Jessica 1:1-11 (Confessions of a College Student)

On 11/10/2005 I wrote a poem and then I dissected it...

1)It's just another day.

2)Just another day of walking around like crazy trying to keep up with the segmented slots of pre-determined time.

3)Just another day being late to almost every one.

4)Just another day of trying to cram in 15 minutes worth of activity into a timeslot of 5 minutes.

5)Yes, it's just another day.

6)5:30pm seems to be my goal everyday. I made it, thank God.

7)But wait...all is not chaos.

8)Like a breath of fresh air, perfectly ordained moments of rest appear upon my planner, the kind that were not planned for but are equally or more so received.

9)Not that I rejoice over the sorrow of others, but were it not for their sorrow, my rest would not have come.

10)Not that it's about me, but the One who made me, and it is He who orchestrated this to be so.

11)So it shall be...and that's fine with me!

EXEGESIS:
vs. 1-6: Notice how the author repeats the theme of day and time. Each sentence seems to build on one another starting with "just another day" and escalating it from keeping up to being late to cramming things in. It appears to reflect somewhat of a Psalmatic rhythm. The theme is echoed with the phrase "just another day", and the main section is captioned by the phrase, emphasizing the author's point, "This is what my day is like every day." The three main verbs: walking, being, trying, express three different angles to her daily routine. Walking emphasizes the physical outpouring of her efforts, being is the emotional state of her efforts, and trying is the mental energy needed to supply both. The pericope finishes with the author feeling relieved that the day has finally come to an end.

vs. 7-11: An exclamation interrupts the tired author as a reminder that there is hope amongst the trivial portions of life. The familiar Pauline structure adds a flair of organization and logic to her poetic introduction. She realizes that she, in the midst of her busyness, finds rest. But this rest is not from her own strength in planning. No, someone, something caused a moment of rest to encroach upon her life, of which she is by no means unthankful for. Obviously, the cause was a physical situation. But to whom does she ascribe the ultimate cause? None other than the Lord of host, God Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. She realizes, with a grateful heart, the source of her unplanned rest.

MODERN DAY TRANSLATION:
Man, sometimes my life is just NUTS! I'm always late to class! I love 5:30, cause by then, my "active" day of moving from one place to the next is OVER! (though my "work" is not over, a.k.a. studying). The nice thing, though, is that one of my classes was cancelled this week because my professor's grandfather passed away. Since my professor was doing the homily, he needed to be gone for 3 days. This gave me more time to work on a project that was supposed to be due this past Wednesday, but is now due on Monday. Hey...I can live with that!

APPLICATION:
God is sovereign over busy-bodies. No matter how much you try to plan your life, you can't plan everything. Sometimes the best moments are those that are unplanned. Any planned moment of rest cannot compare to those moments which are providentially prescribed and supplied by the Creator Himself. Next time you find yourself freaking out, take a step back, breathe, and let God pacify your spirit.