For those of you who have never met me, I'm a bit of a control freak. I want it to be all about MY
plans and MY agenda, and sometimes God needs to remind me that I can't always be in control.
I received this email this morning:
"I just got a call from your long-term substitute. She is no longer available to sub (she was offered a full-time job as a lateral entry teacher). Do you know of anyone else?"
I was a ball of emotions -- happiness for the sub (she's been trying to get a lateral entry position for a while now), disappointment (she had been such a good fit), panic (how are we going to find a sub -- a GOOD SUB -- in time?), frustration, the list goes on and on.
The Lord knew what He was doing when he made Jason my husband. While I'm an emotional person (ecstatic! angry! jubilant! bummed!), he remains level-headed 99% of the time. The only exceptions to that are when he is in traffic or dealing with a poorly-made website. Even when we found out we were having a boy (something Jason really wanted), he just sat there smiling. No happy dance, no woohoo, just a smile. Anyway, God paired us together so that Jason could constantly pull me back in off the ledge of overreaction.
J: This is not your problem.
M: But they're my kids!
J: It is the state's problem. Your job is to have a baby. They'll figure things out.
Wise man.
In Jason's office at work, a small corner of his dry erase board simply says, "Consider the ravens." He keeps it there as a reminder to him of Luke 12:24-26:
"Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap... and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?"
He says this message reminds him that no matter what situation he faces, God's looking out for him.
We're studying God's will right now in Sunday School class. God's will can be divided into three separate parts:
Providential Will -- What God is going to do no matter what
Moral Will -- God's commandments, His guidelines for right and wrong found in the Word
Personal Will -- His will for our individual lives, guided by the decisions we make
God knew my original long-term sub was not going to be the individual who actually started the school year for me (providential will). He knew she would get the full-time position and decide to accept it (personal will). He knows who my new sub will be (providential will). My job is to "consider the ravens," panic less, and trust more (moral will).
Showing posts with label YM1. Show all posts
Showing posts with label YM1. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
YM1 -- Friendship in Marriage
Today, I'm continuing to share from my Sunday School class's study of marriage in our current culture.
Today, I'm talking about friendship in marriage. Did you know our spouse is supposed to be our best friend?
"And the Lord God said, 'It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.'" -- Genesis 2:18
"His mouth is most sweet, yes, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem." -- Song of Solomon 5:16
Though he doesn't show this side to everyone, Jason is one of the most fun, spontaneous, ridiculous people I've ever met.
Our goal this week: take time and do something fun and silly.
Today, I'm talking about friendship in marriage. Did you know our spouse is supposed to be our best friend?
"And the Lord God said, 'It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.'" -- Genesis 2:18
Without question, Jason is my best friend. There's no one I'd rather spend time with. He's the first one I want to talk to when something good happens or when I see something funny on tv. He makes the most mundane tasks more fun. Sure, I enjoy time alone, with my family, or with my friends, but at the end of the day, I want to be around him.
Though he doesn't show this side to everyone, Jason is one of the most fun, spontaneous, ridiculous people I've ever met.
We've had to make the most of the past few months, dealing with house-packing, house-moving, house-settling, house-renovating, and house-selling. We've had fun doing it, but a question from our Sunday School teacher really startled us: "What's something fun you've done recently just to have fun?" We looked at each other and realized that we couldn't remember the last time we've had fun just for fun's sake.
Monday, July 23, 2012
YM1 -- Purpose of Marriage
My Sunday School class is starting a new series on marriage in the current culture. I've enjoyed the first two weeks so much I want to share some information from it with others. (PS, the "YM1" in the title is the name of my class, "Young Marrieds 1")
"Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord... Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her." -- Ephesians 5:22, 25
Marriage is an earthly model of Christ's (the groom's) relationship with the church (the bride). In high school, my male classmates loved to quote "Women are supposed to submit to their husbands" before launching into their "woman's place is barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen" stance on male and female relations. Meanwhile, I sat there silent but red-faced and white-knuckled. I knew this verse was in the Bible, but I didn't know the Bible well enough to argue against them. Only in my adulthood have I begun to understand what these verses truly mean.
Yes, wives are supposed to submit to their husbands. Husbands represent Christ in the marriage relationship, and they are supposed to lead their spouse and family closer to God. However, what my male classmates failed to quote was the verse a little farther in Ephesians. Husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loved the church. How did Christ love the church? He loved the church unselfishly, humbly, with a servant's heart. Oh yeah, and He died in order to save the church. That's a tall order to fulfill!
"Speaking truth in love, [we] may grow up in all things into Him who is the head -- Christ." -- Ephesians 4:15
One quote from class: "Regarding our selfishness and sin, our spouses do not change us as much as they reveal us."
So, so true. You don't realize how spiteful, selfish, or sinful you are until you live with someone day in and day out. You feel yourself speak out in anger, then think to yourself "Ooh, that wasn't very loving, was it?" Then, you get to swallow your pride and ask for forgiveness.
We are both called to serve our spouse without grumbling, keeping score, feeling like martyrs, or expecting reciprocation. I try to serve Jason unselfishly without expecting him to do the same. Our culture balks at this, but when he's served, Jason in turn serves me -- not out of guilt or reciprocation, but because he loves me and wants to serve me. This in turn makes me want to serve him, and the cycle continues. (Not that we're perfect with this. Trust me, I'm thankful every day that he cannot hear my sinful, prideful thoughts!)
"As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." -- Proverbs 27:17
"But we all... are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." -- 2 Corinthians 3:18
Like I said, we're not perfect, but we have a lifetime together to "sharpen" each other. The transformation is slow, but we're in it together. Tomorrow, friendship in marriage.
"Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord... Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her." -- Ephesians 5:22, 25
Marriage is an earthly model of Christ's (the groom's) relationship with the church (the bride). In high school, my male classmates loved to quote "Women are supposed to submit to their husbands" before launching into their "woman's place is barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen" stance on male and female relations. Meanwhile, I sat there silent but red-faced and white-knuckled. I knew this verse was in the Bible, but I didn't know the Bible well enough to argue against them. Only in my adulthood have I begun to understand what these verses truly mean.
Yes, wives are supposed to submit to their husbands. Husbands represent Christ in the marriage relationship, and they are supposed to lead their spouse and family closer to God. However, what my male classmates failed to quote was the verse a little farther in Ephesians. Husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loved the church. How did Christ love the church? He loved the church unselfishly, humbly, with a servant's heart. Oh yeah, and He died in order to save the church. That's a tall order to fulfill!
"Speaking truth in love, [we] may grow up in all things into Him who is the head -- Christ." -- Ephesians 4:15
One quote from class: "Regarding our selfishness and sin, our spouses do not change us as much as they reveal us."
So, so true. You don't realize how spiteful, selfish, or sinful you are until you live with someone day in and day out. You feel yourself speak out in anger, then think to yourself "Ooh, that wasn't very loving, was it?" Then, you get to swallow your pride and ask for forgiveness.
We are both called to serve our spouse without grumbling, keeping score, feeling like martyrs, or expecting reciprocation. I try to serve Jason unselfishly without expecting him to do the same. Our culture balks at this, but when he's served, Jason in turn serves me -- not out of guilt or reciprocation, but because he loves me and wants to serve me. This in turn makes me want to serve him, and the cycle continues. (Not that we're perfect with this. Trust me, I'm thankful every day that he cannot hear my sinful, prideful thoughts!)
"As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." -- Proverbs 27:17
"But we all... are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." -- 2 Corinthians 3:18
Like I said, we're not perfect, but we have a lifetime together to "sharpen" each other. The transformation is slow, but we're in it together. Tomorrow, friendship in marriage.
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