Like the Moon

Photo found at: https://c1.staticflickr.com/7/6084/6142430996_37b335c4d0_b.jpg

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine on us—
2 so that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations. Psalm 67:1-2

Last week we had a full harvest moon shining. It was beautiful! I love to gaze out my bedroom window after all the lights are out while the full moon is shining over the landscape. It is amazing how much light there is, especially when you consider that the moon is only reflecting the sun’s light. It is not producing that light on its own. It is only catching the sun’s light and beaming it back at us.

But the moon is not always that bright. At some points in the lunar cycle, the moon is not reflecting light to us at all. Sometimes it’s just a tiny sliver. Other times it is completely, fully aglow with the sun’s light. It all depends on where the moon is along its path around the earth. We can be a reflection of God’s glory to those around us, like the moon reflecting the sun’s light. But in order to do so, we must be in the proper position. We have to be in God’s presence to catch His light, but we do not have to produce the light ourselves.

Moses experienced this in an amazing way. In Exodus 34, Moses spends 40 days on Mt. Sinai receiving God’s Ten Commandments. In verse 29, we read “Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him.” His face was literally shining because he had been in God’s presence -- so much so that the Israelites were afraid to approach him. But then the Israelites came to accept this as a visible sign that Moses had been in God’s presence and had received His word. And in 2 Corinthians 3:13, Paul tells us that Moses used a veil to prevent the Israelites from seeing this glow fade away.

As I reflect on that, I wonder: Do those around me see God’s light shining from me? Does my life reflect His glory? How long does that radiance last before it starts to fade?

I know that some days I do not shine because I do not spend enough time in God’s presence. I want to be alight with God’s love every day, but I don’t always receive that light like I could. And even when I do, it is easy for me to be sidetracked by life and allow that glow to fade away.

I slept too late, so I hurried through my time with God so that I wouldn’t be late to work. I allowed a student or a coworker to dim my light with a few words that made me angry. I hurried past a hurting friend so that I could get something else finished and missed the chance to encourage her. I reacted with harsh words when someone was critical of me. I could go on and on.

So how can I be a better reflection of God’s light? I can play worship music as I get ready in the morning and allow its truth to sink into my heart. I can place scriptures around me to remind me of God’s truth during the day. I can give myself time to meditate on my daily scripture reading and work to memorize those verses. I can sit quietly and listen during my prayer time so that I can hear God’s voice. I can consciously look for ways to minister to those around me through acts of service, encouraging words that build others up, or even a smile and a hug.

It doesn’t take much to make a big difference in someone’s day. I think the key to reflecting God’s light is to allow His Spirit to control, guide, and flow through us. If we are turned towards Him, we can shine with His light.

Lord, help us to be better reflections of You. Help us to be steadfast in our efforts to spend time in Your presence. Teach us to avoid the enemy’s distractions so that we can stay turned towards You. We want to shine Your light in our dark world and spread the love, joy, and peace that You have so graciously given us!

A New Day

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:21-23

A new school year has begun. I love the start of the school year! The rooms and hallways are clean and shiny. The pencils are long and have full erasers. The crayons are all still pointy and sharp. Student desks are neat and tidy, and so is mine!

But the best part of a new year is the energy and excitement in the building. Teachers are excited to get to know their students and try out the wonderful new ideas they’ve planned over the summer. And students are eager to impress and please their new teacher, too. Everyone starts fresh in a new school year. On day one -- even week one or two -- students and teachers alike expect to have good days ahead.

But I know that before long, the new will wear off. The excitement will wane. The students’ best behavior and desire to please are less evident. Things become routine and even that new idea that we are still excited about right now will become mundane.

And if you’ve been in a classroom much at all, you know that over time expectations begin to change. As teachers, we begin to anticipate bad behaviors from certain students, and sometimes we treat them differently because of that. Even when we don’t do it intentionally, we begin to see patterns in our kids’ behavior and start to treat them differently because of it.

I saw a Facebook post that advised teachers to get to know their students without letting last year’s teacher’s opinions taint their own. It said that we should allow each student to start with a clean slate. I wish that was as easy to do as it sounds!

Instead, I often start to view everything that certain students do through a different lens. I start looking for them to misbehave or to have a bad attitude. I start expecting them to make bad choices and be disrespectful--even before they have walked in my classroom. And I start to allow my feelings and irritation change how I interact with that student. I am less patient and kind and more grumpy and short with them.

I was thinking about this today. I realized that God is not like us, and I am so grateful for that! God sees our mistakes and failures and poor choices. He knows all of our sin and bad behavior patterns, but He does not stop loving us because of it. His mercy and compassion is new every morning! He forgives quickly and loves constantly -- every day.

I am going to challenge myself--and you, too. This school year, I want to allow each student (or coworker even) to start fresh each day. I want to show love and mercy and expect good things every day.

We all have bad days, and some of our students have more bad than anyone should have to endure as a child. When they come to us, there is sometimes a whole lot of bad that has happened at home the night before or just that morning. They need me to have God’s grace and mercy in full measure every morning! And that is not going to come naturally! I am going to have to be full of God’s Holy Spirit each day. And that will require some intentional prayer time and meditation on verses like Lamentations 3:21-23.

So let’s pray for one another as we continue through this school year. Let’s pray that we could learn how to wipe those mental and emotional slates clean every morning and greet our students and coworkers with mercy and compassion like God has for us.

Dear, Gracious, Merciful God, grant us the ability to start new every morning in the relationships with our students and coworkers. Help us to remember the amazing grace and mercy that You show us over and over again.  Give us hearts of compassion for those around us. Give us the ability to separate the behavior from the person and to love them like You do.

Preferential Seating

“Come near to God and He will come near to you.” James 4:8a

School is back in session! Welcome back!  

When I was a classroom teacher, I always allowed my students to choose their own desks when they came in with their families for Open House night. As my students came in, I told them to choose a desk, but that I would be moving everyone around very soon.

I don’t remember ever having a student say, “I think I should sit right up front where I can see and hear clearly and have fewer distractions so that I can experience optimal levels of learning.” Ha! Absolutely not! No, no, no. It was all about sitting beside their friends, or people whom they wanted to call friends.

However, being the wise teacher that I was, I knew almost immediately on the first day of school who should likely be separated from whom if there was going to be any learning occurring in the room! And the desks only stayed where they were for about the first two days. After that, I often spent many hours arranging and rearranging the student desks so that each student was in a good spot to be successful in our room.

As the school year progressed, I often had students who were supposed to always be given “preferential seating.” I was supposed to make sure that they were seated in a place in the classroom that helped them to be successful. Often that meant that they needed to be close to me as I was teaching so that I could prompt them to stay on task or explain directions or even just be heard more clearly.

In life, I often get to choose my seat. Sometimes I wonder if I make wise choices about where to sit. Who am I choosing to sit next to? Is it an arrangement that is working for me?

In Luke 10:38-41, we read the story of sisters Mary and Martha. When Jesus came to the home of these sisters, Martha was scurrying around doing all the work of hosting Jesus and his followers, and she became frustrated with her sister because Mary was not helping her. (Am I the only one that relates to her?) This is a familiar story, but when I read it recently, I was struck by the fact that Mary had chosen to sit and listen to Jesus. It wasn’t that Mary just happened to accidentally end up sitting by Jesus. It wasn’t that she was purposely trying to frustrate Martha or that she was avoiding the work Martha was trying to do. Mary recognized the importance of the opportunity she had been given to sit and learn from Jesus, and she took advantage of it.

Friends, Jesus would love for us to choose the seat right next to Him. He wants us to spend more time with Him.

As I think about the school year that has just begun, I know how easy it will be to allow myself to be distracted and pulled away by the many “preparations” that the job requires. I want to continue to make the decision to sit with Jesus each day, to soak up His love and His wisdom, to receive His joy and His peace, to know Him more intimately so I can recognize His voice and obey. I know that if I can commit to spending more time sitting with Jesus this year, not only will I benefit, but so will others around me.

Lord, help me to be more committed to making time to sit with you each day. Thank you for drawing close to us when we draw close to You.

For Serving Unseen . . . Thank You!

1“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."  Matthew 6:1-4

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week! I cannot believe that we are so near to the end of our school year, but here we are. It is so nice to be spoiled all week with lots of treats and meals and jeans days and hand-written thank you notes! Our job is tough, but these little things can be such an encouragement to keep on keepin’ on.

I just want to say thank you to each and every one of the teachers that work with my children. I appreciate all you do--the lesson plans, the grading, the encouragement, the reminders, the challenges to do more, the high expectations you hold them to. Thank you for all the meetings you sit through to become a better teacher for them. Thank you for taking the time to get to know them and their personalities, for learning their strengths and their weaknesses. Thank you for putting up with them on their bad days because I know how trying they can be! Thank you for all you do to help them be successful in school and in life. I can't say it enough: Thank you!

And to all my co-workers: Thank you for living this life with me, for being my sounding board, for offering help and giving advice, for laughing with me, crying with me, for pushing me to be the best I can be for the kids, for encouraging me and lifting me up, and for praying for me! I get to work with such an AMAZING group of people, and I cannot imagine doing this job without you all!

And thank you to all the wonderful teachers who taught me and shaped me into the person I am today.  Each of you left a mark and influenced me. 

Our job is like no other! And, in my opinion, it is getting harder and harder as demands increase from every front -- children, parents, school boards, state education agencies and policy makers. Everyone expects teachers to accomplish so much just in one school year. Everyone knows we don’t get paid well. We’re not usually acknowledged for all our efforts. And yet we can have an impact that is immeasurable, and we may not even know the difference we’ve made for our students.

I think it’s safe to say that many, many teachers serve selflessly without any kind of recognition. But that doesn’t mean that it is completely unnoticed.

Jesus encouraged his followers to give generously and to do it secretly. He told them that those who give of themselves in order to be honored by men have received all the reward they are going to get. But those who give with a heart of humility, who give because they want to serve others, who over and over again give and do for others behind the scenes, they will be rewarded by God.

So thank you for all the things you do that no one notices. Thank you for serving your students and their families every week of the year, even when no one was thanking you. Thank you for pouring yourselves out as an offering in a true act of worship every single day that you enter your classroom. God sees you, even when no one else does, and His rewards are so worth the wait!

Father God, I thank You for all of the teachers you’ve placed in my life. May they feel Your presence and know that You see them each and every day. May they know Your love and grace. May Your joy flow through them as they serve in their classrooms. Help us to keep a proper perspective and to continue to humbly serve in whatever ways You lead, not to be recognized by others, but to please and honor You.

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!