don’t wurry, be hoppy.
i have a paper due tomorrow for which i have yet to write a single word. so this is what i’m doing instead. i usually have my roommates to distract me from homework, i’m having to get creative.
my mountain sports professor sent me an email that started with “los invito a la clase este viernes” and ended with “asistencia es obligatoria.” yes folks, those words really are nearly the same in english and spanish. i was just invited to my class that is mandatory.
the first day of class i severely underestimated the time it would take to get from my apartment in viña del mar to my third story classroom in valparaíso. and in a shocking defiance of chilean social norms, my literature professor started his lecture not on time, but early. i hate being late. a lot. especially to class. one time i stood outside my earth systems class for five minutes debating whether to walk in tardy or just go back to the dining hall for breakfast round 2. it’s something about opening the door and the professor stopping mid-sentence and everyone turning to stare. not to mention that there is no quiet way to slide into a too small desk, unzip your backpack and shuffle around to find the correct notebook. anyways, i gathered up the courage, opened the door, and as i bee lined it to the closest chair, i muttered lo siento after lo siento in the direction of the professor. “don’t wurry, be hoppy,” was his response. probably my favorite professor thus far. except maybe for my mountain sports professor who despite his misunderstanding of the concept of an invitation, takes the class out for “social hydration” after every excursion.
worrying. i do a lot of that here. like really a lot. everything is unfamiliar. unfamiliar and in spanish. which means a fair number of uncertainties arise. but the things that would normally roll off my back become instances of anxiety. and fear. why? because i love to feel in control. probably more than the average person. and here, i’m not the least bit in control.
but the reality is, i’m never ever in control. god is. in the past month, jesus has revealed how far i am from believing this in my heart. before coming to chile, i thought i had relinquished the illusion of control. and i had. a very small part of it. but i also had carefully avoided situations that required total faith. here, control has been snatched away. and instead of trusting in the god of the universe to take care of me, i’ve resorted to handling it on my own. aka serious stressing. and when i’m worrying, i’m missing out on the life the lord intended for me.
this afternoon i took the metro to teleton, the organization i’m volunteering for this semester. as i was sitting in my seat contemplating everything that could possibly go wrong on my first day, a verse started running through my head.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
i couldn’t control that situation anymore than i can convince my host mom that three hot dogs is NOT an appropriate serving size. (she was really unhappy when i soldiered through an entire one without telling her that i loathe hot dogs)
but i didn’t have to. god’s got it all under control. i don’t have to worry about the small details of my life, or the larger ones. he has created me for a life free of fear, a life of freedom. and he has a bigger plan than i can even imagine. with my story is written right into it.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
even when i’m or overwhelmed by the foreignness of this country and culture, i can find peace in knowing that the lord has a plan for me. for each day of my life. he has created me for so much more than the constraints of worry and fear. and when i feel that fear creeping in, i will repeat again and again “do not be anxious about anything…” until it rings true in my head and in my heart.
