To many people doubt, cry, fear and live are just words unless you've experienced Kairos. Kairos in Greek literally means "God's time," which is a very special and incredible retreat that happens during some of the hardest years of our adolescent lives such as high school. When you try to explain this amazing thing to people who haven't experienced it, there is a kind of disconnect. But those who have gone through it will support me in saying that it is both empowering and all around, life-changing.
Kairos is a chance for everyone to open themselves up to God. As well as to have him change us, lighten our hearts, and give us a fresh start. Attending a religiously-affiliated school obviously had its ups and downs. Being hated by literally every public school in the state was hard. However, being extremely close to everyone in my school and having this retreat brought us all together over and over again through the years. It was absolutely amazing.
But once you graduate, it's very easy to forget to "live the fourth," something that only those that have experienced this retreat understand. When we're still in high school we have so many reminders, teachers, upcoming retreats and meetings. But without those constant reminders, it is very easy to forget all that Kairos taught us. Here are just a few things to remind you a bit about how to live the fourth.
Everyone has a story.
In this day and age of social media, it is incredibly easy to judge people on what they put online. Everyone feels as if they have a sense of who people are just from the pictures they post, the tweets they write out, or even the posts they like/favorite. But all of that is on the surface; you never know what someone is actually going through in life and it is not our job to judge them based on how they portray themselves on the outside. Remember that everyone has a story to tell and to never judge a book by its cover.
Know yourself.
Knowing who you are and loving yourself for all your flaws and beautiful imperfections is so important. When you know your worth nothing and no one can make you feel worthless. The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our "behind the scenes" to everyone's "highlight reel." Be you and don't let anyone ever let you doubt yourself.
God is all around us.
Through all the distractions in our lives, school, social lives, social media, family, and extracurricular activities it is very, very easy to lose sight of where God is in our lives. Sometimes you just have to sit down and ask yourself, "Where is God in my life?" He's leading you in ways that you won't understand until you see the big picture. They say that when we plan, God laughs because nothing is as great as what he has planned for us.
It's OK not to be OK.
Life is hard, there's no doubting that. Pain is a part of life. Just like Meredith Grey says, "Pain. You just have to ride it out. Hope it goes away on its own. Hope the wound that caused it heals. There are no solutions, no easy answers, you just breathe deep and wait for it to subside. Most of the time pain can be managed but sometimes the pain gets you where you least expect it. Hits way below the belt and doesn't let up. Pain, you just have to fight through, because the truth is you can't outrun it and life always makes more."
It's OK to feel things, and it's OK to want to cry it all out, and eventually everything will be OK again.
Be aware.
Be present, be aware, be in the moment. It's easy to get caught up in thinking about what's going to happen in the future. It's easy to get distracted and lose sight of who you are and what's important in this life. Pay attention to what's happening right now. Be nice to people, pray, compliment someone, smile at a stranger, love the little things in life, and embrace the good, the bad and the ugly.
Living the fourth is something that cannot be explained to those who don't understand it, but here is a reminder to those who know. Live the fourth. Remember who you are and remember what those four days taught you. It's OK to forget for a little, but don't remain in the dark.
Don't forget to doubt, cry, trust and live a little.
