What Is That Smell?!

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14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 2 Corinthians 2:14-15

Spring is in the air! This year there seem to be so many vibrant, colorful blooms everywhere! I have heard many commenting especially on how beautiful the lilac bushes are this year. My mom has a lilac bush in her yard, and it is loaded with blossoms. Not only are they beautiful to look at, but they also smell so lovely!

Sometimes around this time of year, I’ve noticed the classrooms in our building seem to also have a strong aroma. Unfortunately, it is not usually a pleasant scent! Lots of warm, sweaty bodies in a closed room will create a memorable fragrance of their own.

A week or two ago, for some reason, the smell of the cafeteria lunch was unusually strong in our hallways. I do not know why, but it was pungent. I think it was the smell of the corn that was served that day that was permeating the hallways, but I'm not really certain. I happened to be in the hallway as several of the youngest classes were entering the hallways to wash and head to lunch. The smell was so noticeable that every class of students immediately asked, “What is that smell?!” Many of the students even pulled their shirts up over their noses or pinched their nostrils against what was, to them, a very offensive odor.

Smells often have a very strong memory trigger for most of us. My daughter was chewing a piece of gum in our van this weekend, and the spearmint-y smell sparked a conversation about my grandmother, who often bears the same spearmint-y smell because of the cream she uses to ease her arthritis pain.

There are probably many smells to which you have a strong memory attached, as well. Maybe a perfume or soap of a loved one. Maybe a special scent from a holiday tradition that you grew up with. Maybe a particular flower that is a favorite. Maybe it’s a specific food smell that is deeply connected to a memory for you. When you catch even a tiny whiff of one of these smells, you probably immediately take a deeper breath to draw in more -- maybe even closing your eyes to intensify that wonderful fragrance and revel in the memories that come flooding back with it.

These verses from 2 Corinthians, chapter 2, say that we (believers and followers of Christ) are a pleasant aroma to God - an aroma that He uses to spread the knowledge of Himself. My “Life Application Bible” has a note that explains this further. It says, “In a Roman triumphal procession, the Roman general would display his treasures and captives amidst a cloud of incense burned for the gods . . . .” We, in Christ, are that treasure to God. I love the thought that God experiences that thrill of pleasure over me!

But I also feel the conviction that I may not be such a pleasing aroma to others around me. When I am critical, when I am negative, when I allow the stress of life’s busy-ness to drain my energy and shorten my temper, I am not likely to be labeled as a “pleasant aroma” to those around me. I am more likely to get the response of the nose-wrinkling, nostril-pinching young students I encountered!

When others see Christ in me, though, that should be a wonderful fragrance that makes them want to inhale deeply and enjoy for a bit. When I am full of His joy and love and peace, that should be just as uncontainable as a strong perfume in the air. It should overflow and be evident to all those around me. It should be something appealing that draws people in and leaves them wanting to experience more.

I pray that I can be more like that each day -- starting today!

God, help me to be a pleasant fragrance to those around me -- a fragrance that draws people to You and helps their knowledge of You to grow. But I can’t do that on my own, Lord. I need You to work in me to make Yourself known. Help me to always cooperate with Your Holy Spirit and teach me to recognize when I am not so that I can be a pleasing aroma to You and to all those around me.

Passports

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” John 11:25-27

My three kids and I have an opportunity to go with a team from our church on a mission trip this summer to Mexico. We are excited about having this chance to go and serve beside a missionary couple that we know personally. But we can’t just buy our plane tickets and go.

First, we all have to apply for and obtain passports. If you’ve never done this, let me tell you, it’s a process. You have to fill out a form. You have to collect and present several documents to prove your identity. If you’re a minor, you have to have both parents in attendance with you ready to sign your forms. And, of course, you have to pay the fees.

But this document, once secured, is critically important to have when traveling out of the country. It is required. No exceptions. It will be checked and inspected and the outcome of your trip depends on it being valid.

As we get nearer and nearer to Easter Sunday -- Resurrection Day -- I find myself thinking a lot about what Jesus did for me when He willingly died on that cross and was raised again. And since I also have all this passport process on my mind, I am realizing some similarities.

In this passage from John 11, Jesus is talking to Martha, whose brother, Lazarus, recently died and was buried. Jesus tells Martha that whoever believes in Him will live. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He goes on to raise Lazarus from the dead later in this chapter. And through His own death and resurrection, He has provided the "passport" to eternal life for us.

Jesus has given us our identity as co-heirs to the kingdom of God. Through our belief in Jesus and His blood shed for us on the cross, Jesus completed our “passports” to eternity. He paid the fees. All we have to do is accept the gift by believing that He is who He says He is--the son of God.

There is no other “document” that we can count on for eternal life. Jesus alone is the way. Our access to eternity in heaven will either be granted or denied based on this one important decision: Do we believe in Jesus and trust Him as our Savior?

If so, we can rest in the glorious promise that Jesus made here to Martha. Jesus is the resurrection and the life! That is certainly something to cherish and hold dear -- way more important than a U.S. passport!

Thank You, Jesus, for submitting to God's perfect plan, for enduring the humiliation, suffering, and pain on the cross, for paying the fees for my sin, that I might know eternal life with You one day.  May I never forget what You have done for me!  Help me to boldly share this gospel with others that they, too, will enter Your kingdom and know eternal life.

The Value of Practice

This time of year is very busy for my family. One son is on the track team (throwing events), one son is on the baseball team and in band, my daughter is on the archery team and is also beginning to practice for softball, plus other school events, church events, and family events. It makes for a very full calendar. I missed writing a post last week - mainly because we were just not at home long enough at any point for me to get it done.

When it comes to sports, most everyone can agree on the value of practice. Even the most gifted athletes need practice, and often, those who aren’t as naturally athletic but are willing to put in the time at practice, those athletes consistently perform well come game time.

In my work at school, I often tell students and their families that the right kind of practice is a crucial key to improving as a reader, too.

A little over two years ago, I decided to take up violin. I expected it to be difficult -- and it is! It is not something that comes naturally to me. But I practice. I practice a lot and would practice more if I were home more. I can tell I definitely have improved, even though I still have a long way to go.

But my practicing took on a whole new level when my instructor asked me to play in a recital she was planning for all her students. Most of my violin playing is “enjoyed” only by myself, any of my family who happen to be home when I practice, and my instructor. I have played once or twice at church, but those pieces were fairly simple. The pieces for the recital were much more difficult. And so I had to step up on the practice. The more I played those pieces, the more comfortable I got with them.

I’m not going to say I wasn’t nervous when I played--because I was! But I made it through my pieces (although not perfectly) that day. And I’m guessing that if I do that again, it might be a little easier for me.

Last week, I studied the story of Rahab from Joshua 2. Rahab was a Canaanite woman who lived in the fortified city of Jericho. She had heard the stories of all the miraculous ways God had taken care of the Israelites, and she believed that God was going to deliver her city of Jericho into the Israelites’ hands.

Rahab hid two Israelite spies in her home and lied to her own king’s men when they came looking for the spies. And then, she asked the spies to spare her and her family when the day came for them to destroy Jericho.

8 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof 9 and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. (Joshua 2:8-9)

12 “Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign 13 that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.” (Joshua 2:12-13)

It wasn’t enough for Rahab to simply believe that God was going to give the Israelites the victory. She acted on it. She put her faith into practice. She was in a very uncomfortable situation, betraying her own people and even risking her life.

And I think God does that with us today, too. I think He gives us uncomfortable situations and opportunities that require us to practice what we are learning from His word. I think that acting on our faith over and over again is a practice that makes us stronger and more useful in God’s kingdom. Each time we step out in faithful obedience, God proves Himself trustworthy, and that helps our faith to grow stronger so that the next time we are called to step out, it’s a little bit easier to do.

We know from Matthew’s genealogy that Rahab later married into the Israelite community and was one of the ancestors of King David, and of Jesus (Matthew 1:5). This story from Joshua 2 is just the beginning of her faith journey, even though we don’t know much more about her. But we do know she practiced her faith and was saved, and she was used by God. Because her story is recorded, she is still being used by God today.

I want to be like that. I want to step out in faith and practice what I believe. I know I often fail, but I know that God is still working, and each time I step out, I learn to trust Him more. I don’t know what God might be doing in your life right now, but I pray that you will also have the desire to be faithful - even if it is something small. May we all be found practicing our faith this week.

Heavenly Father, You are always faithful. You are able to take care of us, no matter what our situation may be. You are always working things for our good, and we can trust You. Help us to practice our faith in You. Help us to be like Rahab - to not only believe with our hearts and minds, but to act on those beliefs, too. Help us to be obedient when You call us to step out into uncomfortable situations so that we can honor You and bring You glory! Thank You for growing our faith!

Daffodils

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16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

One of the first signs of spring’s arrival around my house is the appearance of the daffodils. Many years ago, a dear lady gave me some bulbs that she had dug up to thin out her beautiful flower beds. Some of the bulbs were daffodils, and I put them out in a flower bed on the south side of our house. I have struggled with that particular flower bed, though, (that may be a topic for another day!) and last summer I decided to dig up those bulbs and move them.

I had several bunches of daffodils in that bed, spread down the length of it, and I put that shovel to work digging up daffodil bulbs in a large circle in each place I knew the daffodils had come up each year. Then, I transplanted those bulbs to a different flower bed.

But guess what came up in that bed on the south end of my house this year? Yup! Daffodils! I was just sure that I had gotten all the bulbs out of that bed, but I was so surprised to see them again this spring -- and not just one or two here or there! I have several healthy bunches again, right where they were before. (Plus the ones I transplanted in the other bed -- they came up, too!)

Sometimes God surprises me like that. In a situation where I’ve given up and was completely convinced that the situation was a hopelessly dead end, He was still busy at work breathing life and growing things beneath the surface of the visible.

Those bulbs lie dormant for most of the year. They come up early each spring, bloom for a short time, and then seem to do nothing until the next spring comes around again.

In my work at school, it sometimes seems very much like nothing is happening. Scores don’t improve. Data shows little to no progress. Sometimes, scores even drop! Behaviors continue or re-surface. Attitudes and motivation plummet.

This happens in other areas of my life, too. All kinds of situations that seem to be dead ends - where nothing is changing that I can see - make me lose heart and become discouraged. The illness of a loved one that just can’t quite be overcome, the heartache of broken relationships that just never improve, yet another financial set-back that eats up the meager savings, the choices of a loved one that keep pulling them down paths you never wanted to see them traveling. It is difficult to remain faithful and trust God to work in these situations.

But then, I will get a little glimpse of something blooming. There’s nothing like the cheery yellow daffodil blooms to lift your spirits after a long winter! And there’s nothing quite like a little glimpse of progress in my students to keep me going, or a little glimmer of hope that God is working to answer my prayers.

And I am so very thankful that God continues to move and work in my life and in the lives of those around me, even when that work is invisible to me. You just never know where and how God is working in the lives of others around you, until suddenly, something sprouts and blooms!

And sometimes I need the reminder to be patient and wait for God to reveal the work that He’s been doing all along.

I need to remember that God is not limited to what I can see. Just because I can’t see the results, that doesn’t mean God isn’t working. God can breathe life into the most hopeless situations. But it may not be on my schedule, and it may not be where or how I expect it. I need to learn to do as Paul writes and fix my eyes “not on what is seen, but what is unseen.” I need to continue to focus on those things that make a difference for eternity. I need to have the faith to know that God is working, even when I can’t see it.

Father God, I praise You for Your unlimited power to work and redeem even the most hopeless situations in our lives! Help us to trust You more when we cannot see Your hand at work. Help us to fix our eyes on what is unseen and of eternal importance. Increase our faith in Your perfect ways and perfect timing. Help us to not lose heart, but to live a life pleasing to You and guided by Your Holy Spirit. Continue to breathe life into our dormant places that we might bloom for Your glory.

Remember Your Purpose

10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

At our school, we have agreed upon some common expectations and common language to use when we describe them to the students. One of those expectations is to “remember your purpose.”

Students are loud in the hallway? They are reminded to “remember your purpose.” Students goofing around in the cafeteria? They are told to “remember your purpose.” You get the idea.

I was using this language in my classroom last week when a group started to get off task. I said to them, “Guys, I really need you to remember your purpose today. We have a lot of work to do, and I need you to remember why you are here.”

And then I thought, “Hm. Seems like I need that reminder, too.” It’s easy for me to get side-tracked at school by focusing only on my school purpose. Yes, it is very important that I do all I can do to help my students master the state standards, that I cover the curriculum they need to be successful, that I work hard to help my students improve each day. But Paul writes in Ephesians that I have another God-given purpose: to do the good works He has prepared in advance for me to do.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:14-16:
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

I was listening to a podcast last week from pastor Tony Evans, and in it he used a light bulb as an illustration that stuck with me. He said that a light bulb that isn’t giving off light is not fulfilling the purpose for which it was created. If it’s sitting in the package, if it’s not correctly connected to the source of electricity, or if it’s not turned on, that bulb is not doing what it was meant to do.

If we are created to glorify God through our good deeds and works, then I want to remember to fulfill that purpose all day, every day. But, just like my students, I often need to be reminded of that purpose. Maybe you do, too?

Father God, thank You for creating us with a purpose! Help us to find the way to those works that You have already prepared in advance for us to do. Help us to see how You have gifted us and prepared us to do those works, and help us to obediently step out and complete those good deeds. Keep us focused and ready at all times to heed Your promptings. And thank You for the way You use others to remind and encourage us along the way! We want to be lights shining for You!

Losing an Hour

4 “Show me, Lord, my life’s end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting my life is.
5 You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Everyone is but a breath,
even those who seem secure.  Psalm 89: 4-5

Daylight Savings Time began last weekend, and I’m still trying to adjust. Losing an hour sounds like it shouldn’t be a deal, but my body is still struggling to get used to waking up while it is still very dark.

I’ve been thinking about that this week. Losing an hour is something I complained about over the weekend. And then my phone gave me this screen time report update. Wow. I was surprised at how much time it said I spent on my phone over the last week.

Time is such a precious commodity, and yet I am not always careful with it. It is easy to lose track of time when I’m doing something I enjoy - like reading a book on one of my phone's e-reader apps. And I know we all need some of that down time to relax and de-stress. But I know there are times when I don’t devote myself to deliberately using my time productively.

At school, I am very mindful of the minutes I have with my students, and I try to do my best to make sure I use those minutes well. I try to have materials organized, copies made, technology set up, and my lessons all prepped and ready to go, so that as soon as the students enter the room we can focus on their learning.

But once the school day is done, I don’t maintain that same mindset. And I’m feeling this week like God is reminding me to use my time wisely! We often praise students for using their time well at school, and I’ve had many conversations with students and their parents over the years about improving the use of time given to work at school.  But I'm afraid this is an area where I could be marked "Needs Improvement."

The Psalmist asked God to show him just how fleeting his life was. In all our busy-ness and our schedules full of various activities, it is easy to lose track of the time God has given us. We don’t know what tomorrow holds, and I want to live each day focused on those things which are truly important for eternity. But I am very easily distracted.

So today I am praying this prayer from Psalm 89 - that God would help me to remember how short life really is - so that I can remember to use my time to do what I can do to honor Him. I don’t want to lose an hour that I could be using for His glory, but I may need you to help remind me!

God, help us remember how precious our time is -- how limited it is. Help us to be more deliberate with our time so that we can further Your kingdom and bring You glory. Grow in us the desire to spend our time with You and Your Word so that we can be more useful to You while we’re on this earth.  Give us Your wisdom as we make decisions about how to use the time You give us.

Long Seasons

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I have a new appreciation for how the residents of Narnia must have felt during the reign of the White Witch. I am tired of all this cold and snowy weather. I mean, it is March, after all! It is time for spring to do its thing already. Even the kids are groaning at the forecasts of another snowstorm!

Sometimes, we have seasons in our lives that are like this, too. Seasons that are difficult and trying and that just don’t seem to end.

And when there is no way to know when it might end, enduring becomes a challenge. It’s the uncertainty of a diagnosis, the unknown time before finding a new job, the unsure outcome of a loved one’s struggle with addiction, the unforeseeable future in a relationship in trouble. It’s wondering if you’re ever going to catch up on the mountain of bills, if you’re ever going to have a spouse, or if you’re ever going to have a baby. These situations (and more like them) can be like a winter that just won’t end.

I’ve been studying the story of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and subsequent wandering in the desert after they failed to trust God’s promises to give them the already inhabited promised land. Over and over again, God provided for the Israelites. He miraculously gave them water, food, and victory over much stronger enemies. He led them through the wilderness with a visible cloud during the day and fire by night.

Then in Numbers 13 and 14, God sends 12 spies into Canaan to scout it out and report back to the assembly. God is ready to lead them into this fertile land and has promised to give them victory over the people already living there. Twelve spies went, and ten came back saying they could not possibly defeat the people in Canaan.

I always feel so bad for Joshua and Caleb in this story. Apparently, these two men were the only two who trusted God enough to obey Him. But because everyone else in the community allowed their fear to overcome their faith in God, even these two faithful men had to wander around in the desert for an additional forty years until all the other adults died. I mean, wow.

It wasn’t their fault, but they were stuck in a long season of waiting just the same. And I know that’s true for many people who are feeling stuck today, too. But God never left them. He never forgot His promises to these two faithful men. And eventually, they both crossed the Jordan River and saw God fulfill those promises. And during those forty years, Joshua continued to serve God by helping Moses. (We don’t know as much about Caleb, but we know he continued to follow God faithfully, also.) During that time, God prepared Joshua to be the one who would lead the people in battle over and over again as God gave them the promised land one piece at a time.

This is so encouraging to me! Even in the difficult seasons of my life that seem to drag on, God is with me and He is working in and around me to fulfill His good purposes. I have hope because I know that God is good and He wants good things for me. Right now our world is broken by sin, but He has promised that one day, He will make all things new.

Jeremiah 29:11 is a favorite verse of many, including me. Jeremiah prophesied to the Israelites about their fall to the Babylonian Empire, but he also prophesied about the end of that season of captivity. He proclaimed a message from God that was full of hope:

10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  Jeremiah 29:10-13

I’m fairly confident that this winter weather won’t last too much longer, and I will definitely be rejoicing when spring really begins! But more than that, I am confident that whatever season you may be in right now, you can have hope because God has a plan for you, too. He is not hiding, but He does want us to seek Him with all our heart. He wants to use even the long, difficult seasons to draw us closer to Him. I don’t know about you, but I really want to be faithful like Joshua and Caleb even in the challenges of life.

Lord, help us to trust You more each day. Help us to see Your hand at work around us and to know that You have a good and perfect plan for us -- to know how much You love us and want to give us hope and a future. And help us to know how to help each other to make it through the difficult seasons that stretch on and on. May we be encouragers to one another and remind each other of Your love and Your hope and Your joy!