Points of Emphasis

Coming off a much-needed Thanksgiving break, I am grateful for an infusion of perspective that I hope will translate to a more positive outlook up here at BYU. Thanksgiving gave me my first opportunity to pleasure read in a long while, and I took advantage of the time by diving into "The Chosen", a novel by Chaim Potok. What struck me most in the book was the extreme difference between the different Jewish sects that came from nothing more than a different emphasis they placed on aspects of their faith. They held the same basic beliefs and performed the same basic rites, yet they found much reason to differentiate themselves from one another. This phenomenon was also expressed in my own life as I hung out with some old friends from high school. In our youth, we sprung up in a very "cookie cutter" fashion, each with our own Christian upbringing that was very similar, yet with a different emphasis. I couldn't help but notice the great divergences that had resulted in behavior and thought, all springing from subtle degrees of variation. I am grateful for where I am in my life, because of the emphasis my church has placed on the importance of family, personal discipleship, and agency, but I am also grateful for the perspective my friends bring as they look on from their vantage points of varying heights. They are wonderful and I find their outlooks refreshing, marked in contrast by simple differences in emphasis.