Ear Candy: I Choose You

I've been listening to a ridiculous amount of Sara Bareilles lately because her voice makes my heart smile. I've been listening to her when I get ready in the morning, nothing makes a morning a good morning like happy, getting-ready music.  Recently one of her songs really caught my ear and my heart. Most of Sara Bareilles' songs are light, happy love songs, but one song in particular could be used to illustrate the joyful relationship that we should have with God.

What really caught my eye was the statement that her words were "the very first words of a lifelong love letter". Personally, the only love letter that I've received is the Bible and every time I spend just a little bit of time reading it, I rediscover just how much God loves me. Part of the reason God gave us the Bible is so we could read His expressions of love over and over again. The second verse goes on to say that many people told her "you would not come true, just love's illusion" and Bareilles follows it with "you found me and everything changed and I believe in something again."Many people experience a feeling like that when they find God. I experience it each time I admit my faults, sins, and imperfections and run back to God.

The part of the song that hits me the hardest is her admission of her imperfections and how she learns from her mistakes. She says that she wants to prove her love, no matter how long it takes. God doesn't ask us to prove anything to him, but acting in love towards others, worshipping Him, and obedience to His word shows our dedication to the pursuit of God's heart.

Thought Series: Miss AMERICAN

 Miss America 2014 is of Indian descent. By now everyone knows about the "controversy" of her race and know about the criticism she's faced because of her race. People have said that other contestants should've won, blah, blah, blah. It's a huge thing, just because she's of Indian descent. Indian. She's not Iraqi, not Pakistani, not Afghani, she's Indian. First, let me just say she's actually been called "Miss Al Qaeda" by people on Twitter, which is stupid because India isn't even an Islamic country for the most part. 80% of India practices Hinduism, which is besides the point because Nina Dalvuluri is from New York. Miss Dalvuluri is the perfect choice for Miss America for many reasons, let's name a few:

• She's Indian-American and representing one of the most diverse states in the union. 
• She's smart; she went to the University of Michigan, was on the Dean's List, received the Michigan Merit Award, and graduated with a degree in Brain Behavior and Cognitive Science. She's much smarter than the average girl
• She's the second Miss Syracuse to win Miss America since Vanessa Williams (not why she should win, but it's interesting).
• She struggled with bulimia, which is sadly, very common in young girls today. She beat her eating disorder, but to this day hates the word "skinny".
• Her platform is diversity, she's all about breaking down barriers.

 At this point, it's not even the fact that she isn't white that's making people dislike her. If it would've been a Hispanic, Asian, or African-American girl people wouldn't be making the ignorant argument that Miss Dalvuluri isn't American. But brush her Indian roots aside and her story is as American as it gets. A smart girl who struggled with her weight and her body image got a makeover, graduated from college and is now considered one of the most beautiful, accomplished women in our country. Literally, Princess Diaries, except she was overweight instead of having frizzy hair and glasses. So, I would say that our new Miss America is extremely American.

Thought Series: Loneliness

 We all get a little lonely sometimes. It's natural, it's human, and we shouldn't let it get us down because then it turns into something bigger, self-pity. We feel lonely for many reasons, maybe it's been a while since you've talked to your friends from home or maybe you just started college and you're feeling a little unsure of yourself. Loneliness isn't necessarily a bad thing but, our world today can seem like a big popularity contest, due to our addiction to social media. So, if you're feeling lonely, that's ok; sometimes it can give you a couple minutes of "you time" or even some introspection. But, if we all went a little bit out of our way, we might be able to fix loneliness. Make an effort to make someone else less lonely this week. Call someone you normally wouldn't, take some time out of your day to grab a coffee with a friend after class, mail a letter to your best friend in another state. Give someone some "face time" and hang out with them completely unplugged, give them your undivided attention.  You have to give a little if you expect to get anything back.