechless afterwards because I was so overcome by emotions. So often in churches and during Passion Week services, the story of Christ's crucifixion is depicted in a very theological and spiritual/supernaturl way; explaining that we as human beings are sinful and unholy while God is perfect and completely holy; we are in need of God's divine intervention to reconcile us back to Him. And that's the reason Christ died on the cross, to take the punishment for sin in our place; and if we believe that is what He did, then our faith gives us eternal life. But while all of this is so true and important, so often we forget that Jesus was completely God and yet completely human also (kenosis). So He truly, deeply, and painfully suffered through His torturing and His crucifixion. And the movie shows in stark detail the humanity of Christ. If you're going to see this movie, be prepared to cry, possibly even to sob, and to be moved in a way that you never have before. After a day of reflection on the ghastliness of the Passion, I finally could summarize in one sentence my response to this experience:
"My God died for me; the least I can do is live for Him."
So I had a really kick-ass birthday!! I have so many friends and family members that care about me sooo much, and I am thankful for each one of them. Some of these wonderful friends, though unfortunately not all of them (Joe, Dave, and Jason), went out with me to a really awesome German restaurant in Edgewater called "The Old Stein Inn". Great food, and great beer! Though I have to say that the crazy misconbobulation of a story that Megan, Barbara, and I created while my beer/Jaegermeister was wearing off was quite the highlight of my night. ;) I'll have to write down the story, as best as I can remember it, so that I can have testimony as to how insane we were to do this. But it really got me to thinking just how great my life is. One, because the characters in our story had some really screwed up issues. But two, I feel so comfortable and close to my friends that I can be myself without worrying about being judged, or being criticized. Many people might claim that they feel that way with their friends, but I KNOW it. I can be goofy, nostalgic, dramatic, serious, or giddy and they love me no matter what. So yeah, that's why I love my life because the people closest to me put everything, even the mundane day-to-day things into a positive light. :) They love and understand me in ways that no one else ever could.
And Joe called me from Utah tonight to say hi and wish me a happy birthday!! He's having a fantastic time sightseeing, skiing, and cuddling with his new-found snowbunny named Chrissy. :) I think Nate's jealous! But they're having the time of their lives and I wish I had a spring break to celebrate by going on a trip. :( Oh well, there will be other opportunites. *wink* Ok, I am exhausted after my busy day of working and then par-tay-ing, and also not getting much sleep the past few nights. Going through the grad school application process is tedious, nerve-wracking, and time-consuming. It's a good thing that I really want to do this. April 1st is my golden day. That's the day that the grad committee @ UMBC meets and decides whether or not to admit me, and then whether or not to offer me a TA position. *fingers crossed* But for now, I'm off to bed. I'll have sweet, wonderful dreams. Good night all!
