Okay, so yesterday was my first-ever PSU football. Yes, I am a local. And, no, I have never been to a game. Yes, I am junior at Penn State, and no, I have never attended a game. But it was a grand time, we won by so much– I was embarrassed for the other team. Oh well, though, they were getting paid a huge sum of money to play against us. However, although yesterday was fun, it was the start of a terrible problem.

As many of you know, I have a light complexion (thanks to my nordic heritage). Yesterday, during the game, I got completely toasted. Lobster red. To most people, it would be a bad burn. But, I have had my share of terrible burns in my lifetime, so to me, it didn’t seem that bad. A little uncomfortable, but not bad. So, I took a shower, went out to see some friends, and went to bed pretty directly.

The sun came up. It was time for church. I rolled out of bed, jumped in the shower, and got dressed. Then, I looked in the mirror and almost passed out. My nose was seriously swollen to like twice its size. Red, puffy, wrinkly, and warty. Blisters were everyway, and the dead skin + liquid in the blisters made it look all infected and vomitous. So, I tried to pop some of the blisters, but alas, it was to no avail. I was going to have to go to church (and lead worship) with my new Rudolph freakin’ beacon. At church, I tried my best to draw the attention away from the spectacle on my head, but it didn’t seem to work. Endless comments about my face came flooding my way. While, in retrospect, I know it will be funny, I had to wonder why I cared so much about my face, especially when surrounded by the people who love me the most. Perhaps I care more about my self-image than I had previously thought, and maybe this is God playing some sort of prank on me. Whatever the case, I can always count on the fact that God looks at the inside of a man, rather the outside appearance. And, for the next few days, that is something for which I will be extremely thankful.