Tag: Life Coaching

RESTING IN THE STORM

When life rocks me to the core, there is hope.

Lately I have been having a rough time with a back injury. I’m so glad that Jenny wrote this piece:

This made no sense!  The Master never makes mistakes, but this is a big one!  He suggested we cross the lake.  Now, here we are on the verge of sinking.  In all my years of fishing, never have I seen a squall of this magnitude.  We are taking in water alarmingly faster than we can possibly bail out, yet there he is sleeping!  The waves rock violently almost tipping over the boat and yet he sleeps.  His soaking wet body rests on a waterlogged cushion, yet he sleeps.  We holler at each other just to hear above the howling wind and crashing waves. Yet he sleeps as peacefully as a well-fed baby in his mother’s arms.

OUR LOOMING DEMISE

When the wind first picked up, we realized a squall was coming and prepared for it.  Most of us were seasoned fishermen and know what to do when bad weather strikes.  But this was different. On the brink of disaster, we have no choice but to wake the Master and make him aware of our looming demise. 

HOW COULD HE BE SLEEPING?

We wanted to let him rest, knowing how exhausted he is.  Preaching and healing fatigues him at times.  But how can a person rest in the middle of a raging storm?    Frantically shouting and shaking him awake, we asked, “How can you be sleeping?  We are going to drown in this storm!  Don’t you care?”

WHERE IS YOUR FAITH?

His eyes blink open and realizing the magnitude of the storm, he stands up and rebukes the wind and the waves.  To our astonishment, immediately the wind stopped blowing and the sea turned to glass.   Our mouths still agape as he turns toward us and compassionately rebukes us with one question; “Where is your faith?” (As told by one of the Twelve)

NO MISTAKE ON BEING ON THAT BOAT

How often I ponder these events and think of how the wind and waves obeyed the Lord.  I understand there was no mistake about being in the boat that day.  That storm proves a valuable lesson.  We learn that Jesus, the creator of the universe, has all power and authority over nature.  In all circumstances we need to stay focused on Christ and not be shaken by what is happening around us.  Just as Jesus rested during the storm, we can rest in him and not be overwhelmed by life’s storms.  We can aim to rest as peacefully as Jesus did that day on the boat. 

HOW TO DEAL WITH YOUR STORMS

Read Mark 4:35-41 and ponder the wonders of Jesus.  What storms are you facing?  Are you looking at the storm through spiritual eyes or earthly eyes?  Do you stay in peace as life’s trials feel like waves crashing over the boat?  Picture being on the boat with the disciples.  Imagine the placid sea after Jesus’ rebuke. What a blessing to know the Savior who can calm all our storms.  The storms are real, but they no longer need to rock us to our core.

Click to listen to the Lewis’ story of being in the center of the storm

STAIRWAYS TO NOWHERE

Never does God send us out with wishes of, “Good luck; go and do whatever you want.”

Henry Mercer assumed he could be the lord who built his own house. In 1907, this American businessman, and collector decided to construct his castle of concrete. He incorporated his extensive tile collection. A bachelor with no architectural training, he built his castle-home Fonthill, on the fly. Its interior twists up and down, with 10 bathrooms, 18 fireplaces, 21 chimneys, and at least 32 sets of stairs (some of which lead nowhere). Eight laborers, unfamiliar with concrete construction, were hired under Mercer’s constant watch. They poured concrete and built Fonthill Castle in four years. Nothing in the eccentric structure is plumb. Even furniture is made of concrete. It is the odd and uncomfortable product of Mercer’s ill-conceived dream.

DO THEY DREAM OF CREATING THEIR OWN “NEW EGYPT”?

In Exodus 21-23, what is the Israelites’ dream as they leave Egypt for the Promised Land? Do they dream of creating their own “New Egypt;” a land of their own design and making? Little do they comprehend this new land belongs to God. The Israelites and the land are to glorify and reflect God alone.

LESSONS ON HOW TO RESPOND TO GOD

God gives His people lessons on how to respond to a Holy God. He rejects their preconceptions of what His society is to look like, handing them designs, plans and laws. If requested, God always provides His wisdom. He would have even given Henry Mercer sound plans for designing his home. Mercer’s mansion would not have become such a bizarre castle. However, Mercer rejected sound guidelines. The Israelites eventually rejected God’s wisdom.

WHO THEY WERE TO REFLECT

In these chapters, God gives the Israelites many specifics on how to be socially responsible. They are taught to honor God in all aspects of their lives. Never does God send them out of Egypt with wishes of, “Good luck; go and do whatever you want.” As His people, they are to reflect the holiness of God. Things travel sideways each time the Israelites follow their own plans, imagining they are masters of their own destiny.

HEADED TO DEADLY SPIRITUAL WARFARE

The Israelites head toward deadly spiritual warfare. God warns them, “Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces.” God knows bad allegiances “will cause you to sin against Me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare to you.” He forbids the Israelites to construct spiritual and cultural castles of their own imagination.

In his writings, Mercer imagined he was lord of his own destiny. He plagiarized, “Except the lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.”

GOD’S SPECIAL POSSESSION

God has perfect plans for His children. The designs are not of our own making. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (Peter 2:9) Have you handed over to Him your plans and dreams? Without them, your life will end up like Mercer’s stairways which lead nowhere.

I NEED A MIRACLE!

With each day that passed, it felt like the pressure for a resolution was exponentially increasing. I needed an answer ASAP! Where was God?

Have you ever felt surrounded by trouble? I have. During trying times, I struggle with unbelief that God will come through and meet my needs. When the fear of the unknown hits me like a ton of bricks, it is helpful to remember the ways He has provided for me in other situations.

WHERE WAS GOD?

I remember a particularly difficult season when I was about to lose my job through no fault of my own. I struggled with anger and fear over losing the income and benefits my job provided. I wanted to trust God, but it was not easy. I lived in that desperately uncomfortable space between where I was and where I needed to be. I had zero power to make things change. I needed to rely on God’s ability to provide a way. I knew he could, I just wasn’t sure he would. With each day that passed, it felt like the pressure for a resolution was exponentially increasing. I needed an answer ASAP! Where was God?

SOAP, SOAP AND MORE SOAP!

One morning as I was praying about all these things, God reminded me of a time when we had no money until payday and ran out of bar soap. Frank came home from work that day with a bag of things his dad had gotten from Grandmom’s house. There were SO MANY bars of soap!!! In addition to abundantly meeting our needs, there were SEVERAL bottles of mouthwash (something I love but feel is an extravagance). Soap wasn’t as dire as losing a chunk of income and our health benefits, but it was a personal reminder of the truth of God’s love and ability to meet my needs. No matter how things looked regarding my job, I asked God to help me trust He would provide His best.

Two weeks before my last day at my old job, God moved in a big way. I got a great job offer with my top choice company. So often, we flippantly throw around the exhortation that “God can do anything!” as we wait with expectation for all the possible ways he can do that wonderful, miraculous thing we need or long for. We all want a miracle, yet none of us really wants to be in the place where we need that miracle. No one wants to be unemployed with bills and children to care for. No one wants to get a life altering or life-threatening diagnosis.

REMEMBER WHAT HE HAS DONE

The Bible tells us to remember what He has done. In Deuteronomy 11:19-19, Moses encouraged the Israelites to remember the mighty acts God had done in their past and to trust His power and provision for where He was taking them. No one wants to be between a rock and hard place like the Israelites, hotly pursued by Pharaoh and his army on one side and hemmed in by the Red Sea on the other (Exodus 14:5-29).  They thought they were safely out of Egypt when on the horizon appeared their worst enemy. God provided the miracle, and Moses repeatedly reminded them of it.

Maybe you find yourself in a difficult place and are struggling to believe He will meet your needs. Maybe His miracle answer doesn’t feel like one. Your miracle of provision may look different than what you expected. Oh friend, I know that pain as well. Christ’s love and ways are beyond our understanding. I pray that you will call to mind some of the miraculous ways God has provided for you in the past. He can do more than you could ever imagine.

“Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us.” (Ephesians 3:20)

MY FRACTURE

God gave His list of ten commands to humans born genetically fractured with sin. We are unable to rack up complete obedience to just ten rules.

Every day I asked, “How can I do that?” in Mr. Smith’s Chemistry. The Periodic Table of Elements made no sense, just indecipherable formulas. I stayed after school for extra help and discovered I was not born with math and chemistry genes. Give me reading or music and I’m a happy camper, but succeeding at chemistry was like Mr. Smith asking me to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. Impossible! It wasn’t going to happen. That’s not the only category in which I come up short. In my spiritual life I am also fractured.

WE CAN’T EVEN OBEY 10 COMMANDS

In Exodus 20:12-17, God gave His list of ten commands to humans born genetically fractured with sin. That’s right. We are genetically wrecked and are unable to rack up complete obedience to just ten rules. However, God is not an ogre rejoicing over our downfall. He understands our dilemma. Consider the ten commandments as an opening introduction to the holiness of God. Adam and Eve, before the Fall, were able to obey all ten. After the Fall, Adam, Eve (and all of us) miserably failed. We are FRACTURED!

Jesus did not make it easier when He broke the Big Ten down to two commands: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others]” (Matthew 22:37-39). That should be simple, right?

GOOD INTENTIONS FAIL

No. Regardless of how good our intentions are, we fail. For example, go to church and that person who rubs you the wrong way seems to magically appear before you in the lobby. Suddenly, all you can think of is the nasty thing they did to you. You are not wishing them peace, joy and love in your heart of hearts. Or what about those days it is a choice between loving God or spending hours of “me” time with you and the TV? Don’t you deserve both “me” time and to think ill of your enemies? Oh, how fractured we are!

GOD’S NEW HEART

There is absolutely no way we can perfectly obey the top two, let alone total ten commands. We fail again and again. God knows how dark and ruptured our hearts and intentions are. That’s why He supplies a new heart to those who become His children. He transfers to us Christ’s perfection once we accept Christ as our only Savior. This is “positional sanctification.”

WE DON’T HAVE TO LIVE FRACTURED LIVES

Sadly, we don’t immediately become perfect in our everyday behavior; those heart behaviors are listed under “progressive sanctification.” This second category of sanctification gives us the power to look at God, the world, and ourselves in an entirely different way. We can experientially live out the life God originally planned for us. We don’t have to live fractured lives.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life] (2 Corinthians 5:17).

What if in high school I was given a new brain from God to comprehend chemistry? Astounded Mr. Smith would suddenly have a student wanting to do all the assignments for chemistry who understood the Table of Periodic Elements. No longer would I come up short.

That is what being born again means. The Holy Spirit regenerates me, gives me a new heart and I can choose to obey both the two major commands, and the top ten. By the Holy Spirit, I obey not because I have to, but because I want to. This is the new nature. And that’s how you do it!!!

MOILING AWAY IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT

My husband and I are opposites. While he happily snores away, without a care in the world, my mind races away.

The thought of Your infinite serenity cheers me, For I am toiling and moiling, troubled and distressed, But You are forever at perfect peace. (“Valley of Vision”)

My husband and I are opposites. While he happily snores away, without a care in the world, my mind races away. In the middle of the night, I try to produce a solution to my latest difficulty. I am a “moiler.”

The word “moiling” means to move around in confusion or agitation, Synonyms are to dig, drudge, grind, labor, toil, and travail. If there is a world record in moiling, I deserve it. I have the moiling gene and am proficient.

I often miss joy in life because I am continually moiling in the background. Type A personality that I am, I list all the things that can go wrong and all the things I can do to prevent them from going wrong. While my mind occupies itself, I pass over the joy and wonder of the moment.

When we lived in Illinois, I worked overtime in the moiling department. Looking back, I know I wanted to glimpse serenity during those years.  I could not see it; I was too busy moiling about. Troubles multiplied the longer we lived in the Midwest. Illinois was hard.

Serenity finally began to arrive when I adopted a new habit. I would get up at 5 AM and go for exceedingly long walks on the dark streets of our town, Zion, IL. During those rambles I would finally quiet down long enough for God to get a word in edge wise.

God has a lot to say, however up to that point my listening skills were well below par. I just wanted Him to hear all my anguish, fears and sorrows and to make them go away. Serenity does not come from throwing a tantrum against God, people and circumstances.

Gradually, serenity began to accompany me in the quiet, dark streets of Zion. It was ironic. Every couple blocks I passed police cars. Zion was a small town, yet so crime-ridden that it had its own swat team. The serenity did not come from the presence and protection of police cars. Serenity came from the conversations in which I finally let God speak. He is quite good at speaking when one stops occupying all the airtime.

As I finally surrendered and accepted God’s plan for my life, regardless of how complicated it appeared, I discovered His calm and peace. I began to discover His serenity.

  • “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” (Jeremiah 33:3).
  • “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).
  • “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26).
  • “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it” (Hebrews 2:1).
  • “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” (James 1:19).

HE CALLS MY NEW NAME

I agree when people call me: Failure, Weak, Prisoner, Forgotten, Cursed.

Ever had two names? Mom called you Sallie when she gave you a hug, but called you Sarah Marie when you were in trouble? It was even worse if she said, “Sarah Marie” twice. You knew that you were in the doghouse.

JACOB’S 2 NAMES

In Genesis 46:1-4, God calls Jacob two names: “Israel” & “Jacob”. Jacob is not a pleasant name; it means “supplanter”: suggesting someone who is deceitful, cunning, and who attempts to seize something. Jacob stole the birthright and blessings intended for his brother Esau.

Israel means “Prince of God”. Notice, in this passage God says the name Jacob twice in a row. He must be trying to get the supplanter’s attention.

POOR OLD JACOB

Poor Jacob. He discovers that for the past 22 years his sons have deceived him. (Hmmm, wonder where they inherited that trait?) They told Father Jacob that brother Joseph was killed by a wild animal. They never mentioned they sold their flesh and blood into slavery. During all this time Jacob’s heart never heals from the loss of Joseph.

A huge famine comes to Canaan and the brothers are sent to Egypt to buy food. Listen to the brothers as they return home. Astonishingly, they tell Dad, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.”  No wonder Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them (Genesis 45:25-26). After all, his sons were also deceivers.

A NEW START

After much discussion, Jacob sets out with his entire family (and yes, that includes all his rascally sons and their offspring) for Egypt. They head for the unknown. However, Jacob sits on an emotional fence at Beersheba, the southernmost town in Canaan. God tells 130-year-old Jacob to make a fresh start with his sons, the deceivers. Elderly Jacob obeys God’s command, but all types of fears pass through his heart. Will Jacob bail?

ISRAEL VERSUS JACOB

Jacob stops to offer sacrifice to God at Beersheba. Remember Jacob’s new name from God? “Israel” has acted in faith by loading the wagon, but “Jacob” is wondering what in the world is going on. And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, “Jacob! Jacob!” “Here I am,” he replied. “I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you. It is only in Egypt that Jacob can become Israel, the prince of God over a multitude of descendants.

FORGETTING MY NEW IDENTITY

Are you mired in the past? In my case, I often act as the old “Jac”. This is all the time when like Jacob, I pull on the old sin nature and perform according to my old character. I forget who I am in Christ. I forget my identity in Christ and agree with people when they call me Failure, Weak, Prisoner, Forgotten, Cursed.

YOUR NEW ETERNAL NAMES

What does God have in store for you? Are you chained to the old names and labels people have given you? Or are you willing to step out on faith in believe truly that you are Blessed (Ephesians 1:3); Child of God (I John 3:1); Chosen (John 15:16); Free (Rom. 8:1); Friend (John 15:15); Known (Ps. 139:1-3); Loved (Romans 8:38-39); Redeemed (Romans 3:23-24); Seen (Ps. 34:15); Strong (II Cor. 12:9).

God calls you to let go of the past. He beckons you by your new name.

HIS OWN SPECIAL POSSESSION AND TREASURE

Am I God’s special possession and treasure?

And there we are. Pals sitting around the campfire. Some of my mates cracking jokes, others of my chums playing a wild game of tag, and a few seeing who could spit the furthest. We wait for our leader, Moses, to tell us the next destination. And then, we hear the horn sound. We instantly run toward where the announcement is to be made.

THE SPECTACULAR PROMISE

In Ex 19:1-25, the camp becomes silent. Moses speaks and it is amazing. This God that Moses keeps talking about is offering us some spectacular promises: “You shall be My own special possession and treasure from among all peoples [of the world], for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation [set apart for My purpose].’ My jaw drops. A “kingdom of priests and a holy nation”? I don’t understand the scope of what we’re agreeing to, but we all nod and pledge: “We will do everything the Lord has commanded.”

SET APART FOR GOD

God tells Moses, “Go down and prepare the people for my arrival. Consecrate them today and tomorrow and have them wash their clothing.”  Coming out of Egypt, we don’t understand what this all means, but we obey Moses by thoroughly washing our bodies and clothes for this special event, to be set apart for God.

TREMBLING TO THE BONE

On the third day, when it was morning, “there were thunder and flashes of lightning, and a thick cloud was on the mountain, and a very loud blast was sounded on a ram’s horn.” This still is a terrifying memory. All of us, trembling to the bone.  

MEETING GOD

Then Moses leads us out of the camp to meet God. We stand and present ourselves at the foot of the mountain. To go any further means certain death. In front of us, Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire; its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. And it happened, as the blast of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him with [a voice of] thunder. 

SHAKEN TO THE CORE

This is the turning point. I realize that God is not my buddy, my chum, my pal, my mate. He’s not that figurine on the shelf. God is beyond description.  I am shaken to the core.

ATTITUDE TRANSFORMATION

My attitude is transformed. I now respect, honor, and glorify in all I am and in all I do God. No longer do I come before Him with thoughts centered around myself, my comfort and my personal desires.  I bow down, clothed in my best, washed both inside and out. He deserves and maintains my full attention. God is the burning fire of holiness who speaks amidst the thunder and lightening. I am His own special possession and treasure.

GIVING OUR BEST

Is this how we live as believers; totally living as His own special possession and treasure. Giving Him our best at all times, both outwardly and inwardly? Outwardly, we do our best to appear before Him with unique respect, far above what we would give a dignitary. We dress with respect. Cell phones turned off. Our mouths quiet; attention totally on Him.

HIS TREASURE

Inwardly, it means I allow God to totally clean house. Those resentments, wayward thoughts, unholy reactions, I lay before the cross, begging Him to not only clean me, but to continue to build my new heart in Him. We honor Him as we are His own special possession and treasure.

IN NEED OF RESCUE

Have you wondered why after all the prayers and tears you have poured into your family, your loved ones still deny Jesus?

What are the cracks in your foundation? Did you face another Easter in which you seemed to be the only one who is holding the torch of Jesus Christ? Wondering why after all the prayers and tears you have poured into your family, your loved ones still deny Jesus? They refuse the empty tomb; they see the stone rolled away but don’t enter to see the evidence.

THE THIEF

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill and destroy. Someone has had a field day, and it is not your loved ones.

SENT TO DEATH ROW

The Apostle Paul walked that road of darkness: We don’t want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us in Asia province. It was so bad we didn’t think we were going to make it. We felt like we’d been sent to death row, that it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally—not a bad idea since he’s the God who raises the dead! And he did it, rescued us from certain doom. And he’ll do it again, rescuing us as many times as we need rescuing.”  (II Cor 1:8-11)

GUARDED FOR ETERNITY

Paul Tripp writes in “Forever: Why You Can’t Live Without It”: “The word ‘guard’ in I Peter 1:5-6 tells us exactly what God is doing in the here and now, and exactly why we can have hope, even in unexpected moments of pain. Not only does God have a plan that you are included in, but he is also with you daily and guarding you through every situation as he is preparing you for forever. Guarded means that not only is your future guaranteed, but it means that God is protecting you in the here and now as well. If forever is in your future, then God must ‘guard’ you between now and whenever forever becomes your permanent address. ‘Guarded’ means you cannot only be assured of future hope, but of the right here, right now comfort of present help”.

AS MANY TIMES AS I NEED RESCUING

Rescued. Guarded. My God is a Fortress, an Everlasting Hope in danger. He is my forever God, no matter what Satan throws at me. No matter if my dreams appear crushed and disappointment hovers over me like a dark cloud. As a child of God, I am living in eternity PRESENT. Not pie in the sky, or “I’ll fly away”. I’m presently living in God’s eternity, and it is good, no matter what is thrown at me. The eternal God is with me, “as many times as I need rescuing.”

HIS INVITATION

Yes, Satan is a thief, and the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. Remember, Jesus’ promise, I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. It does not matter what is thrown in your face, even your family goes down the drain, even if you are still the only believer in sight, even if you despair even of life. The eternal God is with me, “as many times as I need rescuing.” Let Him rescue you.

THE SIREN CALL

Suddenly, I heard a siren behind me. I pulled over assuming the police officer needed to pass by. Surely, he was not stopping me! 

Newly licensed and driving home from school on Rt. 222 south. I possessed not a care in the world. I inherited my heavy foot on the gas from my father. Suddenly, I heard a siren behind me. I pulled over assuming the police officer needed to pass by. Surely, he was not stopping me! 

He climbed out of his cruiser and yelled, “I have been following you for ½ a mile with my lights flashing and you ignored me!!”.  No way could I talk myself out of that ticket.

LITTLE SAMUEL’S SIREN CALL

That brings us to the story of little Samuel in I Samuel chapter 3.  He isn’t sixteen years old speeding down the highway, but he doesn’t realize the significance of his “siren call” in the middle of the night.  Samuel always slept, ready to wake up at the quiet voice of elderly Eli when Eli needed assistance.  Samuel doesn’t know that this siren call is different. This call is directly from God. 

THE WORD OF THE LORD WAS RARE

To actually hear the voice of God is pretty exceptional.  The beginning of the passage says that “In those days the Word of the Lord was rare.”  Samuel was always eager to obey his foster father, Eli, but it never entered his mind that the voice he was hearing was God Himself. 

ISRAEL WAY OFF TRACK

Historically, Israel was way off track.  Spiritual oversight broke down with Eli, the High Priest of Shiloh, the second-to-last Israelite judge.  His progeny, Hophni and Phinehas, were expected to take up the torch of leadership, however both sons are corrupt to the core. They ignored their father’s corrections. Like most of Israel, they ignored God.

EVERY DID WHAT SEEMED RIGHT IN THEIR OWN EYES

“In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes” (Judges 21:25). No wonder, in those days the Word of the Lord was rare.  Israel is bopping toward spiritual destruction, without a care in the world, totally disregarding God.

ARE YOU MISSING THE CALL OF GOD?

Have you been bopping down the highway of life, speeding along, ignoring the spiritual potholes?  Are you so wrapped up in your own life and concerns that you missed the warning lights from God and the siren call of His Word?  It is not too late.  Go before God, let Him deep clean any sin that has been clouding your spiritual eyesight. Beg Him to deepen your time with Him so that You can understand His written Word.  Miracles happen when we listen to God. 

GOD’S BEST FOR YOU

The Apostle Paul prayed for you:  “That your love may abound more and more [displaying itself in greater depth] in real knowledge and in practical insight, 10 so that you may learn to recognize and treasure what is excellent [identifying the best, and distinguishing moral differences], and that you may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ [actually living lives that lead others away from sin]; 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God [so that His glory may be both revealed and recognized] (Philippians 1:9-11).  Heed God’s siren!

THE GIRL WITH THE AGENDA

The note said to “watch out for Audrey” and then it listed all the things she could possibly do in the classroom. (It failed to mention what she could do on the playground!)

Most of you know me as a substitute teacher who loves little kids. I say “little kids” because that is my wheelhouse, my comfort zone, my area of knowing everything that is presently in the mind of first and second graders. I feel loved and needed. It never fails, whenever we’re out for recess, someone will come up to me and ask me to tie their shoe or zip up their coat. With each act of kindness, I feel like I did something that was productive, or helpful. 

TIME WITH THE “BIG KIDS”

Yet, I left my comfort zone, my wheelhouse, to enter the world of “big kids”.  It was a moment of weakness which I soon regretted when I took a class of sixth graders. Yes, sixth graders, the land of drama, of hormones, of boys who act like they are in second grade and girls who wish they were in tenth. But even though that is true most of the time, this was a very nice class.

AND THEN THERE WAS “AUDREY”

Yes, they had the rowdy boys and the chatty girls, but they also had one student who had her own agenda: to make my life as miserable as possible! Her name was Audrey (not her real name). I knew I was in trouble when I came into the room and read the notes from the teacher. There was a half sheet explaining the antics of Audrey.

WATCH OUT FOR AUDREY!

The note said to “watch out for Audrey” and then it listed all the things she could possibly do in the classroom. (It failed to mention what she could do on the playground!) It was a difficult day for me, trying to appreciate each of the 22 students and at the same time, keeping an eye out for Audrey, wondering when the next outburst would occur. I don’t think she considered me her “favorite substitute teacher” and she wasn’t my favorite student, but as the day wore on (and my patience wore out) I began to pray.

GOD ALSO SAW ME AS A MISFIT

The Lord reminds me that this girl appeared to me as I once appeared to God. God saw me as a misfit, as a kid who wasn’t living by the rules like everyone else, and as someone who wanted nothing to do with all the things that everyone seemed to desire. In middle school, I was also the one who was looking for attention from the other students and faculty but in an unacceptable way, just as Audrey was doing.

COMPASSION IN ACTION

By the end of the day, I wasn’t just “watching out for Audrey” but I had compassion for her. I could see past her rebellious actions to a person who was hurting for friendship, for affirmation. As I was finishing my day of substituting, I found myself praying for Audrey, that she would find the same peace and hope that I found in Christ Jesus.

Looking into the eyes of this child, I realize this is just the beginning. If she doesn’t discover who Jesus is and what he offers, she could have years of this: a hatred of other people, a loss of true love, and an attitude of never being good enough. Jesus said, “Whoever believes in the Son, has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” (John 3:36).

MY CHANGE IN ACTION

When you see a child or an adult in this condition, pray for them. Right here, right now. Pray that they could see life, and that God’s wrath would be upon them no longer. They need the life which refreshes the heart and mind. If you come across an “Audrey” and she seems to have an agenda that works against you, remember, pray for her and watch God do His work to bring her to believe in life, in the Son of God.

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. (I Thessalonians 5:16-19)