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 scripture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scripture. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Philippians 4
I have a hard time with favorites. I have a favorite color (orange) and a favorite movie (Princess Bride), but beyond that? How could I ever pick one food to say I like more than any other food? How could I say one song is more awesome than all the other ones I love? I like too many things to say something is my "favorite."
That said, my hands-down favorite book in the Bible is Philippians. Paul is succinct (which can't be said for all of his letters!), lays out his own testimony (which I consider very similar to mine... esteemed by the world's standards, but headed in the wrong direction only to be called to lay down those things to follow Christ), and has such quotable verses.
My all-time favorite verse in the Bible is the 4th verse --
"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice!"
Though that's my favorite verse, I find myself quoting verses 6&7 more often --
"Be anxious for nothing. But by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
I am a high-strung person. The month of May has been overwhelming me recently between teaching, end-of -year paperwork, student drama (a student moving, another student refuses to come to school and is suspended when she's here, bullying that was happening right under my nose), social engagements, and not being able to do as much as I used to (my back gives out for the day around 3:30, so staying late to get stuff done is nearly impossible).
This morning, God and I had some quality time calming me down with Philippians 4:6-7 and "It is Well with My Soul" on the radio. When I got to school, I had a card in my mailbox from the girl who's been dealing with bullying. It said:
"Dear Mrs. Self, you are a great teacher and have been a great support system when I was in need. You are going to be a wonderful mother because you're a wonderful teacher and person. Thanks for everything."
It's Teacher Appreciation Week, and she had written it for an assignment (I saw other teachers had cards in their boxes as well). I have not been feeling underappreciated, but I have been feeling stressed. This card was just what I needed (and I'm not ashamed to say the pregnancy hormones made me tear up a bit when I read it) to help me focus on what's important about my job and to relax about the less important things.
I pray that God's peace fills you today with whatever life is trying to throw at you.
That said, my hands-down favorite book in the Bible is Philippians. Paul is succinct (which can't be said for all of his letters!), lays out his own testimony (which I consider very similar to mine... esteemed by the world's standards, but headed in the wrong direction only to be called to lay down those things to follow Christ), and has such quotable verses.
My all-time favorite verse in the Bible is the 4th verse --
"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice!"
Though that's my favorite verse, I find myself quoting verses 6&7 more often --
"Be anxious for nothing. But by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
I am a high-strung person. The month of May has been overwhelming me recently between teaching, end-of -year paperwork, student drama (a student moving, another student refuses to come to school and is suspended when she's here, bullying that was happening right under my nose), social engagements, and not being able to do as much as I used to (my back gives out for the day around 3:30, so staying late to get stuff done is nearly impossible).
This morning, God and I had some quality time calming me down with Philippians 4:6-7 and "It is Well with My Soul" on the radio. When I got to school, I had a card in my mailbox from the girl who's been dealing with bullying. It said:
"Dear Mrs. Self, you are a great teacher and have been a great support system when I was in need. You are going to be a wonderful mother because you're a wonderful teacher and person. Thanks for everything."
It's Teacher Appreciation Week, and she had written it for an assignment (I saw other teachers had cards in their boxes as well). I have not been feeling underappreciated, but I have been feeling stressed. This card was just what I needed (and I'm not ashamed to say the pregnancy hormones made me tear up a bit when I read it) to help me focus on what's important about my job and to relax about the less important things.
I pray that God's peace fills you today with whatever life is trying to throw at you.
Friday, March 15, 2013
In All Circumstances
It's long, it's wordy, but I felt it was worth sharing...
I've been really thankful recently, and sharing that thanks with God in my morning prayers. School has been going well, I've had the world's best pregnancy, I'm going to have a baby soon, Jason has been amazing, I get to share my life with my family... it's all good here!
Each week, our Sunday School teacher Brian sends out a "Hump Day Encourager," an email linking Scripture with an application to our daily lives. This week, he shared 1 Thessalonians 5:18:
"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
He emphasized that the verse says to give thanks in all circumstances, not necessarily for all circumstances. It's hard to thank God for life's difficulties, but we are called to give God thanks while dealing with life's difficulties. I read this email Tuesday night, and thought about it a bit Wednesday morning. I feel like I'm a pretty grateful person, so I felt I could put a big ol' check mark by this verse and call it accomplished.
I get to work between 6:15 and 6:30. This gives me about 45 minutes before students show up to prepare for the day, read some Scripture, log in some grades to the computer, and finalize my powerpoint notes for the day. I live by these powerpoints. 90% of my organization (and trust me, there's a LOT of organization in my life!) is because I'm actually scatter-brained. If I need to remind students of something, I put it on the powerpoint. Directions for what they're doing in lab that day? It's on the powerpoint. Plus, that's how I teach... they follow along and fill in their notes while listening to me elaborate on my powerpoints and show them pictures and diagrams that emphasize the point.
At 7:00 on Wednesday, I went to copy my powerpoints for the day from my desktop computer onto my thumbdrive so I could display it on my projector. I do this every morning. For some reason, instead of copying the file, I DELETED THE ENTIRE FOLDER! As in, 5 days' worth of powerpoint notes. As in the file folder containing the notes I was about to teach 15 minutes from the time of deleting. Panic attack! You computer-savvy people out there are thinking, "Uh, why didn't you just retrieve it from the recycling bin?" Well, my school system has decided that they'll allow teachers to completely depend on their computers, but have no real administrative control over them. We can't do anything, from changing our desktop backgrounds to having access to our recycling bins.
Long story short, I called the Media Center and they said they may be able to retrieve the lost files by the end of the day. I frantically began recreating and retyping a powerpoint on what I thought I had planned on teaching that day and told my students to sit quietly and study for their quiz that was later that morning. By 7:45, we were up and running... but my whole day was thrown off.
I told everyone I could find about my horrible situation -- my students, fellow teachers, my assistant principal, my mom, Jason, you name it. At around 4:00, they were able to retrieve the rest of my files, so I was good to go for the rest of the week. Did I exclaim for joy? You betcha. Did I thank God? No, I don't believe I did...
That night in bed it hit me. Only 24 hours earlier, I had brushed off the message of giving thanks in every circumstance. God had tested me, and I had failed drastically. At no time during the day had I thanked God. In fact, I had a pretty foul attitude the whole day. I wanted people to pity me and my horrible situation.
And it wasn't even that bad of a situation.
So I had deleted some files. Wow, really? That was the worst thing in my day? That same day I learned that a student of mine with bad attendance is dealing with stuff so bad at home (obviously I can't share here) that I couldn't even fathom having to deal with. I didn't have to worry about where my next meal was going to come from. No loved one of mine was dealing with a sickness. We weren't facing eviction or foreclosure because my hours at work had been cut. I had not been fired, had an argument with a close friend, or even stubbed a toe. I had deleted some files that were found again only hours later.
We are called to thank God in all circumstances. While we may not like the circumstance or understand the circumstance, there is a point for it, and we should give thanks for it.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." -- Romans 8:28
God had a purpose for that situation that day -- to humble me and to help me realize just how much I need His forgiveness and mercy. I don't have a "check mark" beside gratefulness. I need the Holy Spirit in me every day to combat my pride and make me realize how much I need Him. The most beautiful thing is, He's there for me.
And if that isn't something to give thanks for, I don't know what is.
I've been really thankful recently, and sharing that thanks with God in my morning prayers. School has been going well, I've had the world's best pregnancy, I'm going to have a baby soon, Jason has been amazing, I get to share my life with my family... it's all good here!
Each week, our Sunday School teacher Brian sends out a "Hump Day Encourager," an email linking Scripture with an application to our daily lives. This week, he shared 1 Thessalonians 5:18:
"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
He emphasized that the verse says to give thanks in all circumstances, not necessarily for all circumstances. It's hard to thank God for life's difficulties, but we are called to give God thanks while dealing with life's difficulties. I read this email Tuesday night, and thought about it a bit Wednesday morning. I feel like I'm a pretty grateful person, so I felt I could put a big ol' check mark by this verse and call it accomplished.
I get to work between 6:15 and 6:30. This gives me about 45 minutes before students show up to prepare for the day, read some Scripture, log in some grades to the computer, and finalize my powerpoint notes for the day. I live by these powerpoints. 90% of my organization (and trust me, there's a LOT of organization in my life!) is because I'm actually scatter-brained. If I need to remind students of something, I put it on the powerpoint. Directions for what they're doing in lab that day? It's on the powerpoint. Plus, that's how I teach... they follow along and fill in their notes while listening to me elaborate on my powerpoints and show them pictures and diagrams that emphasize the point.
At 7:00 on Wednesday, I went to copy my powerpoints for the day from my desktop computer onto my thumbdrive so I could display it on my projector. I do this every morning. For some reason, instead of copying the file, I DELETED THE ENTIRE FOLDER! As in, 5 days' worth of powerpoint notes. As in the file folder containing the notes I was about to teach 15 minutes from the time of deleting. Panic attack! You computer-savvy people out there are thinking, "Uh, why didn't you just retrieve it from the recycling bin?" Well, my school system has decided that they'll allow teachers to completely depend on their computers, but have no real administrative control over them. We can't do anything, from changing our desktop backgrounds to having access to our recycling bins.
Long story short, I called the Media Center and they said they may be able to retrieve the lost files by the end of the day. I frantically began recreating and retyping a powerpoint on what I thought I had planned on teaching that day and told my students to sit quietly and study for their quiz that was later that morning. By 7:45, we were up and running... but my whole day was thrown off.
I told everyone I could find about my horrible situation -- my students, fellow teachers, my assistant principal, my mom, Jason, you name it. At around 4:00, they were able to retrieve the rest of my files, so I was good to go for the rest of the week. Did I exclaim for joy? You betcha. Did I thank God? No, I don't believe I did...
That night in bed it hit me. Only 24 hours earlier, I had brushed off the message of giving thanks in every circumstance. God had tested me, and I had failed drastically. At no time during the day had I thanked God. In fact, I had a pretty foul attitude the whole day. I wanted people to pity me and my horrible situation.
And it wasn't even that bad of a situation.
So I had deleted some files. Wow, really? That was the worst thing in my day? That same day I learned that a student of mine with bad attendance is dealing with stuff so bad at home (obviously I can't share here) that I couldn't even fathom having to deal with. I didn't have to worry about where my next meal was going to come from. No loved one of mine was dealing with a sickness. We weren't facing eviction or foreclosure because my hours at work had been cut. I had not been fired, had an argument with a close friend, or even stubbed a toe. I had deleted some files that were found again only hours later.
We are called to thank God in all circumstances. While we may not like the circumstance or understand the circumstance, there is a point for it, and we should give thanks for it.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." -- Romans 8:28
God had a purpose for that situation that day -- to humble me and to help me realize just how much I need His forgiveness and mercy. I don't have a "check mark" beside gratefulness. I need the Holy Spirit in me every day to combat my pride and make me realize how much I need Him. The most beautiful thing is, He's there for me.
And if that isn't something to give thanks for, I don't know what is.
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.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Being Honest
I learned a long time ago that public internet is not a place to air my dirty laundry. However, by always being upbeat online, I don't get to be fully honest with what's going on in my life. I learned a really valuable lesson last week, one too valuable to not share with those I care about the most, so that's what I'm going to do now.
I mentioned before that the first week of homeownership was about 95% fixing up old house and 5% living in new house. Last week was the second week of homeownership, and it was a rough one. We've been living in limbo. Afternoons were spent at the old house, and nothing seemed to go right. Then we'd come home, and nothing would go right here either.
To keep this from being the world's longest post, I'll sum up some of the events of last week.
~Tried to replace faucets at the old house, which turned into a three-day struggle where at one point, Jason considered taking a hacksaw to the pipes
~Every task at the old house took about three hours longer than expected, largely because something we needed was at the new house instead of with us
~Tried reprogramming the programable thermostat, which then reverted back to its default settings (85 degrees during the day) for some reason
~Bought a tv console that weighed 160lbs (really fun carrying into the house...) and was premade, but none of the screw holes were where they were supposed to be, so Jason had to drill new ones
~Dishwasher wouldn't clean dishes, even though I put detergent in the right place and it sounded like it was washing
~Sewer gases leaked from our half bathroom, which resulted in lots of online research, emails to the former owners, calls to the septic tank people, and me squirting water into a secondary drain of the toilet with a turkey baster (which reminds me... I need to buy another turkey baster...)
~We discovered that we have a flying ant problem... and a roach problem
Everything kind of hit rock bottom on Thursday. We had been spending so much time at the old house, but there were pretty serious problems (like the sewer gases and the bugs) that really needed addressing at the new house. At one point, Jason looked at me and said "Why can't just one thing be easy?" We were at the the end of our ropes, and that's where the lesson was learned.
We were trying to do this by ourselves, and all our efforts weren't enough. So we cried out to God. Jason said he was so overwhelmed with house stuff at work one day that he just stopped what he was doing and prayed. At home, I was doing the same thing. As Christians, we are not promised a life of ease -- quite the opposite, actually. It's through the hard times in life that we cling to Christ. Once we realized the God was in control and that He would see us through all of this, our attitudes improved, and so did our work! If you're struggling right now, I hope that these verses will be an encouragement to you as they have been to us this past week.
"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." -- James 1:2-4
"And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." -- 2 Corinthians 12:9 (one of Jason's favorite verses)
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." --Matthew 11:28
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." -- Philippians 4:6-7 (some of my favorite verses)
I leave you with a great quote from Mother Teresa that really sums it up:
"I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much."
I mentioned before that the first week of homeownership was about 95% fixing up old house and 5% living in new house. Last week was the second week of homeownership, and it was a rough one. We've been living in limbo. Afternoons were spent at the old house, and nothing seemed to go right. Then we'd come home, and nothing would go right here either.
To keep this from being the world's longest post, I'll sum up some of the events of last week.
~Tried to replace faucets at the old house, which turned into a three-day struggle where at one point, Jason considered taking a hacksaw to the pipes
~Every task at the old house took about three hours longer than expected, largely because something we needed was at the new house instead of with us
~Tried reprogramming the programable thermostat, which then reverted back to its default settings (85 degrees during the day) for some reason
~Bought a tv console that weighed 160lbs (really fun carrying into the house...) and was premade, but none of the screw holes were where they were supposed to be, so Jason had to drill new ones
~Dishwasher wouldn't clean dishes, even though I put detergent in the right place and it sounded like it was washing
~Sewer gases leaked from our half bathroom, which resulted in lots of online research, emails to the former owners, calls to the septic tank people, and me squirting water into a secondary drain of the toilet with a turkey baster (which reminds me... I need to buy another turkey baster...)
~We discovered that we have a flying ant problem... and a roach problem
Everything kind of hit rock bottom on Thursday. We had been spending so much time at the old house, but there were pretty serious problems (like the sewer gases and the bugs) that really needed addressing at the new house. At one point, Jason looked at me and said "Why can't just one thing be easy?" We were at the the end of our ropes, and that's where the lesson was learned.
We were trying to do this by ourselves, and all our efforts weren't enough. So we cried out to God. Jason said he was so overwhelmed with house stuff at work one day that he just stopped what he was doing and prayed. At home, I was doing the same thing. As Christians, we are not promised a life of ease -- quite the opposite, actually. It's through the hard times in life that we cling to Christ. Once we realized the God was in control and that He would see us through all of this, our attitudes improved, and so did our work! If you're struggling right now, I hope that these verses will be an encouragement to you as they have been to us this past week.
"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." -- James 1:2-4
"And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." -- 2 Corinthians 12:9 (one of Jason's favorite verses)
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." --Matthew 11:28
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." -- Philippians 4:6-7 (some of my favorite verses)
I leave you with a great quote from Mother Teresa that really sums it up:
"I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much."
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Day 13 -- More Helpful Than You Can Imagine
Apparently I'm the rebel of the 30-Day Challenge. Once again, I am straying from today's prompt (a letter to someone who has hurt me recently) to instead talk about someone who has helped me recently.
Most of you know that I graduated grad school recently and am currently looking for a teaching job in Wake County. Most of you also know that teaching jobs (or any jobs!) aren't the easiest things to get right now. I've been waiting my whole life to become a teacher, but it doesn't make this new endeavor any less scary.
I'm a natural worrier. I have an extremely Type-A personality, am an uberplanner, and like everything to be organized. On my own, I would have pulled out all my hair by now and probably had several panic attacks waiting to hear back from schools. Fortunately, God in His infinite wisdom gave me a partner in life who pulls me off of that ledge of craziness.
This partner is Jason, my husband of three years today!
Jason is intelligent, highly logical, and firmly grounded in God's Word. When I begin to worry I've done something wrong in the job-searching process, he calmly and quietly reminds me that if I'm meant to get a job, I will get that job. If I am not meant to get a certain job, nothing I could do would change that. He also reminds me that God has a plan for each person, so I can be excited for (and not jealous of) my classmates who have already been hired and know where they will be in the fall. Remembering that God is sovereign has challenged the Type-A in me, but has also given me peace.
Even though he does not read my blog ("Why would I? I live the blog!"), I wanted to devote today to sharing with the rest of you how helpful Jason has been and continues to be during this tough time. Another thing that keeps me from jumping off the deep end into Insaneland is reading Scripture. It reminds me that God is in control, knows now what His plans are for the rest of my life, and that no matter what happens with jobs, everything will be ok.
If you're dealing with anything tough in your life, know that I am always willing to that "helpful person" for you that Jason is for me. I also hope that the following verses will be an encouragement to you like they have been for me.
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." --Philippians 4:6-7
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." -- Romans 8:28
"You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." -- Psalms 16:11
Most of you know that I graduated grad school recently and am currently looking for a teaching job in Wake County. Most of you also know that teaching jobs (or any jobs!) aren't the easiest things to get right now. I've been waiting my whole life to become a teacher, but it doesn't make this new endeavor any less scary.
I'm a natural worrier. I have an extremely Type-A personality, am an uberplanner, and like everything to be organized. On my own, I would have pulled out all my hair by now and probably had several panic attacks waiting to hear back from schools. Fortunately, God in His infinite wisdom gave me a partner in life who pulls me off of that ledge of craziness.
This partner is Jason, my husband of three years today!
Jason is intelligent, highly logical, and firmly grounded in God's Word. When I begin to worry I've done something wrong in the job-searching process, he calmly and quietly reminds me that if I'm meant to get a job, I will get that job. If I am not meant to get a certain job, nothing I could do would change that. He also reminds me that God has a plan for each person, so I can be excited for (and not jealous of) my classmates who have already been hired and know where they will be in the fall. Remembering that God is sovereign has challenged the Type-A in me, but has also given me peace.
Three years ago today... helping me then just like he helps me now
Even though he does not read my blog ("Why would I? I live the blog!"), I wanted to devote today to sharing with the rest of you how helpful Jason has been and continues to be during this tough time. Another thing that keeps me from jumping off the deep end into Insaneland is reading Scripture. It reminds me that God is in control, knows now what His plans are for the rest of my life, and that no matter what happens with jobs, everything will be ok.
If you're dealing with anything tough in your life, know that I am always willing to that "helpful person" for you that Jason is for me. I also hope that the following verses will be an encouragement to you like they have been for me.
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." --Philippians 4:6-7
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." -- Romans 8:28
"You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." -- Psalms 16:11
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)