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!

Completely Known

1 You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain. Psalm 139: 1-6

One of my students came in the room today, and I could immediately tell that something was different. Her speech was different. Her body language was different. This was not what I was used to seeing at all. Later, she shared that there was, indeed, a reason for the differences I was seeing. But even before she told me, I knew.

Last week, another student was just not himself. His participation in class was not like usual. His face lacked the usual charming grin. He slumped over onto the table with his head down. And I immediately knew he wasn’t feeling well at all. Later, he did complain that he didn’t feel well, but I already knew. It wasn’t long before he was at the nurse’s office and headed home for the day.

It’s pretty amazing how well we get to know our students. I know their personalities. I know what they enjoy doing and with whom they enjoy doing it! I know about their pets, their families, and their likes/dislikes. I know their strengths, and I know their weaknesses. But even though I know an awful lot about most of my students, I don’t know everything. I can’t possibly know everything.

But God knows me completely--inside and out.  Every last detail that is me, He knows it.

This passage from Psalm 139 is a favorite of mine. It comforts me to know that God knows me completely. He knows my thoughts and motives, my words and my actions, everything about me. And He uses that knowledge for my good.

There is a song on the Christian radio right now that reminds me of this truth every time I hear it played. It’s called “Known,” and it’s by an artist named Tauren Wells. I’m including a link here, so you can listen to the words on YouTube and let them seep in. I hope you’ll take the time to do that.  Click here:    Known by Tauren Wells

God knows me completely, and He loves me completely--all the unique and gloriously fabulous mess that is me! I don’t have to hide from Him. I don’t have to pretend to be something I’m not. He knows I’m a sinner in need of His precious grace and mercy, but He loves me anyway. Thank you, Lord!

And because He knows me, I can trust Him to lead me and guide me, to teach me and direct me in just the way I need.

Lord, thank You for knowing us completely and loving us fully. Help us to understand this truth this week and to rest in it. Help us to submit to Your molding so that You can shape us into all that You mean for us to be.

No Greater Love

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And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3: 17b-19

Valentine’s Day has come and gone already. This is one of the three holidays that we celebrate at school. Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day are the three party days of the year. Chocolate candy, cupcakes, little cards and treats, stuffed animals, flowers and other gifts change hands and get stuffed into elaborately decorated boxes. Games are played. Fun is had by all in the name of love!

And that’s just the kids at school! Think of all the adults enjoying an evening eating out, giving and receiving flowers, jewelry, cards, candy . . . . Love is in the air!

I believe we were created to live in relationship with others - to love and be loved in return. But I’m convinced that many, many people - even those who are in a serious relationship - don’t really understand love. And I think that was the same in Paul’s day - when he wrote the book of Ephesians so long ago. These verses were part of his prayer for the believers at Ephesus. What did he want them to know and fully grasp? He wanted them to know the extent of God’s love for them, even as he acknowledges that it is beyond comprehension, this “love that surpasses knowledge.”

God’s love isn’t a feeling; it’s an action. It’s a conscious decision. It’s a selfless giving. Undeserved. Forgiving. Everlasting. Sacrificial. Not expecting anything in return.

John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

1 John 4:19, “We love because He first loved us.”

Paul says this is what fills us -- to know and receive God’s love.

I don’t know if you have a “Valentine” this week. I don’t know if you have someone on this earth who loves you the way you long to be loved. But I know that there is no person on earth whose love can fill the void that exists in our hearts when we don’t yet know and receive the love of God.

So I pray Paul’s prayer for each of you reading this little blog:
Father God, I pray that every person reading this will allow the Holy Spirit to help them understand just how much You love them, that they will know this love that fills the void in our hearts, that they will grasp how vast this love is, and that they will be filled to overflowing with it. There truly is no greater love than this - a perfect Savior who laid down His life for me. (John 15:13) Thank you, Jesus, for Your perfect love!  

Progress Report

19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. Revelation 2:19

I can hardly believe that it’s already time for our next round of Parent/Teacher conferences, but here we are! I have spent quite a bit of time this last week preparing to meet with parents to discuss their child’s progress. I have poured over all the assessment data and progress monitoring data, I have updated charts and graphs, and I have written comments of my thoughts and observations.

For some students, all the information is pretty coherent. It is evident that they are making gains towards our goals. They may not be there quite yet, but they are getting closer and closer, and all of the scores I have collected are showing growth. Those are the conferences I look forward to holding!

For other students, the information is much more difficult to decipher. Sometimes they seem to be making progress, and other times they seem to be falling back again. They may do really well on one assessment, but on a different test, they don’t do so great. And I can’t always explain why. These conferences are more difficult to feel prepared for.

All parents (and teachers) want to know that their students are making progress. It’s not so much about meeting every single standard at grade-level expectations - although that would be fabulous! It’s really more about showing and knowing that the students are improving. We all know that it is very unrealistic to expect all students to reach these standards at the same time, so we don’t expect that. But we do expect them to improve from where they started and move steadily towards those goals.

As I was thinking about that, a question came to mind. How am I doing in my spiritual walk with the Lord? If I were to receive a progress report, what would it say? How are my attitude and my thought patterns? Am I using my time wisely? Am I providing evidence of growth? Making progress? Reaching goals?

I don’t know if you are familiar with Revelation chapters 2 & 3, but in those chapters, John relays a message to seven churches. In each message, Jesus gives them a type of progress report, naming things they have done well and things they need to turn away from. Some churches receive only one or the other, but most of them receive some of both. He encourages each church to persevere and names a gift or reward they will receive for being faithful, and He also names consequences for not repenting of sins. In all the letters, it is clear that Jesus wants them to continue being faithful and to turn their faith back to Him if they’ve failed.

I think it’s good for me to examine my own heart and to spend some time asking the Holy Spirit to show me those things in my life that need improvement. I know I am a work in progress, and there are many things that need to change to make me more like Jesus. I’m pretty sure I’m more like my students with all the mixed information -- improving some, but not consistently. One day at a time, one piece at a time, He is helping me to make progress.

So as I spend time this week speaking to parents about their child’s progress at school, I am also going to spend some time reading through these letters in Revelation 2 and 3, and I am going to ask God to give me a progress report. I know I could never do anything to earn God’s grace and love -- He’s already poured that out all over me! But I want to please Him in all that I do. So this week, I’ll ask Him to show me one thing to work on--one place where He wants to make me more like Him. And then I’ll ask Him to help me. I’ll surrender to His loving hand and allow Him to change me a little each day until that piece mirrors Him. And hopefully, He will be able to tell me what he told the church in Thyatira -- that I am now doing more than I did at first--that I am making progress.

Father God, Thank You for always working on me! Thank You for Your encouragement and Your discipline. I want to be more like You. I want to please You. But I need You to transform my mind, to change my heart and make it more like Yours. Show me where I’m holding back, and help me to surrender to Your hand.