I have started a new little habit in my life as an educator. I have been visiting twitter chats for educators. One of the groups that has been so refreshing and uplifting is a chat called #ChristianEducators. Each week we discuss the application of God's principles in our personal and professional lives. Last week was all about promises.
What a beautiful thing it was to see us just pour out the promises we knew from God. It was like a fountain overflowing...scripture after scripture of the promises we hold and count on. I have reflected on that through the week. I am not sure we really grasp who God really is. Our infinite minds try to often to place Him in a box. We do not know the depth of his love. We don't understand the purity of his desires. We are so clouded by this world, our flesh and Satan's lies we lose some of His immense power, love and faithfulness. We can trust Him, like we will never trust another.
And this week, I realized a little more of how much I can trust Him and His promises. I can walk through my days laying every moment in His hands, knowing He has it ALL. He will never disappoint me the way people do. He will never lie. He has my very best interests at work, and it is completely pure and out of love. It is not like any relationship we have or will ever have on this earth.
It is my desire to just continue to grow closer and that He will just keep revealing who He really is. My problem is always that I allow this world to get in the way...I forget how much I can trust. I don't need to grab hold of the plan. I need to walk by faith. I have a hope in an incredible-all-powerful-all-knowing-loving Father. The true grasp of that may never occur on this earth, but I will continue to pull back the layers trying to get there. Pulling closer to Him, pulling away from this world.
Hebrews 10:23 "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
#Oneword365
I had been thinking about what my word for 2015 would be for some time now. I wish I had done a better job with my 2014 word, surrender. But that is the beauty of choosing a word, you can't actually fail. Nor do I think in choosing a new word you actually let the last one go. I think as the years move on, I will add another word, continuing to work on the changing me from the inside out each year. Focusing on one word, but using all my words.
In choosing this year's word I thought over the last couple of years and asked myself when did I feel most accomplished? When did I feel good about who I was and what I was doing?
That would bring up thoughts of my family, being a wife, mom and grandmother. I thought of my job as a teacher, how I see that as a large part of my life and feeling of success. But, there are times where I feel like I touch a lot more of this world and make a biggetr difference. Those are the times where I am making myself available to God, being a part of His work and sharing His love and promises with a hurting, frustrated, dark world.
It is the area of my life I need to increase. The opportunities to do this are endless. You look at your window, drive down the streets of your neighborhood, listen to the talk in grocery stores...and you find people who need God, who need hope, and who need someone to tell them. They need someone who will take the time to listen, to love, to give, to pray and just be there, available for God to use them. That is where my word comes from...the need for me to become that.
So from that were words like intentional, available, giving, loving...and the list goes on. It also goes back to my 2014 word, surrender. But it starts much simpler. I contemplated each of those words. But as I thought, I thought also about the fact that I just need to do it. I have all those other words within me, I just keep them there and pull them out when I am in a situation. How do I get myself into more situations....I go. That is going to be my word...I just need to Go.
I had my word chosen and then I went to church last Sunday. The scripture used was exactly the scripture I had been thinking of...Matthew 28: 19-20 "Therefore GO and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Love when God confirms, and you know He was behind your thinking all along. So, in 2015 I will GO...I will GO with intention, a loving heart, a giving spirit and surrendered to God's spirit and moving. I will GO in my town and to other towns. I will listen as I GO, I will share as I GO....and I hope and pray many will come to know the peace I found and that they will GO as well.
Happy New Year....may 2015 hold many blessings for you in your life.
Want to hear more about choosing one word for 2015...you can read about it here:One Word
In choosing this year's word I thought over the last couple of years and asked myself when did I feel most accomplished? When did I feel good about who I was and what I was doing?
That would bring up thoughts of my family, being a wife, mom and grandmother. I thought of my job as a teacher, how I see that as a large part of my life and feeling of success. But, there are times where I feel like I touch a lot more of this world and make a biggetr difference. Those are the times where I am making myself available to God, being a part of His work and sharing His love and promises with a hurting, frustrated, dark world.
It is the area of my life I need to increase. The opportunities to do this are endless. You look at your window, drive down the streets of your neighborhood, listen to the talk in grocery stores...and you find people who need God, who need hope, and who need someone to tell them. They need someone who will take the time to listen, to love, to give, to pray and just be there, available for God to use them. That is where my word comes from...the need for me to become that.
So from that were words like intentional, available, giving, loving...and the list goes on. It also goes back to my 2014 word, surrender. But it starts much simpler. I contemplated each of those words. But as I thought, I thought also about the fact that I just need to do it. I have all those other words within me, I just keep them there and pull them out when I am in a situation. How do I get myself into more situations....I go. That is going to be my word...I just need to Go.
I had my word chosen and then I went to church last Sunday. The scripture used was exactly the scripture I had been thinking of...Matthew 28: 19-20 "Therefore GO and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Love when God confirms, and you know He was behind your thinking all along. So, in 2015 I will GO...I will GO with intention, a loving heart, a giving spirit and surrendered to God's spirit and moving. I will GO in my town and to other towns. I will listen as I GO, I will share as I GO....and I hope and pray many will come to know the peace I found and that they will GO as well.
Happy New Year....may 2015 hold many blessings for you in your life.
Want to hear more about choosing one word for 2015...you can read about it here:One Word
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Will He Give Us More Than We Can Handle...Absolutely!
How many of us came to know God while life was favorable, things were going our way? We weren't searching, we weren't feeling anything missing.
I doubt many.
In fact, how many of us feel closer to God when things are difficult? When we feel the need to get on our knees and realize it is just TOO MUCH to handle. We can't do it. We are too sad, too empty, too scared. We have tried filling it or fixing it, meeting it with human ways...people, money, jobs....and it is never enough.
I know I had believed for a very long time that it was scriptural that God never gives us more than we can handle. True, there is scripture that says He will always give us a way out of temptation (1 Cor. 10:13) ...but trials? No, there was never a promise for an easy life. There was never a promise that He wouldn't give us more than we can handle.
Honestly, we walk in a world of darkness. There is pain, suffering, trials, disease, wars, pride, immorality....we can't handle it. It leaves you empty, drained, sad and angry. It leaves you searching to fill that void. It is that darkness and our failure to fix it which brings us to God...He fills that. He is our stronghold. He carries us through. It is because of Him we can walk through those times with a peace that can't be explained. It is His desire that we come to that place where we say...I can't handle this. I need You. I need You to help me. I need You to fix this. I need You to give me peace as I move through this.
While I am here, let me also address that sometimes we go to those who can quote scripture, who attend church or maybe even have a role in the church....we think they may lead us to the answers. So often, they are the ones who disappoint us. We forget that they are walking in the life right beside us. They fail and mess up just like we do. They are not the answer. Sometimes...though they can do the things I mentioned, sometimes they haven't even found God yet. Sometimes, they are also still trying to do it on their own. If they are not pointing you to a surrender....if they are too busy telling you to stop this and don't do this, there is a good chance they are as lost as you. If they are truly pointing you to God...you'll know it by their love. They won't be full of DOs and DON'Ts....they will be full of love, grace and mercy.
So, if you are struggling and searching...if there is an emptiness. If you feel like I can't handle this...it is time. It is time to look up to Him and say, I can't handle this. I need to give you this, and the rest of my life too. I need to put you in control. Do it. Do it everyday. I truly believe we must surrender daily. We will always have struggles and things we can't handle. He will allow us to be there. Through it, He will teach us, grow us, and let us learn to depend on Him. We must fight through that constant urge to handle it all on our own, do it our way...it takes surrender.
"...though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." 1 Peter 1: 6,7
I doubt many.
In fact, how many of us feel closer to God when things are difficult? When we feel the need to get on our knees and realize it is just TOO MUCH to handle. We can't do it. We are too sad, too empty, too scared. We have tried filling it or fixing it, meeting it with human ways...people, money, jobs....and it is never enough.
I know I had believed for a very long time that it was scriptural that God never gives us more than we can handle. True, there is scripture that says He will always give us a way out of temptation (1 Cor. 10:13) ...but trials? No, there was never a promise for an easy life. There was never a promise that He wouldn't give us more than we can handle.
Honestly, we walk in a world of darkness. There is pain, suffering, trials, disease, wars, pride, immorality....we can't handle it. It leaves you empty, drained, sad and angry. It leaves you searching to fill that void. It is that darkness and our failure to fix it which brings us to God...He fills that. He is our stronghold. He carries us through. It is because of Him we can walk through those times with a peace that can't be explained. It is His desire that we come to that place where we say...I can't handle this. I need You. I need You to help me. I need You to fix this. I need You to give me peace as I move through this.
While I am here, let me also address that sometimes we go to those who can quote scripture, who attend church or maybe even have a role in the church....we think they may lead us to the answers. So often, they are the ones who disappoint us. We forget that they are walking in the life right beside us. They fail and mess up just like we do. They are not the answer. Sometimes...though they can do the things I mentioned, sometimes they haven't even found God yet. Sometimes, they are also still trying to do it on their own. If they are not pointing you to a surrender....if they are too busy telling you to stop this and don't do this, there is a good chance they are as lost as you. If they are truly pointing you to God...you'll know it by their love. They won't be full of DOs and DON'Ts....they will be full of love, grace and mercy.
So, if you are struggling and searching...if there is an emptiness. If you feel like I can't handle this...it is time. It is time to look up to Him and say, I can't handle this. I need to give you this, and the rest of my life too. I need to put you in control. Do it. Do it everyday. I truly believe we must surrender daily. We will always have struggles and things we can't handle. He will allow us to be there. Through it, He will teach us, grow us, and let us learn to depend on Him. We must fight through that constant urge to handle it all on our own, do it our way...it takes surrender.
"...though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." 1 Peter 1: 6,7
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