sex, drugs, and rock and roll

We talked on Tuesday about some very serious issues. I think it would be very hard after being sexually assaulted to go back to normal life. I think it is very important for me to be a good friend to anyone who comes to me with this problem. im glad to know that there are people on campus that can help us with this problem. I know it is a problem that is even on our campus, even though we have a Christian campus.

We also talked about self-image. i am very mad and heartbroken when i think about this issue because it sometimes feels that at least part of it could be prevented if people were not greedy and wanted to make money from adds for things in magazines that none of us need. i think it is important to get to know a person. that is what makes them us is how they act, what there sense of humor is about. and how comfortable they feel in their skin. I think it is important to encourage one another to get to know each other on a deep level so that we can eliminate walls between people who like different styles, and looks. its cliche to say that the only thing that matters is the personality of the person. looks do matter, but i think its more about the presentation than the actual size and figure God gave us. if we present ourselves like prostetutes and change our appearance to please people, thats just crap. Its so fun just to be myself and find people that really love me nomatter what, even if my personality sucks, there are people who still love me. its also good to know that God will still love me even if i make mistakes, and still has a plan for me :)

how my streingths can help me this semester

my restorative strength I want to use to love others. I know there are a lot of broken people out there, pretty much everyone. and i want to help them heal by praying for them and listening to them. i will also use this striength to enjoy my job more which will include mostly cleaning since i am helping facilities management. I like seeing things that were really destroyed put together. i will solve problems i am having in class and make my days less stressful.
this ties into using my adaptability streighth to go with the flow even when things go wrong for me i can just laugh it off and change my schedule. with my woo i can get to know lots of different people especially when i am riding on the trolly i can sit down and get to know some one. who knows mabe i will bump into them later and be able to have a new friend. it can be kind of lonely on a new campus unless you get to know lots of people all the time. I like to stick to a main group of friends, but also branch off so that i have a lot of people to encourage.
with belief i can stand up for my friends and not let other people say mean things about them. i think that i can make a difference on this campus and i will make that happen hear and in the community. i will also learn to love lots of people, and strengthen my beliefs in God here.
if i am responsible, i will be able to help out the groups i am in and take good care of my friends while still having time for my studies. i will use it to help me keep commitments so that i can get good grades.

why it is so hard to difficult to focus on what i do well

i think it is hard to focus on what i do well because everyone is trying to fix something. one of my top strengths is restorative. so naturally i am just drawn to problem solving. I am always trying to fix something I always try to be good at things that I have a hard time getting better at rather than what i am already good at. i think one of the things that I am already good at is being a teacher, and now i am finally working hard to become a teacher in school. Everyone is trying to be the best of the best because it is so hard to get a good job now, so they try to find every little flaw so that they can perfect themselves.
All of us try to be our own god at one point or another. God is perfect so in some ways we think we need to be perfect, so instead of finding what we are good at we try to be perfect in everything. I grew up in a really conservative home so I feel like i never really understood what it meant to accept free grace, so i would need to keep finding my sin out, not what pleases God, because i felt like i wouldn't even go to heaven if i didn't do the right thing all the time. I still believe we need to please God, but now its more of a joy thing, rather than something i have to do.
I think another thing that makes it hard to focus on what we are good at is our upbringing in America. In America we are always supposed to be looking for a way to accomplish our dreams no matter what it takes. sometimes this means working harder than God meant for us, and forgetting the simpler things in life. we are taught to go go go. everybody is trying to find their faults so that they can fix it, or in the case of having a sickness or learning disability, we can help others understand us better by it. somehow it takes others knowing our weaknesses for them to learn how to really love us for who we are. Knowing the strengths don't seem to be as attractive to people, as knowing our weaknesses.