Heavy On The Oranges. No Pulp.

I like cooking. I like the little, intricate parts of cooking. The chopping garlic, peeling oranges, opening new ingredients, even washing up afterwards. Today, I made fruit salad.

Looking down the isle of fresh fruit, my mouth began to water. I could just taste all of the exuberant colors in my mouth. I picked out oranges, bananas, strawberries, and apples for a fresh fruit salad. Fruit salad is my weakness.

Peeling the oranges for my salad, I was completely content. Truthfully, I prefer not to taste or even smell oranges but, I love to peel them. When I peel oranges, I don't just peel the outside skin, I peel every little white stringy thing from the inside of the peel. Intricate, time consuming work: Just the work for me. As I peeled, I remembered a talk with Joel Helzer last night about college. I began to ponder college as I peeled the oranges. Every little string, one at a time.

One night over dinner, Aunt Deborah and I spoke about my love for cooking. When asked why I wasn't going to go to college for cooking, I answered, "I don't know." Joel told me he does not like when I say I don't know. But, I honestly did not know. So, today, as I peeled one little string at a time, I began to think about that.

I'm going to college for Nursing. But, why not Culinary? Well, I want a challenge. The small, intricate peeling of oranges reminded me of every small, intricate stitch, shot, and pill I will administer. I want a challenge with my life. I want to serve. I want to help people become healthy. I want to be a nurse even though I know nothing about it. I enjoy cooking. I enjoy playing music. I enjoy cleaning. I enjoy teaching. I enjoy taking care of children. But, I long for nursing.

When I finally was quiet enough to hear what He was saying, I heard God. Mmm, right. This is NOT about me. This is about God and His plan for my life. Where God should have scissor kicked me in the head and screamed at me to shut up, He simply whispered to me, "Listen." I knew right then that He didn't only want me to shut up and listen to him right then, but always. With these decisions, He knows what's going to happen. I need to be open minded and listen to what He has to say, above all.

For tonight, I peel oranges for pleasure. Cook for pleasure. Play music for please. Clean for pleasure. Teach for pleasure. Take care of children for pleasure. But, I study nursing for not only pleasure, but for my career as well. Tomorrow, who knows. That might change. All I need to do is listen. Next year, I will be taking my gen-eds at Ozark Christian College. Who knows what God's plans are from there. I long for and will follow every single one of God's plans. (Even if I'm still secretly hoping for Nursing. ;)...)

Realizing I have put 4 oranges in a small fruit salad for 2, I set the table. Listening to every word God's saying. Dinner is served. In And Out Burger with fruit salad on the side. Heavy on the oranges. No little white stringy things pulp.