Divinely Creative

God is such a creative Being.

I was in Church one day learning about Jonah and it struck me how creative God is. The symbolism in Jonah's story is rather striking. But what really hit me that day (and obviously continues to hit me) is that God realized Jonah needed to be taught some lessons and in order to accomplish that (and His ultimate design) he essentially thought, “Let’s have Jonah get swallowed by a whale for three days”. Okay. Probably not the first thing that would come to my mind. Or the second. Or even at all. Yet I don't doubt the wisdom in the decision at all.

This idea provides interesting perspective on my own life. While I have yet to be swallowed by a whale, or any animal for that matter, what other Jonah-like stories have I had, if any? What about you?

Really?

I have grown up with people spelling my name wrong. Strangely enough, it’s happened to me more as an adult than as a child, but regardless, it’s never been a foreign concept to me. And while the concept is not inconceivable* to me, it still manages to take me by surprise sometimes.

Take facebook for example. Someone wrote me a love note on my wall, and spelled my name wrong. Yeah, I definitely had to look twice. It was recognizable, but blatantly spelled wrong. So I figure either it’s some inside joke/nickname that I have absolutely no recollection of, or it was written in a hurry while juggling/balancing on a tight rope/multi-tasking like crazy. Let’s give him/her the benefit of the doubt, shall we?

Another one that gets me – when people email me and spell my name wrong. My email address is my name. Essentially they are one in the same. So how can you successfully send me an email (remain oblivious to that spelling red flag) and proceed to spell my name wrong in the body of the email? It boggles the mind.

* p.s. I dare you to think of the word ‘inconceivable’ and not think of Vizzini in “Princess Bride”.

Weekly Assignment

Yesterday my MCom 320 teacher gave my class an assignment for the week (it’s beginning to sound like he runs my life, or at least tries to – good thing I put up such a fight, code for my senioritis puts up a pretty mean fight) … anyway, the reported weekly assignment was to “give a stranger a ‘coke’.” I decided it would be relatively easy to find someone on campus, ask him/her what their favorite candy bar was and if I could buy it for them at the nearest vending machine, then proceed accordingly.

Whilst leaving the Talmage building that afternoon I spotted a potential target: a woman dutifully laboring over some gross math problem, I’m sure. I strategically selected a middle-aged woman because think about my options:

1. Buy a piece of candy for a random boy. Call me old fashioned, but I don’t work that way. (Not to mention Elder Oaks would say that’s a big no-no.) - OR -
2. Buy a piece of candy for a random girl and run the risk that she’ll be super creeped out and not even eat the candy bar, essentially throwing away my freshly spent 65 cents. Pretty sure that’s a lose-lose situation.

So, naturally, I went with the safe motherly looking woman who, based on her very positive, appreciative response, was happier because of the surprise and the added chocolate in her life.

And there you have it, Mr. Shayne Clarke - I left the world a happier (or at least yummier, more Snickers-filled) place yesterday. Mission accomplished.