"Young people - the good ones among the young people - all of them feel here, in their hearts, that they have some - some great - message to deliver. They feel all heavy, loaded with some great thing in themselves. So that is why they hesitate, they are cautious, they doubt, they see many sides. Why? Because they must know exactly where to deliver this great thing they have in themselves, who should they give it to, what is worthy of it, where to plant it!

But somebody like you! You got nothing inside, just big bundles of pig's feet, so of course you have fast opinions, you know all the answers, you know exactly what to do because whatever you do doesn't matter, you got nothing inside to deliver, nothing to loose." -The Paragon by John Knowles

I was reminded of this quote yesterday during the STOMP(short term outreach/mission program) training. When I walked into the room, the teams were separated and having their team discussions. The college team was sitting on the floor and looking much more serious than the rest of the group. One guy had a particularly earnest look on his face with furrowed eyebrows. It reminded me of my own first mission trip to Africa in college. It felt so important, so life-changing. These days my self-importance has decreased quite a bit, but I do still feel this burden sometimes - the burden of some great message. I still hesitate, are cautious, doubt, and try to see many sides. Maybe that is why I even began this blogspot. I'm not sure what the message is exactly or how to express it. It could be spoken, written, painted, played on an instrument, lived out in my life, etc. I don't know. But it's good to know that I have something inside to deliver.