Showing Gratitude

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3 I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 2 Timothy 1: 3-5
Only a few more days until Thanksgiving! And only one more day of school this week -- for us, anyway!

Last week, the sweetest little note appeared taped onto the box that hangs outside my classroom. It is shaped like a leaf and says, “I am thankful for Mrs. Schroer.” Inside a student wrote a heartwarming little note saying he was thankful for the work I do with him and his classmates. That is so precious to me!

I have to admit: I am not very good at thanking other people for the impact they make on my life. I know I should. Sometimes I even think about words to say or people I want to thank. But more often than not, I fail to follow through. I’m ashamed of that. I have so many people in my life that are such a blessing to me, and I don’t take the time to thank them like I should.

These verses that Paul writes to Timothy remind me of how important it is to make sure I show my gratitude to the people in my life who constantly pour into me to help me grow personally and spiritually.

I was very blessed as a child to have parents who were very present in my life. Parents who love each other and loved us always. I had grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins that I got to spend time with regularly, and who actually spent time with me, too. I grew up with three siblings who teased constantly, but who were always supportive of their nerdy, book-loving, sings-all-the-time, laughs-way-too-loud sister. I am thankful for my family.

My mom made sure we went to church every Sunday and showed us what it looked like to serve - both in church and at home. She taught me the power of faith and prayer and the importance of knowing God’s Word.

At church, there were so many wonderful Sunday School teachers, G.A. leaders (girls mission group), youth leaders, Vacation Bible School workers, and more who gave their time each week to teach me the Bible and how to live it out.

As a student, I had countless wonderful teachers who took the time to encourage me and challenge me to do more and be more. Teachers who rarely (if ever) spoke in the classroom about their faith but made it obvious through the way they treated others.

My husband and children constantly amaze me with their grace and love toward me. I am so thankful for how God uses them to teach me about His love for me, and for how they push me to be better all the time.

My life is full of amazingly supportive coworkers who lift me up and challenge me to be a better teacher and follower of Christ. I have administrators who cheer us on and make sure we have what we need to be successful in our classrooms - even if that’s an extra jeans day now and then! I work in a school full of people who go above and beyond the basic job requirements each day, and I know I am so blessed to have that!

My church family, including our pastor and his wife, are a constant source of joy and blessing. They feed my soul and lift up my spirit over and over again. They help me apply the scripture to daily life and hold me accountable for living out my faith. They stretch me to serve in new ways and to give more generously of my time, talents, and money to further God’s kingdom.

Friends, can I challenge you to show your gratitude to someone this week who has made a difference in your life? You may never know the impact you might make with just a simple note, text, or call. Stop and make the effort this week to encourage someone by thanking them for impacting your life. God will turn it into a blessing for you, too.

Father God, thank You so much for blessing me with countless people who have helped me to know You better and to trust You more. Forgive me for taking for granted that they know how much I appreciate them. Help me to do a better job of thanking them - starting today!

Wiped Clean

8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9

Some of the things I am thankful for are small things. Some would call them trivial. I know how many blessings God has poured out on me! But when some of those “little things” are not working or available, I quickly realize how thankful I am for them.

Ever gone a few days without a dishwasher, washing machine, or other appliance? I am thankful for those! Clean clothes, hot food, hot water -- not absolutely necessary in life, but I am thankful for them all the more! If you’ve ever traveled much outside of the U.S., you probably appreciate your toilet paper and working plumbing a bit more.

There is no doubt that we live with so many conveniences and luxuries which are absent in many parts of the world.

As cold and flu season sets in at school, I found myself thankful for another little thing: disinfecting wipes. I’ve been battling a head cold this week, so I have wiped down the tables, desks, and computer keyboards/mice more than once over the last few days. I am so glad to have this easy way to kill germs in my classroom and to keep myself and my students healthier.

Last week, I had already wiped down my classroom table earlier in the day, but after having a student with some particularly hardy coughing spells, I decided to go ahead and wipe it down again at lunchtime. I wasn’t expecting to get a lot of dirt off, since I had just wiped the table a few hours prior. But I was very surprised at how black the wipe was when I finished.

We use dry erase boards and markers in my room for spelling practice many times each day, and they leave a lot of black gunk behind. But I didn’t notice that it was looking dirty. It wasn’t until I ran the white wipe over its surface that I saw just how much grime was on it. Anytime I have students help wipe down our tables and desks, I inevitably hear, “Yuck!” or “That’s gross!” when they see all the dirt they wipe off.

And that, my friends, makes me think about something else I am thankful for -- a much bigger thing this time -- the complete forgiveness of sin by a graceful, merciful God.

I have sin that is much like the dirt on my classroom table. It may not be the first thing you notice when you look, but it is definitely there. We all have sin. It is ugly and offensive. It is repulsive to our holy God. It stains us and separates us from our loving, heavenly Father.

But John writes that God is “faithful and just and will forgive us our sin and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Because of our faith in Jesus and His sacrifice for us, we receive forgiveness that washes us white as snow. (Isaiah 1:18) It is difficult to completely comprehend how God can do that over and over again for us, but I believe He does. And that is something I will forever be thankful for!

Heavenly Father, we have so, so much to be thankful for - big and small. Words just cannot express the gratitude I feel for the way You forgive me for my sin. Thank you for purifying me, for constantly working in my life to remove the sin and make me more like Jesus. Help me to see my sin as You do and to always cooperate with Your Holy Spirit to avoid sin and keep it out of my heart.

A Good Soldier

Photo by Raul Luna, found at: https://flickr.com/photos/superman_ha_muerto/4640359494/

3 Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. 2 Timothy 2:3-4

I have so many things for which to be thankful. I cannot possibly fit them all into one post, so I am going to write a few posts this month about things for which I am grateful.

Since today is Veteran’s Day, I am feeling so blessed to live in this country. I am so thankful for the brave and selfless members of the military who have or are currently serving around the world to promote freedom and provide protection for so many. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Each year on Veteran’s Day, our school hosts a breakfast for local veterans and current members of the military. I love how our students sit so respectfully, applaud so enthusiastically, and perform so beautifully to honor all those who have served.

Today, the guest speaker at the assembly, Mike Nichols, spoke about his experiences and some of the lessons he learned from his time in the service. He spoke about working as a team to achieve goals, about how important it was to sleep when he could, about how he learned to appreciate times of waiting, and about being given opportunities to do things outside of his comfort zone. One of the other organizers also spoke about the sacrifices military men and women and their families make when they are deployed and away from home. I can easily see how all of these ideas relate to our spiritual battles.

I realize that we, too, are called to be like soldiers in our Christian walk. In 2 Timothy, Paul charges Timothy to suffer “like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” Soldiers must put their own comfort aside in order to fulfill their orders. Soldiers are away from home, where food, clothing, and housing are functional but not luxurious, and where they are sometimes in extremely difficult and dangerous places. And because of their willingness to suffer, the rest of us enjoy the peace and freedom to live in comfort every day.

Am I willing to put aside my own comfort to follow Christ? Am I willing to put the needs of others before my own and suffer so that others will know the Lord and reap the benefits of knowing Him?

Paul also encourages Timothy to stay focused on pleasing his commanding officer and not to be distracted by the affairs of the world. Soldiers understand how important it is to obey their orders, and they know that they cannot afford to become distracted and drawn away from carrying out those orders. When there is a mission to complete, the only way to please the commanding officer is to successfully complete that mission.

I don’t know about you, but that challenges me. I get tangled up in distractions every single day! It is difficult to always be working toward the mission of sharing the gospel of Christ with those around me without getting sidetracked and thrown off course.

So today, I thank God for all those who have served in the United States armed forces. Thank you for your sacrifices. Thank you for protecting the freedoms we hold so dear and making it possible to live the life I live. And I thank you for setting an example of how to serve. May God richly bless you!

Precious Lord, please be with all of those who are currently serving in the armed forces all over the world. Draw near to them when they are lonely. Keep Your hand of protection upon them when they are in danger. Grant them victory over those who seek to harm them. And be very near to their loved ones who anxiously await their return.

Changing the Flavor

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13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. Matthew 5:13

Well, Halloween has come and gone. Now, it’s just the candy left! So much candy!

When my kids were younger, we always ended up with way more candy than we needed. I never let them keep their own candy separately. But we didn’t just dump everything into one big bowl, either. We always went through their orange, plastic pumpkin buckets and sorted everything out into at least two bowls. One bowl was for the fruity candy, and one was for the chocolate. And if there was anything minty, it had to be in a container all its own. There was a reason for this separation. I do not like a chocolate candy bar to taste fruity, and there is something very unpleasant, in my opinion, about a peanut butter-chocolate-mint flavor combination. Nope. Not appealing.

Now, you might be thinking that’s a little crazy, but apparently, I am not the only one that does this. I had to laugh at a teacher’s meeting last week. We had a large amount of candy for staff members out on a table. It was full of Starburst, Nerds, Laffy Taffy, etc. Beside the container was a large variety bag of chocolate candy bars. When one teacher went to add an additional bag of chocolate candy to the large container of fruity flavors, there was more than one teacher who quickly corrected the error!

When different candies are mixed together in the same storage container and left for a period of time, there will be some of the flavors that bleed over into the others. Even though they are individually packaged, somehow, if they spend enough time next to each other, the fruity or minty candies manage to bleed through their wrappers enough to change the flavor of the chocolate candy.

Jesus taught his disciples to be a little bit like that. He told them that they should affect the flavor of the world around them. They should be like salt. Have you ever eaten a bag of popcorn without salt? Ever forgotten to salt the potatoes when you fixed a meal? Without salt, food is just not as tasty. Just a little salt enhances the flavor of whatever it is added to. A little salt will permeate a whole dish of food. Suddenly, the food that was once bland and unappealing is now flavorful and enjoyable to eat.

It makes me ask myself: What kind of flavor am I adding to my world? When I am “mixed in” with the world, can others tell that I’ve been there? I want to affect the world around me in a positive way. I want to let a bit of Jesus seep out and change those around me.

In order to do that, I must first be filled myself. I have to spend time reading and thinking about God’s word each day, praying and listening to His Holy Spirit all throughout my day, and being available to others around me. For me, Christian music is a very important part of my “filling up.” Sometimes, I have to empty out some of the negative thoughts and feelings -- confessing my sin and turning my worries over to Jesus. Without that emptying out process, I don’t have room to be completely filled with God’s goodness, grace, and love. And then, I have to be intentional about connecting with others around me, too. I have to purposely mix myself in!

I wish I could say that I was always full of the Holy Spirit, but I know I am not. I do not always make a positive impact on those around me like I could. But God is still working on me, and I always hope to be closer tomorrow than I am today. And I hope you are, too. Because when Christ is in us, and we are in the world, we can make a difference for His kingdom, one connection at a time.

Lord, help us to want more and more of You each day. Show us how to live in this world so that we change its flavor, without allowing the world to change ours. Fill us up with Your Holy Spirit so that we can overflow and touch those around us with Your love.

More Than Playing Dress-Up

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This week is Halloween. (Teachers everywhere just shuddered!) It is usually a difficult week at school as students are excited about the coming fun, and then worn out from it afterward!

I’ve never been one to enjoy the creepy, spooky Halloween traditions. Haunted House? Not for me. Zombie costume? No, thank you.

But trick or treating? That was always fun! Of course, I loved the candy! But what I really enjoyed was the fun of dressing up in a costume and visiting the homes of all our friends and neighbors.

When I had my own children, I really liked finding or making a special costume for them. The boys usually wanted a superhero or favorite character. My daughter always wanted something pretty and sparkly. The more glitter or sequins the better! And she loved to wear makeup with her costumes, too.

It was always special to imitate someone else for an evening - to dress just like that person, to carry props like they had, and to pretend to be them for one night.

I have been reading through Paul’s letters over the last few weeks. In his first letter to the church at Corinth, he writes about how to handle situations where the believers were invited to eat with non-believers who were eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols. He recommends that if someone pointed out that it was an idol sacrifice, then they should not eat it for the sake of that person. But he ends with a statement that makes me pause. Here’s what he writes in 1 Corinthians 10:32-11:1.

32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33 even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

11 1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

Did you catch that? His advice is for the Corinthians to imitate him, as he is trying to imitate Christ. Wow. That hits me hard. Am I confident enough in my Christian walk to encourage others to do as I do? If others were to imitate me, would their actions be Christ-like? Is my life lived to please God and to benefit others that they might be saved?

Paul wrote similar charges in 1 Corinthians 4:

11 To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. 12 We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.

14 I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. 15 Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16Therefore I urge you to imitate me.
And again in 2 Thessalonians 3:

7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate.

No matter who you are, people are watching you each day. When you work around children, you know that they naturally imitate others around them - including you! But it is not just the children who are watching. People with whom I live and work see me and my actions - hear my words and my attitudes - every day. Am I being the example I should be?

I’m trying. But I fail often. I am still a work in progress. But Paul has challenged me to follow Christ so that others are led closer to Him. It’s not exactly a dress-up costume I put on to do this, though. In order to imitate anyone, you have to know them well. That means I must study my Bible constantly and be open to allowing the Holy Spirit to guide me and change me. I must constantly put my faith into action, applying the scripture in my life, putting others before myself, and laying aside my own agenda.

It’s definitely more than playing dress-up for just one night! It’s a life-long commitment that I hope I become better and better at as I go.

Father God, I know I am not confident enough to tell others to imitate me as I try to imitate Christ. Please continue to work in me and around me to make me more like You. I want to be an example for those around me, but when I fail, help me to admit it and try to make it right. Thank You, Jesus, for Your perfect example, for Your Word, and for Your Holy Spirit that helps us along the way!

True Colors Revealed

A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Luke 6:45

The leaves have turned here in Mid-Missouri this week! They are so beautiful! I’ve always found it fascinating that the colors we see in the fall leaves are actually present in the leaves all spring and summer. It’s only in the fall when the temperatures begin to drop and the trees stop making food that the green chlorophyll is allowed to break down and be absorbed. Then, we see the beautiful colors that have been hidden by that chlorophyll all along.

Not all leaves have vibrant fall colors, though. Sometimes when the chlorophyll is gone, all that’s left is a very drab, lifeless, brown leaf.

I saw a teacher walking in from recess this week holding a gorgeous, bright red leaf. I didn’t stop to ask her about it, but I’ve been out at recess enough to guess that a student probably picked it up and gave it to her.

I wonder if two weeks ago, when a student ran across a green leaf on the playground, do you think he would have noticed it? Would a green leaf have been handed to the teacher? Probably not.

And I’m also pretty confident that the red leaf the teacher received was not the only leaf on the playground. There are more than a few dull, brown ones out there, too. But the leaves that are deep red, orange, or yellow catch our eye. We treasure them because of their beauty.

In Luke 6, Jesus says that what comes out of my mouth is exactly what I have stored in my heart. Sometimes I can cover up a bad attitude with a smile on my face, but once I start to talk, that bad attitude is going to show up. Just like a fall leaf whose chlorophyll has faded away, my true thoughts and feelings will come out in the words I speak.

Am I frustrated with a situation? That’s going to show in my words.

Am I excited about an opportunity? That’s going to show in my words.

Am I resentful of someone else’s gain? Guess where that’s going to show?

Am I feeling overwhelmed, joyful, guilty, proud, ashamed, thankful, sad? What I say will flow out of whatever feelings are in my heart. Some of those are beautiful, vibrant emotions that draw people to me just like the brightly colored fall leaves. But some of those are unattractive, life-draining emotions that push people away.

For our school, this week is parent-teacher conference week. That means I will be doing even more talking than usual! I always want my speech to be “full of grace,” as Paul says in Colossians 4, but I am more mindful this week of choosing my words wisely so I can communicate clearly. And I want my words to be encouraging and positive and beautiful--as much as possible.

So I am realizing that I need to check my heart condition this week. Unlike the fall leaves, I can choose which emotions I allow myself to store up and which ones I decide to give up. I can take those negative thoughts and feelings and pour them out to Jesus, confessing them and letting Him control the clean-up process. 

And I can fill my heart with scripture and encouraging truth that will change my outlook and bless others, too. When I open my mouth and my true colors are revealed, I want to be like a beautiful, fall leaf that brings God’s joy and peace to others.

Father, help me to see the evil that is in my heart as You see it. Take away my sinful thoughts and attitudes and transform them as only You can do. Help me to have a heart full of Your love, grace, joy, peace, and compassion so that my words will flow from there and uplift all those who hear them.

A Blind Mouse

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12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. I Corinthians 13:12
I have a picture book that I like to use during lessons about similes and lessons about drawing conclusions. It is “Seven Blind Mice” by Ed Young. Do you know this story?

In this story there are seven blind mice who argue about a strange object they happen upon. Each mouse, in turn, investigates the object and proclaims to the others what the object is. The problem is they do not agree on what they have found. That is, until the last mouse explains to them that they have each described only a part of this unknown thing and that they must put all their information together to understand what the object is. I won’t spoil the end for you -- it’s fun to see if you can figure it out before they do.

Oh, but how I need to be reminded not to make the same mistake of the first six mice! So many times I take the bit of information that I have in front of me and presume to understand the whole situation.

Sometimes I jump to a conclusion about a students’ behavior. Other times I make a quick judgment about a student’s achievement based on one or two assessments. If I’m honest, I do this all the time with coworkers, parents, and other adults that I interact with, too. I hear one comment and assume I understand their thoughts and their situations. I am just like those blind mice!

I remember several years ago reading a book about assessment where the author compared assessments to windows. (I’m sorry I can’t properly credit the author now -- I have no idea what book that was this many years later!) When you look out your window, you can only see part of what is outside. You get a limited glimpse of the surroundings, but there is also a lot you can’t see. I see how this analogy applies to many aspects of daily life with other people.

There is no way I can understand someone’s point of view on a particular topic without spending a great deal of time learning about all their past experiences that led them to that belief. I should not be so quick to assume I understand someone else’s behavior when I only get the view from my window. I need to be reminded to step back and realize that I don’t have all the information.

When a mother complains about an assignment, I am tempted to be defensive and short-tempered. But what if there are circumstances that I don’t see? She may not be telling me that her Dad has just been diagnosed with terminal cancer, or her husband lost his job six months ago, and they are facing foreclosure on their home. In short, her complaint about the homework is really not the root of the problem, it’s just one more thing she feels she cannot deal with right now.

When my coworker refuses to help with a project or fails to complete it, I get frustrated and decide she’s taking advantage of me. But maybe what I don’t know is that her child is lashing out at her over everything since her divorce. It’s possible that her best friend has just betrayed her, or she has just discovered that her husband has been unfaithful. The project that seems so important to me is not even on her radar because she is overwhelmed with her own problems.

When I think like this, it reminds me to be kind and forgiving. I can be more patient and understanding. Even when I don’t know the whole story, I can resist the temptation to make a quick judgment.

This idea also applies to my spiritual life. I cannot comprehend all that God is doing from the limited viewpoint that I can see. He is at work on such a grand scale! God’s plans are so much bigger than I can even imagine, but He is at work all around me. I should never assume I completely understand what He is doing. While I see what’s out my little window at one given point in time, He sees a view even bigger than a google earth shot! And He sees across all time! In this life, there are going to be a lot of times when I don’t understand what God is doing. But God sees the whole picture -- all the time! I can trust Him to work in His perfect timing and His perfect ways, even though I can’t completely see it myself.

And one day, we will see clearly the whole picture of God’s plan working around us. Until then, I’m going to try to be more and more like that seventh mouse who didn’t jump to a conclusion but who took the time to gather up all the information and see as much of the picture as she could.

Father God, help me to avoid jumping to conclusions based on partial information. It is so easy to do! Help me to be the person who always attempts to understand, who always offers the benefit of the doubt, who seeks Your wisdom and shows Your love even when I don’t know the whole story. Help me to be gracious to others, as You are gracious to me. And help me to see more and more of You each day and to understand how You are working around me.