Is It Enough?

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Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 1 Corinthians 4:2

Now that we’re all staying home, I find myself at a bit of a loss. I am worried about all of my students who are not getting the reading lessons that I feel like they need. There really isn’t much I can do about the schools being closed, but am I doing enough to help my students?

I spent the first week and a half at home wondering what to do for my students. Should I try to contact families and see if any of them want to try to do remote learning lessons? I know that many of the families in our district do not have reliable high-speed internet that makes this kind of lesson possible. Should I offer it anyway? Will any of the parents be interested, or are they already overwhelmed with the school work they are trying to do each day? Is it fair to those who can’t do it to offer it to those who can?

I was talking to my parents about this dilemma. My dad basically said, “Seems like you should look at it like you are helping those that you can help.”

I know there are many teachers out there right now feeling down and discouraged because they can’t help every student in their class right now like they normally would. There are also parents out there who feel like they are not helping their own children enough with all the school work. There are probably many healthcare professionals with limited supplies who are feeling like they are not doing enough.

I feel like this verse from 1 Corinthians chapter 4 is a good reminder for me. It says that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. But it does not say that those who have been given a trust must produce results on their own!

I can contact my students’ parents. I can offer to help. I can share information about resources available to them right now. But I cannot force them to respond. I cannot make them take advantage of my offers of help. And no one else expects me to do more than offer what I can.

In our spiritual walk, it is the same. God calls us to be obedient to Him. He is very clear in the Bible about how we should treat others with love and compassion, how we should humbly serve and pray for others, how we should share truths from His word, how we should seek Him above all else, and more. We are expected to be obedient in all the things He has taught us through His word. But we are not responsible for any specific outcome of that obedience.

We can share the truth, but if people reject the truth, we have still been faithful. We are to be faithful with what we have been given, faithful to do what we can do. We do not have to conjure up gifts we have not been given. We do not have to create any effect by our own efforts. We are expected to obediently do what we can and to trust God to create the results in His perfect ways and His perfect timing.

Let me encourage you tonight, friends. Be faithful with what you’ve been given, do what you can do, and trust God to take care of the rest.

Father God, we are discouraged because of our current situation. We feel unable to do the things we would normally do to help others around us. Help us to be creative in finding new ways to serve others, but help us to trust You more to take care of the results. Help us to be faithful. Lead and guide us so that we clearly understand what we can and should do to be obedient to You. Thank You for the opportunities You give us to be faithful and to see You work in ways we never dreamed possible. Give us a glimpse of that this week, Lord. Help us to see You at work all around us. May You receive glory and honor and praise for all You do!

Peace in Uncharted Waters

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7

I didn’t write anything last week to post here. There has been so much going on in our world due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, and it has thrown me, honestly. There are more questions than answers. Suddenly, we are all staying home in an effort to contain this virus. Although I do love to be at home, it is not our normal routine. It has been shocking and completely unexpected.

And it is quiet here at home. Right now my kids are still in bed, so I am the only one up. I hear my clock ticking. I hear the birds chirping outside. The clicking keys of my keyboard seem very loud!

But in my mind, it is not quiet. My mind is a raucous cacophony of questions and worries and whiny complaints, of unsettled fears and even anger. Although there is definitely concern about the illness and whom it might affect in my life, I am not as worried about getting ill as I am about the effects of this period of social distancing. I worry about our finances; I worry about my kids missing school for an extended time; I worry about my students not getting the instruction I want to be giving them. I am saddened and even angry, at times, by the thoughts of all the canceled activities and events that my kids can’t participate in. As a mom of a senior in high school, those thoughts hit me really hard sometimes. This is not how his senior year was supposed to go.

My school administrators keep saying that we are in "uncharted waters."  And I think we all feel like that. There are so many unknowns that it overwhelms me. How long will this last? How will I teach my students from home if this continues? Will there be enough groceries when I next go to the store? Will someone I love become seriously ill?

I’ve been trying to get out and walk every day, which is difficult with all the rain this week. But due to all that rain, the ditches and little brooks along my walk are full of running water. And in the quiet of my solitary walks, I listen to its bubbling and rushing. I watch it as it flows along. It’s a peaceful sound to me, a calming sight. It’s a reminder that there are seasons when the water rushes, but other seasons where the water slows. It makes me think of the shushing sounds I have always made to calm my crying children. “Shhh. It’s ok. You’re alright. I’m here. I’ve got you. Shhh.”

And I need the reminder that God is still here. The Lord is near. And He is still in control. He is bigger than all of this. He is the unmoveable rock in the middle of the rushing water. He is not shaken or surprised by anything. He is at work even when I can’t see what He is doing. He has a plan, and His good and perfect will always prevails.

And because I know these things with certainty, I have His peace. Yes, I may experience difficulties. Struggles and challenges will come along in this life -- maybe even in this season right now. But He is with me always, and I don’t need to be anxious. I don’t need to be afraid. And when those feelings rise up and swamp my mind, I can go to Him. I can fill my mind with thoughts of His love and His power instead of my fears, and He will give me peace.

I pray that you know Him like this, that you, too, can turn to the Lord and find His peace. If you read the next few verses in Philippians 4, Paul tells us to fill our minds with truth, with thoughts that are pure and good. That’s how I battle against the fear that the enemy tries to plant in my mind -- a mind filled with God’s truth and goodness leaves no room for fear. But I have to intentionally fill my mind with pure and noble and praiseworthy thoughts. These are the truths that bring me peace. I pray that you know that peace today, too.

Father God, we need You. We need Your presence and Your stability. We have peace because of Your faithfulness. We know that You are in control even in the midst of so many uncertainties. Help us to fill our minds with Your truth and turn over all our anxieties to You. Thank you for giving us Your peace. We pray that You will be merciful and heal and sustain our nation and our communities and that You will bring solutions quickly to end the spread of this virus. And in the meantime, help us to trust You and to be faithful to the work You have called us to do -- that we would be a light in the darkness and use each opportunity to fill the world with Your love.

Pressing On!

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14

We have made it to the end of third quarter in my school building. That means that we are definitely on the downhill slide to the end of the school year, but it also means that many of us are feeling tired. Tired of fighting the same battles with our students day after day. Tired of the same behaviors from our students. Tired of the same attitudes, the same arguments, the same exhausting cycles, the same difficulties and learning challenges.

How many times can I say the exact same thing?! How many days do I have to have the same conversation!? How many ways can I teach this particular skill?

Honest truth here: some days it is so very tempting to just give up--to quit fighting that fight, to stop attempting to create change, to move on to a new skill even though the old one still isn’t mastered.

I have one particular group that has been a bit discouraging to me this year. I am teaching them some very foundational reading skills, and we are at the point where we have finished one step and assessed their learning. And they didn’t meet the minimum requirements necessary to go on to the next step.

It’s discouraging. I want to push on and keep teaching them new things, but they haven’t really mastered the “old” things yet. I know it’s not really best for them to move on, but I would really like to move on.

In my position, I sometimes have the unique opportunity to work with the same students for multiple years. I have a student with whom I have been working for almost four school years now. When we started our work, this student was really struggling to read even the most basic materials. When I started with this student, another school employee asked me if I really thought this student would learn to read. This employee made the comment that this student may be one who just never really learns to read.

But I disagreed. I said, with conviction, that I did not believe that was true. I believed this student could and would learn to read, but I admitted even then that I knew it was not going to be easy, and it was not going to be quick.

And it wasn’t. We have worked really hard for the last three and three-quarters school years and even over the summers. And we are not done even now. But today I saw some test results that showed big gains in this student’s reading level! I was so excited!

And I needed that reminder today. I needed to remember that sometimes the results are long in the making, that some goals take a long time to reach and cannot be rushed, and that you absolutely cannot reach a goal if you give up along the way.

I have no doubt that everyone reading this post has some sort of situation that has us exhausted and discouraged and doubting whether it will ever change. Maybe you are a teacher and you are worn out with a particular student situation. Maybe you are a mom struggling to keep on with a challenge from your own children. Maybe it’s a work situation - something with a boss or a co-worker. Maybe it’s a family situation - a sibling or a parent. Maybe it’s a spouse that has you worn slick. Maybe it’s something else altogether.

Whatever it is, don’t give up! Press on! Keep seeking God’s wisdom to know how to deal with the situation. Keep asking for resolution in prayer. Keep doing your best to do the things you know you need to be doing. Don’t give up. God is still working - in you and through you. Press on towards the goal! God is with you!

Father God, thank You for Your presence in the midst of the challenges of life. Show us more of You this week. Be with each one reading this right now and grant them wisdom in their difficult situations. Give them a glimpse of the impact they are making to encourage them this week. Grant us the strength to persevere when we feel like giving up. Help us, like Paul, to press on to take hold of that for which You took hold of us. Thank You for Your faithfulness and Your never-failing love!

Applying the Lessons

12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Philippians 2:12-13
In my small group instruction each day, I teach my students some very basic strategies to help them read words accurately. One of the strategies I teach my older students is how to divide a longer, unknown word into syllables. It can be quite a tedious process to teach this breaking of a word into its syllables because there are several steps, and there are some points where they need to learn some knowledge about words and their parts in order to complete the process successfully.

But what I know is that if they take the time to learn this process really well, so that they can do it independently, it will help them so much! So I take the time to teach them, and they participate each day in the process. And when they are in my room and that is what we are focusing on, they have it. They can do it.

But here’s an important part that many of my students seem to miss. In order for this strategy to be helpful to them, they have to use it all the time -- when I’m in the room with them, and when they are reading in their classrooms on their own or at home. Knowing how to do this doesn’t help them one bit if they don’t actually follow through and use it on their own. And it is very frustrating to watch a student struggle to read a word that you know they have the ability to read, if they would just apply what they’ve been taught.

There are a few of these older students that I see at two different times during the school day -- once for grade-level reading instruction and once for specific work in word study/phonics and fluency. And it always amazes me that when they are reading from their grade-level reading textbooks, they rarely apply the things they are learning during our word study/phonics lessons. They will get stuck reading a word, and I will prompt them to use the strategies they’ve learned. That’s when I usually get a big sigh and an eye roll.

So when I read these verses from Paul during a Wednesday night Bible study time at church, I was instantly convicted. Paul was reminding the people of the church at Philippi to continue to obey in the things they had learned when Paul was with them, even though he was no longer there. Just because the man who was teaching them was gone physically from their presence, they had no excuse not to continue to live out what he had taught them.

God’s Holy Spirit is constantly teaching me, too, and I am quite certain there are many times He is frustrated with me for not using what He has been teaching me. When I am sitting at my computer typing a devotion, when I am studying my Bible at home or at church, when I am teaching my Sunday School class and discussing the scriptures with others, the lessons seem so clear! But when I walk into my day, when I leave the church building, when the Bible is left on my bookshelf while I go “do life,” how easy it is to forget to use what I have been taught!

God has a good purpose for us.  He wants us to fulfill that purpose.  He teaches us and speaks to us to help us along the way, but at some point we have to put those lessons into action.  If I'm going to experience life as God intends -- if I want to be a blessing to someone else along the way as God has planned ahead, then I must obey in the things He has taught me.

Lord, forgive me for so often doing just what my students do - so often I fail to apply what You have taught me when I am in the midst of my days. Thank You for Your gentle reminders and constant patience with me!

Trusting His Authority

When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. 2 There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” 6 So Jesus went with them.

He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” 10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well. Luke 7:1-10

This week I have been challenged more than once by a particular student who would really like to be in charge. Sometimes it pushes my buttons. I try to always respond calmly, but after the umpteenth time of listening to arguments erupt over whose turn it is to be leader, my patience wears thin. Today, I found myself saying very firmly in a raised voice, “If you don’t stop arguing about this, then no one will get to be the leader.” At that, things got quiet for a minute. Finally, I thought, they are recognizing my authority!

But then, not even 15 minutes later, when I corrected a student and prompted her to do something the correct way, she responded with, “But that’s not the way I do it!” She didn’t really care that she wasn’t doing it the way I was asking her to. She wanted to do it her own way - it was easier for her and more comfortable, and she liked it that way, even though it wasn’t correct.

This week, I studied the story of the centurion and how Jesus responded to him.

This Roman centurion was a man who understood authority. He lived it in his military position every day. He expected those under his authority to obey his commands, just as he obeyed the commands of those in authority over him.

And when he sent these Jewish leaders to Jesus to ask Jesus to heal his sick servant, he understood that Jesus was the ultimate authority. He didn’t need Jesus to physically show up at his house. The centurion knew that all Jesus had to do was give the command, and it would be done.

And did you catch how Jesus felt about that? He was amazed at this man’s faith, and the centurion’s servant was healed. I don’t think very many people did or said things that amazed Jesus, but this centurion’s statement of faith in Jesus’ authority made an impression.

It makes me stop and think about my own faith. Am I more like my students, arguing and attempting to always do things my way? Or am I submitted fully to the Lord’s ultimate authority over my life? Am I willing to let Him be in control and completely confident that my requests in His hands will be handled in the very best way, according to His will?

My students don’t always understand why I ask them to do the things I ask them to do. They don’t always see the plan I have that will ultimately help them be more successful at school. Sometimes, they trust me and do it the way I ask. Sometimes, they do it the way I ask just because I’m the teacher and they know they could get in trouble if they don’t. Sometimes, they stubbornly refuse to do what I ask.

And yes, I am relating to that struggle tonight. Sometimes I don’t want to do things the way God asks, even though I know I should. I know He is trustworthy. I know His ways are always best. I know that He knows and sees things that I can’t even begin to understand, but I still struggle to lay aside my own agenda and let Him be in charge of my life.

Lord, help me to have faith like the centurion. Help me to trust You and submit to Your authority in my life every day.

Asking for Band Aids

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9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:9-11

Last week, I had a group of younger students around my table when suddenly one student held out her hand and exclaimed, “I’m bleeding!” I glanced at her palm, and sure enough, there was a small spot of blood. It looked like just a small scratch, but over the years, I have learned that sometimes it’s easier to offer a quick bandage and roll on. And I knew that this student was not likely to let it go with a quick, “You’ll be fine.”

So I told her to wait just a minute until we had finished an activity, and then I would get a bandage out of my desk for her. She calmed quickly, and we continued our activity. I walked to my desk, got a band aid, and returned to the table.

But when I asked her to show me where she was bleeding again so that I could place the bandage on it, instead of showing me her palm, she tilted her head back and pointed up her nostril!

“Wait a minute,” I said. “I thought your hand was bleeding. Are you telling me that it was from your nose?”

“Uh huh.”

“And you want me to put a band aid on your nose?” I asked.

She nodded in response, eyes wide, and lower lip protruding.

But there was no way I was doing that. I bit back a laugh and told her I could not put a bandage on her nose. Instead, I directed her to get a tissue and use some hand sanitizer!

I knew that a band aid was really just to make her feel better, and I was willing to put one on her hand. But a band aid over a nostril is just not going to help anything. There definitely would have been laughter at her expense, and I really doubt she would have felt better at that point.

She didn’t really need a band aid. She needed to keep her finger out of her nose -- and possibly some relief from the very dry winter air we’ve been experiencing lately.

And right about here is where I start thinking about some of the things I ask God for. How many of those things are really just to make me feel better? How many of those things wouldn’t even be necessary if I had handled the situation better in the first place? How many of those requests would end up being something that would cause me more grief in the long run?

I am so thankful that God, in His infinite wisdom and abundant love for me, answers my prayers with what I need instead of just giving me what I ask for. I am so thankful that I can completely trust Him with my requests, knowing that He will not simply grant me everything I ask for just because I asked for it. Instead, sometimes, He hands me the tissue and the hand sanitizer because that is exactly what I need.

Lord, thank you for answering my prayers the way that only You can -- knowing exactly what I really need even when I don’t. Help me to trust You more each day and to understand that when You don’t answer the way I am asking You to, that it is because You know what is best for me, and You love me too much to give me anything else.

The Greatest Is Love

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If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. 1Corinthians 13:1-8a

One of my students stopped our lesson today to tell me all about how excited she was to go home after school. When I asked why, she said, “Because after school I get to decorate my Valentime's box!” There was going to be tissue paper and special stickers, and she just couldn’t wait!

One of the reasons I think the students get so excited about Valentine's Day is because they really enjoy giving each of their classmates a little treat. They enjoy getting the little cards with their corny jokes and showing each other a little love.

It has me thinking about showing love to others. It’s pretty easy to say the words, but it is not always easy to live it out. And yet, that is what Jesus taught us to do. The greatest commandments, Jesus said, are to love God and love our neighbor (see Matthew 22).

Paul really explains what it looks like to love in 1 Corinthians 13. Love should be patient, kind, protective, trusting, hoping, persevering. Love should not be envious, boastful, proud, dishonoring, self-seeking, easily angered. And Paul says if we do good things, but do them without love, those good things are worthless. Like, really worth nothing. Meaningless. Save your energy because without love it’s just noise.

I have to be honest, I can easily slip into the habit of doing things without love. Sometimes I do things that I know I should do, but in my heart, there is pride and selfishness. There is anger and score-keeping. The “good thing” I do is not an expression of love, but an act done for recognition or to uphold a certain image. Maybe I even do a “good thing” to try to elevate my own status above someone else’s.

I don’t want to be like that. I try really hard not to be like that. But sometimes, I’m like that anyway. And that is not love.

But sometimes I am so overcome by the love Jesus has shown me that I can’t help but show that love to someone else. I want to be the woman patiently waiting in the grocery check-out line with a smile and a bit of conversation. I want to be the one anonymously giving generously to help someone with a need. I want to be the friend that protects others, gives the benefit of the doubt, reacts with grace, and easily lets go if wronged.

I’m definitely not there yet, but God is still working on me. He has shown me so much grace and love -- over and over again! When I remember how God loves me, it makes it much easier to show love to others.

So this “Valentime's” Day, I hope that you receive God’s amazing love! But I also hope that we can all take a minute to show that kind of love to the others around us. What a difference we could make in this world if we could only learn how to be better at loving one another!

Father God, thank You for the gift of Your great love!  Help us to examine our hearts this week and to see our true motives.  Help us to be the kind of people who truly love others as You love.  Make our hearts more like Yours.

Desiring More

When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” John 5:6
Every two weeks or so in my classroom, I take a day to check progress. I don’t teach much, if any, on these days. Instead I take the time to assess each student individually with a quick, timed reading passage or word list or alphabet list -- whatever matches what the group is working on.

The students have charts where they track their results each time, and I have a bulletin board where they get to put stickers when they improve.

Most of my students are not reading on grade level, and although I never point that out or discuss that with them, they seem to know. They want to get better, though.

They don’t always want to do the work. But they do want to get better. And sometimes I have to remind them of how our daily work is designed to help them get better. Sometimes a reminder of the goals we have is enough to help them push through when the work is hard and/or monotonous.

I’m like that, too, in my spiritual life. I want to be better. I want to be closer to the Lord. I want to have more faith. I want to share my faith with others more. I want more fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). But I don’t always want to do the work.

Now, please don’t hear me saying we have to earn our salvation -- we are saved by grace through faith, but there is effort required on our part to grow in our spiritual journey. We have to work with the Holy Spirit as He continues to work in us.

I read a passage of scripture this morning from John 5. It tells the story of Jesus healing a man who was lying beside the pool of Bethesda. People who needed healing would sit near this pool watching for the waters to be stirred up by an angel of the Lord. When the waters stirred, the first one to enter the water would be healed.

Jesus met a man there who had been paralyzed for 38 years. And after learning this, the first thing Jesus does is ask him if he wants to get well.

Now why would Jesus ask that? It seems like it would be pretty obvious that he wanted to get well. That’s why he sat near the pool, right? I wonder if Jesus was challenging the man’s thinking as He sometimes challenges mine. For instance, I have not been exercising for quite some time, and I have gained some weight. If someone were to ask me if I wanted to lose those extra pounds, I would absolutely say, “Yes, of course!” But if someone asked me if I was willing to do what was required in order to lose that weight, I know I couldn’t answer that the same way.

I could easily say I want to improve my skills on guitar or violin or piano. Sure, I want to play better! But am I willing to put in the practice time that becoming better will require? Um, maybe? Sometimes? Ok, no, not really!

Later, Jesus speaks with this man again at the temple, and Jesus tells him to stop sinning or something worse may happen to him (verse 14). See, there was something in this man’s life that was holding him back -- we aren’t told exactly what that was. But Jesus was asking him to give it up.

In order to grow, I have to give things up -- attitudes, thoughts, activities -- that keep me from making progress. Things that take my time and attention off of Jesus. And I have to replace those things with more positive, productive alternatives.

And that requires some effort and dedication. It requires some commitment. Maybe even some sacrifice. But is it worth it? I guess that depends on if I really want to get well.

Father God, I know that You are working on me, and I know that sometimes I need a push in order to do the things that I need to do in order to grow. Help me to do the things that are necessary to cooperate with your Holy Spirit so that I can be more like You. Create in me the urgent desire to change that is required. Thank You for always being present and for Your desire to see me become stronger in my faith and more mature in my spiritual life.

A Snowflake Lesson

20 But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use? Romans 9:20-21

Recently, some of my students at school read about a man that you may not be familiar with. His name was Wilson Bentley, and he lived from 1865-1931. Even without the help of today’s technology, he spent many, many hours of his life using micro-photography to capture pictures of individual snow crystals to share with the world. And his photographs are amazingly beautiful! Even more so when I learned the lengths he had to go to in order to create them.

He took many, many pictures over the years, but he never found two snow crystals that were identical. They are all beautiful, and they all share some similar characteristics, but each one is uniquely designed. He studied the weather and found that even slight differences in the atmosphere - humidity, air pressure, wind, etc. - created differences in the patterns of the snow crystals.

Today our school dismissed early because it snowed. I love to watch it falling, but as I watched today, I also thought about Bentley’s snowflake pictures and just how many individual designs there were piling up on our landscape. And although they are beautiful all piled together and covering everything with their white blanket, I can’t really see the individual beauty of each snowflake from my window. I can’t appreciate the delicate patterns that make each one special without some special equipment and a commitment of time.

I think I am like that with people, too. I know that God has created each person with individual differences that make us each special and one-of-a-kind. But I don’t think I always take the time to appreciate that. Especially when it comes to my own design.

I am pretty aware of my own strengths and weaknesses, but I have to say that I probably focus more on my weaknesses than my strengths. Those are pretty easy for me to rattle off - even if some of them are hard to own. However, when it comes to those around me, I tend to see more of their strengths than their weaknesses.

For me, that is usually a comparison where I come out the loser. I think things like, “My coworker is so organized! I wish I was more like that!” Or, “Man, my friend is so much better at encouraging others than I am!”

But God is showing me that He has created me to be different from any other person. He gave me a unique set of talents and abilities, as well as weaknesses, that make me who I am. He has given me individualized life lessons - challenges and difficulties to overcome and work through - that have changed me and shaped me into the person I am today. And He wants to use all those strengths and weaknesses for His purposes.

Maybe you are like me and don’t always feel like you measure up to those around you. Maybe you sometimes wonder why God made you the way He did instead of making you more like someone else. Maybe you wonder why you have had to endure certain trials and difficulties when others around you have not. Maybe you feel very common when you’d like to be special.

Friends, can I ask you to please read again the scripture at the top of the page? I’ll put it here again for you.

20 But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use? Romans 9:20-21

God created you just as you are. And He has a purpose for your life. He loves you and sees your unique beauty, even if you don’t. You are not just one small snowflake in the middle of a huge drift. You are a special, one-of-a-kind creation, custom-made to fulfill His plan and complete His will. Those trials and difficulties are the environment that have shaped and are still shaping you into the person He has designed you to be.

You are treasured. You are beautiful. You are loved. Just as you are.

And maybe someone else in your life needs you right now. Maybe they need you to notice their beauty - their strengths and gifts - and tell them about it. Maybe someone needs to hear how you endured through something difficult so they can do the same. Maybe God can use you today to encourage and lift up someone else who desperately needs it. Maybe God wants you to use your special gifts and abilities to serve someone else around you and be a blessing to them. Will you allow Him to use you for His purposes today?

Father God, Your creation is so amazing! Your designs astounding in their individualized beauty! Help me to remember that You are my creator - that You created me just as I am on purpose and for Your purposes. I want You to use me today. Show me how to be a blessing to someone else today.

What Do You Expect?

40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10: 40-42
In the world of elementary schools, the word “expectations” gets used often. Teachers are advised to make their expectations clear to their students, both for their school work and for their behavior. In order to be successful, students need to know exactly what is expected of them.

I find as a teacher that I have to clearly define the expectations myself before I can ask students to meet them. I have to understand what the parameters of the assignment are. For example, what are the absolutely necessary components of a well-written essay? What characteristics need to be present in a project or in a student’s behavior in order to be acceptable? Sometimes I don’t realize that I expected something until I saw a product where that thing was missing.

As a student (and now as an employee), I always appreciated it when someone took the time to describe exactly what was expected of me. I felt more confident about my ability to earn a good grade (or evaluation) when I understood what I was supposed to do and how I was supposed to do it. I always want to do a good job, but when “good job” is vague and undefined, I struggle to feel like I am getting it done. That usually results in a frenzied effort to go above and beyond -- just to make sure I make it to that foggy place of “well done.”

And if, after I have exhausted myself trying to do a good job, no one acknowledges my efforts -- or worse yet, criticizes those efforts -- I quickly become overwhelmed by negative emotions. Frustration, resentment, defeat, a critical spirit, unworthiness, and inadequacy rule my heart at that point. I begin to listen to the lies -- You’re not good enough; You’ll never gain approval; No one notices you; No one cares about how hard you’ve worked. No one cares about you.

I know many of you are familiar with the scripture passage above from Luke 10. I suspect that many of you, like myself, identify with Martha in this story. As I was reading this passage this week, Martha’s question posed to Jesus really struck me. I’m paraphrasing here, but she basically said, “Don’t you care that I’m the only one working?” I imagine that she has worked hard for quite some time at this point trying to put together a large banquet-type meal for what could have been a considerable number of people.

But Jesus doesn’t even respond to her question. Instead, He points out that Martha was frustrated because she was doing things He never even asked her to do. He tells her, basically, that she was worried over things that were not needed. 

Did Jesus need to eat? Probably. But did He require a banquet? No. Did He ask for a banquet? No. Did he expect a banquet? I don’t think so. Was it wrong for Martha to want to go above and beyond as she served the Lord and his followers? I’m not sure, but she definitely ended up in the wrong place - worried and frustrated and critical and not in the presence of Jesus.

See, I think Martha expected a lot of herself. It was like she thought she needed to be elaborate with her meal preparations in order to please the Lord-- when, in reality, He would have been pleased had she decided, like Mary, to sit down and be in His presence. I honestly think a simple sandwich after some nice, quality time with Him would have been perfect for Him.

Martha also expected Mary to have the same priorities that she did. She expected Mary to help prepare this elaborate banquet, even though it was apparently Martha who “opened her home” (see verse 38). And when Mary failed to meet her expectations, Martha became frustrated with her as well as with Jesus for not making Mary help her.

This pricks my heart tonight. I am taking a step back to evaluate my own expectations. Am I most concerned about the “one thing” that matters? Am I frustrated because I’m trying to meet unrealistic, unhealthy expectations that I have placed on myself? Am I so distracted and busy “serving the Lord” that I don’t take the time to sit and enjoy His presence? Am I frustrated with others for not meeting my expectations -- even when I haven’t explained those expectations to them? If people around me did what I expected them to do, would they be doing those things that are truly needed? Or would I actually be pulling them away from the things that are most important?

I think I need to begin to regularly ask myself, "What do you expect?"  I don't think it's wrong to have expectations, but I need to be aware of the effects they have on my mind, attitude, and relationships.

Lord, it is easy for me to become frustrated and worried over many things, just like Martha. Thank You for the reminder that only one thing is needed. You are all I need. Help me to be like Mary, taking advantage of the opportunities I have to be with You. Help me to be aware of the times when my expectations are leading me away from You, and guide me back to Your side. Forgive me for holding expectations of others that pull them away from You. Instead, help me to be the one who brings others into Your presence.

The God Who Sees

Photo found: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cayusa/2633408584/in/photostream/

Teachers are trained to build relationships with students, particularly those students whose behavior or lack of motivation makes them more challenging to teach. One of the strategies I have been taught to use is to simply notice things about these students.

“I notice you got your hair cut last night!”

“I have been noticing how you always wait quietly in line.”

“I have noticed that you like to play on the swings at recess.”

Sometimes, all it takes is a few of these “I notice” comments to completely change the dynamic with a student. We all want to know that someone notices us - that someone cares enough to pay attention to what we do.  It doesn't necessarily have to be a compliment or statement of approval, even.  Just letting them know that we see them makes a difference.

In Genesis 16, Abram and Sarai began to doubt God’s word to them that they would have a son. Or at least Sarai doubted that it was to be her son. So she gave Abram her servant Hagar, and when Hagar became pregnant with Abram's child, Sarai mistreated her so much that Hagar ran away.

Caught in the middle of a messy situation that was not of her own design, I can imagine that she felt overwhelmed with loneliness and rejection. She was in a desperate situation with no hope for help from anyone. As she was alone in the desert, however, God spoke to her.  Genesis 16: 7-13 says:

7 The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”

“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.

9 Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” 10 The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”

11 The angel of the Lord also said to her:
“You are now pregnant
and you will give birth to a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,
for the Lord has heard of your misery.
12 He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward all his brothers.”

13 She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”

As much as Hagar felt that she was all alone in the world, God saw her. He saw her pain and her misery, and He made sure she knew it. He didn’t have a completely positive message for her -- although she was promised more descendants than one could count, her son’s future would hold conflict and hostility. And she was instructed to go back and submit to the mistress who had been mistreating her. But Hagar did not despair over those details. She was relieved simply by knowing that God saw her. This knowledge gave her the strength and courage to return and to endure her difficult situation.

You and I may never experience an encounter like Hagar did with the angel of the Lord speaking directly to us, but we can know from her story that our God is a God who sees. He sees our pain and heartache. He sees our past and our future. God is at work in ways we cannot even imagine--maybe He even plans to use the painful trial for His glory and our good.  No matter our situation or how God plans to use it, we are not alone. 

But others around us may very much feel that way. Is it possible that we could speak hope into their lives? Could we bring them some measure of relief simply by noticing their situation, their pain, their heartache? Could God use us to show someone else that He sees them?

I think so, if we are willing to really look at those around me, if we are available and ready to take the opportunity to do so. And I challenge you to do just that this week -- be someone who sees.

God, thank You for always seeing our hearts. Thank You for taking the time to reach out to us and make Your presence known. Help us to be Your messengers this week. Help us to notice the hurting souls around us and to take the opportunity to speak to them. Give us the words they need to hear to bring them Your assurance and Your hope.