Stars & Sushi: Part 1

This is part 1 of 2 of my retiring address at National FFA Convention.

 Growing up dress-up clothes was the attire, make believe was the game, and a box office hit coming from two young film producers, my brother and i, was on the line. From cowboys and Indians, to K-State football player and cheerleader, to a princess being saved by her prince charming, we had BIG ideas, BIG imaginations, and one BIG star of the show....ME! 

I mean, I was the oldest, I was the girl, and I had watched my fair share of Disney movies to know what I was doing.

Seriously though, my poor brother. I always insisted on being the star. Truth was I was selfish. Somehow I thought that I deserved to be up here on the throne, to be in the limelight. Fail.

There is nothing pleasing about being prideful, boastful, or arrogant about one’s self. Let's be honest to any of us really enjoy spending time with someone who can think only about themselves. We've been taught from a young age that favor will be shown to the humble. So why aren't we reaching for it?

I definitely don't have this idea of humility figured out, but it's something that I'm striving for. This year I have learned that humility starts with not thinking about me all the time. It's not that we need to degrade and devalue ourselves as people, but it does mean thinking about me less. I believe there is a way to view this world that can help us see where we fit into the big scheme of things. When we see this world as more than population one we live in awe.

The word awe means 'having a feeling of wonder, amazement, respect, and reverence.' Check out Urban Dictionary: 'a moment of awe is a moment without words.'

Two things taught me to live in awe this year: a starry night and a lesson in sushi making. In order to truly see ourselves as we should we must live in awe of two things: Live in awe of the universe and live in awe of others.

Where are my friends who are from the south? Where are my friends who are starting to talk like they're from the south? Last summer as part of a campus ministry, I lived in the great southern state of Florida. One of the greatest memories was on the final night that we were there. It was everything this Kansas girl could have asked for, an open fire on the beach and conversation with some of my greatest friends. As the star tipping and volleyball games began to slow down my friend Cindy and I slipped off.

We walked up and down the coastline for what seemed like hours. We reminisced about the summer, wondered what our futures held for us, and then sometimes we just stood in awe of our surroundings.

We eventually got a distance from everyone else and just laid down on the sand and gazed up at the stars. How small a night sky pierced by millions of twinkling lights can make us feel? We can never fully take in the night sky; our minds simply can't comprehend how far the stars stretch. Our eyes feast on meteor showers and our minds wonder just what else is out there. It was in those moments staring up at the never-ending sky that my thoughts were a million miles away from my own needs.

Have you ever had one of these moments? When you get goosebumps-it's a staggering powerful reality of how small we are. Our thoughts have completely left ourselves and are looming in awe of what we see. I never feel as close to my Creator as when I'm gazing up at a night sky.

What if we lived each moment like we do when we're gazing at the stars? With the perspective that we're not the center of the universe. We all know someone else who thinks the world revolves around them. Truth is each of us has our moments too.

But how can we even begin to think that this life is about us? Right now, we are in the city of Indianapolis. Indianapolis is one city, in the state of Indiana, which is one state in the United States which is only one country in North America, which is but one continent on planet Earth. This is basic, we all know this stuff.

But this is when we are about to be speechless. Planet Earth is one of eight planets in our solar system. Our solar system; however, is only one of about 70 in our galaxy. And our Milky Way galaxy is only one of what could be 80 billion in our universe.   

 

Still following...that little dot is our sun. every human being that has ever lived has lived under the sunlight of that dot.

It that doesn't take your breath away, if that doesn't leave you in awe, I'm not sure what does. Haven't we all be guilty of thinking that the world revolves around us? We think we deserve the big diesel truck, the new iPhone, to have gotten that college scholarship, or to get anything we ask for.

Humility begins when we have a proper view of ourselves-we set aside our own plans and see the big picture. When we're caught up in our own little world we miss out on everything else that's going on. But when we choose to be overwhelmed by the beauty that we live in, we can see a bigger picture and a purpose that we get to be a part of.

For me it took nothing more than getting outside and seeing the stars. Take a walk at night. Get up early for the sunrise. Maybe even get up at 3 o'clock in the morning to see a meteor shower.

It's a conscience decision that we must make to live in awe. Each morning, I take time and choose to be overwhelmed by my Creator. Maybe for you it means looking at biology or geography as more than a class but the world we live in, volunteer at your local arboretum or park and truly appreciate nature, and definitely check out the YouTube video 'Indescribable.'

When we're thinking of what's out there, we're not thinking about ourselves. Stars, they taught me how to live in awe of the universe.

This world it's not about me and you.