Orange Peel Philosophy

Gee...Don't those oranges look good, so...pale and blotchy...
As it happens, oranges are actually dyed to give them their lustrous orange hue (a fact I learned from Pastor Greg, making this post small-time plagiarism). So while you may find bright, shiny, orange oranges at your local supermarket joint, a trip to a Whole Foods or co-op may yield visually unattractive results. However, the results on the inside are quite the reverse. Many conventional fruits are picked far in advance and coated in wax to prevent decay. When they get to your table, they are far past prime. But who notices if they have a hyped-up facade? No one. Exactly.
This has two major implications for us:
Are there people out there with modest outward appearances that we snub? Probably. Yet people who don't wear zeitgeist fashion or look like supermodels can have enormous potential for emotional and intellectual depth. Naturally quiet people might require more time to warm up than others, and might provide far deeper conversation given a social investment. Women that have "just" been stay-at-home moms may nonetheless be highly knowledgeable and intelligent, even if they have foregone a major career. The list goes on. We all know people like this.
Is my interior at least as nice as my exterior? Maybe... Maybe you are like one of the people in the above category. But many of us, especially depending on the day or situation, are not necessarily so. In an appearance-obsessed society, many of us spend significant amounts of time any money investing in clothes, hair styling, and the like. Our focus should instead be on encountering and dealing with people with kindness, an open mind, and a willingness to listen, learn, and cooperate. Furthermore, this is not simply a battle between visual external presentation and personality but external and internal morality. Too many people invest in cheesy smiles, lip service, good "manners," and a willingness to be someone's friend when he or she is all fun and games, requiring nothing in return. The best people follow through on a moderate but consistent amount of promises and obligations and invest time with others through good times and bad - the same way God loves us.

Don't think me jaded. I have encountered a significant amount of people who are extremely genuine, sincere, and truly kind. And I am by no means where I want to be either. But we should all take little steps wherever possible to improve the quality of our selves, even if it doesn't make our outside more orange.

An Ungodly Schedule

This topic is probably the most fitting, considering that I haven't written in quite some time. If someone asked me to describe my schedule right now, "unGodly" might be one of the first things to come out of my mouth, and it may indeed be just so.
Business (busy-ness, not commerce) certainly can function as an indicator that we are living in sync with God's wishes. It may very well be a marker that we are being properly industrous - working hard to provide for a family. It may also indicate that we're using our time effficiently - surely being busy is better than complacently filling up all free time with Halo 3, shopping, or my personal vice - The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.
But I think that it can also be a red flag indicating that a lot is missing. There should be no schedule that is too busy to allow time for relationships with the community, relationships with people, and relationships with God. When I finish a long day of hard work, my instinct is almost always to let my mind rest - maybe wasting time online or watching a movie with a friend. This makes little sense when I live in a dense area with plenty of kids that could use tutoring; when I haven't yet written my grandparents to say hi and tell them about college; when my communication with God usually involves: "Hi. Um...I guess everything's going really well. Thank you for that. Keep on trucking." (Okay, so it's usually a bit more sophisticated than that, but it's not optimal, either.) And even though peace of mind is important, I don't know that it is actually found on Facebook. More often, these things that I'm not taking the time to do are far more satisfying, even if they require a greater ignition cost (usually not much more than getting off the couch). So as I look forward this semester, even though I know it will be very very busy, I want it to be a busy that is really fulfilling and valuable. I hope others can find that balance too.