Squirrels playing tag!

So today I went walking in my park again to study for Psychology - and wow do I ever enjoy this snow! It makes everything so beautiful and the trees look so pretty with snow on them, especiallly the evergreens...anyway thank you Jesus so much that this snow is dry and not wet, since otherwise my psychology notes sure would have been very soaked!

And as I was walking I saw this really fat squirrel being chased by a smaller one, it looked like they were playing tag because they would run from tree to tree chasing each other - oh so funny! Then there was also this dog who decided that I would be a good person to bark at, and his owner said that he was a very good guard dog and had never before seen someone reading as they walk, which is why he barked at me...so I guess it's not that normal to read and walk at the same time huh?!

Anyway today was my last day of Women's Studies, and we were talking about racism and how it can be stopped in our society - and eventually came to the conclusion that knowledge about other cultures and races prevents it to some extent, especially when people are exposed to other races at a young age. There is no real solution however, because even those groups who know a lot about each other still are racist towards each other. So I was thinking of this as I walked home, and I realized that racism exists because of our human nature, we're not perfect and it's in our nature to want to stay with people most similar to us and to exclude others and keep them in their place since they might seem like a threat to our security and identity.

I think that the answer to racism lies in Ephesians 4:24, which says, "Throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God's likeness - righteous, holy, and true." So without the new self, racism will just continue, we need to be made completely new in our thoughts and actions - such a huge challenge though.

Another challenge is living according to the 'Inverted Law,' which Pastor Mark from Church of the Rock preached about on Sunday...essentially it is to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. If I actually lived according to this every single moment of my life, wow, the world would sure be different - and I guess it can be, one person at a time. But he was saying how God would allow people in our life who are hard for us to love so that our character might be strengthened - yikes God, thank you for your strength to endure and to love!

Also, today after Women's Studies I kind of felt like I should go and talk to my prof, but I didn't really want to, so I just left. But with each step I kept thinking that I should turn around and go and talk to her. So I eventually did, and wow I am so glad - she asked me what my last name was and she's going to give me an extra credit for always coming to class! So yeah, learning to listen to God's voice, to the promting of the Holy Spirit - sometimes I sure make it more complicated than it needs to be, with faith like a child. Jesus, please teach me more and more to come to you as a child without any pride.