tutoring and yogurt

At work on Monday, I began helping a student named Pete on fine-tuning his paper. Not even five minutes into the tutoring session, I knew that he was quite unlike the students I usually tutor. He was finding errors in his writing, actually asking questions, and his writing was mostly clear, while advanced. The paper we have been working on together (collaboration, what a concept!) is about Kraybill's book, "The Upside-Down Kingdom," an analysis of Jesus' counter cultural ministry. Yesterday, I asked Pete to explain an unclear sentence, and the two of us ended up in a near twenty minute discussion of grace and mercy, in relation to Jesus' interaction with the poor. I was struck by his clear, yet candid commitment to Christ amidst the frustrations of writing a paper. I am so incredibly blessed to work in a place where such spontaneity is refreshing and encouraged, rather than taboo and uncomfortable. I find that in deviating from the nuts and bolts of writing structure, I am completely encouraged in hearing about the passions and convictions of my peers.


Beyond those moments, life has been crazy. This morning I grabbed some vanilla yogurt out of the fridge to put my granola into. After a few bites, I thought that it tasted a little funny. I reasoned that I hadn't had that brand of yogurt in a while, so maybe I just needed to get used to the taste. After eating half of the container, I was convinced that something was amiss. When I looked at the container and read "PEACH" on the label, I laughed to myself. No wonder the vanilla yogurt tasted funny, it wasn't vanilla at all.

Life is hectic. Jesus is incredibly faithful. My brain is gone, but the Lord is encouraging and providing hope in all the simple moments, even tutoring.