Shine Like Stars

14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.

  Phillipians 2: 14-15

I have always been completely awestruck by the night sky. We live far enough away from any large cities (or small towns, even!) that you can get a pretty good view of the stars on a cloudless night. I don’t often take the time to do this, but I could stand under a clear, star-filled sky for quite some time, just gazing at the heavens and enjoying their beauty.

One of the things that captivates me is something I used to teach my fifth graders in our science lessons on the solar system. It takes eight minutes for light from the sun to reach earth, which is a bit of delay, for sure, but the stars that we see at night are so much farther away. The light that we see in the night sky from these stars have a much longer delay. In fact, it is possible that we could see the light from a star tonight even though that star has “burned out” quite some time ago.

There is no doubt that the stars in the sky are brilliant lights to be able to be seen from so far away. They are beautiful. Even a little light from far, far away can make a difference in a dark sky.

Paul says in Phillipians 2: 14-15 that we should refuse to grumble or argue so that we can become blameless and pure and shine like stars in our world. So why is that so difficult to do? I find it most difficult to avoid grumbling and arguing at school. Maybe that’s because I spend so much time there! But I know my grumbling and arguing does not honor God, and if I’m honest, I also know that it is not helpful to myself or those around me, either.

I read a really insightful blog post this summer that was written for first-year teachers, but I thought it was applicable to everyone. It was written by Jennifer Gonzalez in August of 2013, and you can find it on the “cult of pedagogy” website: https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/marigolds/. In this post, Gonzalez encourages new teachers to find people in their schools who have a positive influence on them -- people who encourage, support, and energize others, and to avoid people who have a negative outlook and influence -- people who grumble and complain and make you feel discouraged, insecure, and overwhelmed.

This article made me realize that I have an impact on those around me, and I want to be a positive one! Teachers have one of the most difficult jobs, in my opinion. There is always so much to do, and there are so many sources of pressure making it feel unbearable, at times. It is so easy to grumble and complain and be negative. The environment cultivates that.

But that negativity is not good for anyone. My co-workers need encouragement. They need support. They need energy. They need understanding and empathy and someone to lean on.

My students need those things, too. They need a place where they can feel accepted and appreciated, where they are excited to come each day.

So how do I manage to do everything without grumbling or arguing? I want to. I know it’s the best way, but how do I manage that?

I do not do this perfectly, for sure. Many, many times I fail and negative thoughts and words come spewing out. But here are some things I find that help me.

Fill up on God’s word. I have to post reminders - scriptures that I know I need to focus on - around my house and classroom. I have to spend some time each day reading the Bible and actually meditating on it, allowing it to soak in and really process it.

Avoid situations where negativity breeds. If you know the pre-meeting or post-meeting conversations always turn to gripe sessions, then don’t go early or hang around after. Sometimes, it is a certain person or group that needs to be avoided. Don’t sit with them at lunch or during a meeting or seek them out after school. I can’t always avoid, but I try to reduce the exposure because it is definitely contagious.

Remember to be thankful. Whenever I catch myself griping about someone or something, I try to right then think or say at least two reasons I am grateful for that thing or that person. Not always easy, but when I can manage it, this practice helps turn my negative thoughts around.

Be part of a solution. If something is really a problem that needs to be fixed, then do what you can do to try to actively solve that problem. We can’t always fix it, but I believe that if we spent as much time trying to come up with a solution as we do complaining, we would have a lot less to complain about.

Be empathetic. I try to put myself in the other person’s shoes. I am much less likely to complain about a student’s behavior when I understand more about his/her life. So sometimes I have to ask more questions when I am tempted to grumble or argue. What’s causing this behavior or attitude? I have more patience and kindness and grace for others when I can see the situation from their perspective.

Get enough rest. I am very prone to negativity when I am tired. (And if I’m also hungry, best to just throw me a snack and run away!)

Find the right audience. When I really do need to discuss something negative (I process things verbally!), I try to find the right person to talk to about it. Someone who will steer me back to a positive outlook and help me deal with the situation in a way that doesn’t drag anyone else down.


Father God, we want to shine like stars in our world. We want to be positive influences on all those around us. But it isn’t easy. Help us to be sensitive to Your Holy Spirit so that we can recognize when we are grumbling and arguing. Help us to renew our minds and think more like You. And forgive us for all the times we have failed.

For Small Groups:
What other tips do you have for staying positive? Are there any particular situations or people that create negativity in your mind that we can pray about? How can we help each other be more positive?

Thank You? I Guess?

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances;for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love gathering with family around a table of good food and having time to just visit with them. But I also love the whole idea behind Thanksgiving--a time to reflect and give God thanks for all His many blessings.

I have so many reasons to be thankful, but this time of year I really try to look at all God has done for me. I am thankful for my family. I love that my siblings and I all live close and get to spend time with each other fairly regularly. I am thankful for my parents and the influence they have been in my life and all the support they have given me over the years.

I am thankful that God answered my prayers and put my husband, Ben, in my life. I do not take for granted how much he does for me and our kids. I am thankful that he seeks to serve the Lord and to lead our family spiritually.

I am so grateful for my three healthy, active children! Yes, there are times when I’m so tired of running and doing laundry and buying groceries, but I know I am blessed with three terrific teenagers!

I am thankful for my job that I love so much. I have a job that I look forward to doing each day, and I have a strong purpose and a passion in my field. I know there are many who do not have that.

I am thankful for the gift of music and how God uses it in my life to encourage me and lift me up. I’m so grateful for opportunities to sing and the ability to do so.

I could go on and on and on.

But this verse challenges me to be thankful in all circumstances. Wait -- all? I’m supposed to be thankful for that particular challenging student? For that difficult parent? For a boss that is impossible to please? For a coworker who is really hard to work with?

Yes. I believe we are supposed to be thankful for those circumstances, as well. I believe that in each situation, God is working to either bless me or someone else. He is working to mold me and make me more like Jesus, or He is giving me an opportunity to grow my faith or the faith of someone else around me.

That challenging student forces me to rely on God and turn to Him in prayer for wisdom and guidance. When I am challenged, I understand that I can do nothing and that I need God every single day. Usually, my most difficult students are going through (or have been through) challenges themselves, and I have to depend on God to know how to be the best I can be for them. And I can be thankful for students that force me to spend more time with God.

That difficult parent gives me the opportunity to show the kind of grace that God has given me. God has poured out His grace for me over and over. I don’t deserve that. Difficult parents may not deserve that kind of treatment either, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t give it. They remind me of what I have received - forgiveness, mercy, love, grace -, and I can be thankful for that.

That boss that is impossible to please reminds me that I am not working to gain approval from men, but from God alone. (And no, I am not working for a boss like that right now!) It is easy for me to lose my focus in the day-to-day grind and to seek recognition from the wrong places. But when someone in my life is overly critical, I turn to God. Over and over again the Bible teaches us to humble ourselves, but sometimes I need help staying humble. So I can be thankful for those whom God puts in my life to help me with that.

That coworker that is hard to work with may be someone God has placed in my path so that I can minister to her. It may be that she is going through something really hard, and God wants to use me to encourage her and speak truth into her life. I can be thankful for an opportunity to be a blessing.

In each and every circumstance, God has a plan. Those people in your life that are so hard to be thankful for -- you may be on their list of things they’re thankful for. Each and every one of those difficult people is an opportunity to be a blessing. And even if they are never grateful for you, you can be thankful that God placed them in your life.

I know it’s not easy, and I do not always do it right, but I am going to try to be thankful in all circumstances, and not just Thursday. I want to have this heart full of gratitude all year round.

God, I know I often fail to thank You for all You’ve done for me. In fact, it is easy to complain about some situations in my life. Forgive me. Help me to do better. Remind me to be thankful for all You have done and also for all You are doing, even when I don’t understand or see the good in it. Thank You, Lord, for Your great love and patience with me, even when I fail to be grateful for Your many blessings.

For Small Groups
Share about a time in your past when you have experienced God’s blessings through a difficult circumstance. Someone else needs to hear your story!  

Avoiding the Pucker-Face

13 I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27: 13-14

I’ve been walking on my gravel road a lot the last few months. One day I noticed in a certain spot that there was some kind of fruit or nut in the road. I didn’t slow down enough to really examine it. I just made sure not to step on it as I walked!

As more of these began to appear in the road, I finally took a minute to really look at this fruit. Do you recognize it?

It’s a persimmon!

Have you ever eaten a persimmon? I’ll be honest: I have never been brave enough to try one. I’ve heard too many stories from people who have tried to eat a persimmon before it was completely ripe. My husband tells me that they are not too bad if they’re completely ripe, but if not, they are horribly, bitterly sour. So sour that people get a really good laugh at the expense of the one they’ve tricked into taking a bite!

In order to be able to enjoy a persimmon at all, you absolutely must wait until it is ripe. I’m told that the only way to be sure is to pick one up off the ground - not off the tree. You have to be patient and not rush the process.

Hm. Think there’s a lesson there? So many times in my life I have tried to rush the process instead of waiting for God’s perfect timing. I’m reminded of the story of Abram and Sarai in Genesis. God had promised them an heir, but they were well beyond child-bearing years. Genesis 12 says that Abram was 75 years old when God promised to make him into a great nation. (That would mean Sarai was 65, if you read ahead a bit.)

They waited 10 years for God to fulfill His promise, and then Sarai and Abram began to doubt. They began to think that God’s promise to Abram must have been to give him an heir through someone else, so Sarai gave her servant Hagar to Abram, and Hagar did indeed become pregnant and bore Abram a son, Ishmael. But this was not God’s promised heir, and it created many problems in their household. Sarai rushed ahead of God, and Abram went right along with her. The result was division and resentment in their household. (And later, much war and animosity between the descendants of Isaac and the descendants of Ishmael, the two sons of Abraham.)

Abraham (God’s new name for Abram) was 100 years old when Sarah (God’s new name for Sarai) gave birth to Isaac, Abraham’s promised heir. Did you do that math? God’s plan was for them to wait 25 years for this miracle. Twenty-five years is a very long time for us, but to God, it was just the right amount of time. Over those 25 years, God did many things in and through Abraham and Sarah. They learned God’s character and experienced His ways for 25 years before His promise was fulfilled.

It seems like we’re all waiting for something - no matter what stage of life we’re in. Someone is waiting to meet the one that will be their spouse. Someone is waiting for a full-time job. Someone is waiting for a baby. Someone is waiting for a promotion or a raise. Someone is waiting for healing. Someone is waiting for retirement. Someone is waiting for an opportunity to share a gift or talent. The list is endless, really.

I think there is a lesson to learn from the persimmon. Waiting is important. Yes, it’s hard. But I am completely convinced that God’s perfect timing, in His perfect wisdom, is worth the wait. I don’t want to get ahead of God and end up with a face puckered up from the extremely sour taste of my mistakes. I don’t want to do what Sarai did and create problems for myself and for those close to me. I want to trust God’s timing and His all-knowing goodness. I know that He has a plan that He will bring to pass. And if the time is not right for me to have that thing that I am waiting for, then I don’t want it yet. Not until it’s ripe and sweet so that I can enjoy it.

Father God, Help me to trust you completely. Guide me as I wait on Your timing. And while I wait, teach me more about who You are. Grant me Your wisdom to prevent me from rushing ahead of You. Remind me to look back and see how faithful You have always been.

For Small Groups:
Is there something you are waiting for that you would like others to pray about?
Do you have a personal experience to share about waiting on God’s timing? Someone else may really need to hear it!

School Pictures

22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. James 1:22-25 NASB

A couple weeks ago, our school pictures were delivered. As a teacher, I have to have a school picture taken every year. There have been some years when I got that picture back and thought, “Why didn’t someone tell me to fix my hair!?” I have had pictures where there was a crazy curl going haywire and looking ridiculous. Once I had a necklace that wasn’t lying right. If someone would have just told me, I would have straightened these things up before the picture that captured it for all time!

Have you ever gotten to school and realized that you should have checked your reflection one more time before you left the house? You know, like, you only got your eye makeup on one eye. Or you got interrupted when you were curling your hair and forgot to go back and finish it? Maybe you’ve gotten to school and realized you buttoned up crooked, or your shoes are not a matching pair. These things happen to some people, I’m told! But if you had checked your reflection and noticed one of these problems, it would be absurd to think that you would walk away without fixing the blunder.

That is what James is talking about in this passage about hearing and doing. When we understand a truth from God’s word, we shouldn’t walk away and not put that truth into practice.

I’m certain that every single teacher has experienced the frustration of a student who hears just fine, but never listens. Recently, I experienced this at home with one of my sons. I was speaking to him, giving him instructions about the plans for the day, and he was walking away. When I stopped him and asked if he was listening he said he was. But when I asked him to repeat the instructions I’d just uttered, he couldn’t. He had no idea what I had said. Now, he heard my voice, don’t misunderstand. But he was not listening. He did not allow my words into his conscious thoughts to process them and remember them. There was no way he could do what I said later.

How do I know a student or family member or coworker is really listening to me? One way I know for sure that they were listening is if that person does what I said to do. If he follows my instructions, I know without a doubt that he not only heard me, but he was really listening. His actions prove it. And that’s how James says it should be when we hear a word from God. Our actions will prove if we were really listening.

It’s really not enough to read the Bible if I don’t allow it to change me. I can hear a lifetime of sermons, but gain nothing from them. I must not only hear the word, but truly listen and do what it says.

As a teacher, I am used to being the one talking and delivering that oh so important information. I don’t practice listening as much as I do talking! And I know I need to improve my listening skills. I’m positive that God agrees! I know I need to do a better job of listening intently for His voice and then doing whatever it is I heard from Him.

Father, thank you for Your patience with me and my inattentiveness to Your voice. Help me to remember to stop and listen for You today, and grant me the courage I need to step out in faith and follow Your instructions.

For Small Groups:
Share a strategy that you use in your classroom that helps students to listen and follow directions. Is there something we can learn from your strategy that would help us with our spiritual listening?