Hope ... Loudly

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So, the other day I watched a DVD by Louie Giglio.  It was a 2-part message that I thought was amazing.  So amazing...I'm going to share it with you. 

There should be no argument that life is full of trouble.  Real Trouble.  The kind that has you look around and wonder how you got to that place.  The kind of trouble that we don't have an answer or a quick fix for.  The kind of trouble that hurts. 

If you are inclined to believe what the Bible says like I do then this is confirmed in John when it says that trouble is coming to ALL of us.  That sucks.  I know, but the question is how should this trouble be dealt with.

Louie made a great point in this message.  He said that we speak the loudest to world in the midst of our suffering.  He said that Jesus spoke the loudest to the world in midst of His suffering.  If what happened at the cross never took place...would we remember Him?  Probably not.  It was the ultimate sacrifice and the most painful way to die at that time in history.  They even went the extra mile for Him because he claimed to be God...

When I'm suffering, I try to speak the message that I truly believe in my heart:

• God is good, even if my definition of good doesn't make sense for the situation. 
• Suffering is my servant; I'm not a servant of suffering.  I will use my pain to further my message which is ultimately God's message to love people through it and grow more like Him.  I will use it; it will not use me.  I will be stronger after it and prepared for the next stage of my life.
• I will test what is truly in my heart by noting my response to trouble.  Do I crumble?  Do I trust?  Do I love?  Do I push away?  What do I do even when people are not watching me?

The love that I experience on a daily basis from my family is amazing, but the provision, love and joy that I receive from Jesus, even if I don't always immediately recognize it, is so much more.

What do you do when trouble comes?  How can you make suffering your servent and not the other way around?

It Takes A Lot of Faith

Motivation for a Better World

Teaching in today's public schools gives you a real sense of where the world is headed.  Don't get me wrong, some students eventually blossom into mature people with real goals and good heads, but there are so many that don't. 

A LARGE number of my students have parents that had them when they were students and either didn't finish or barely finished high school.  These are parents that can't help their kids with their homework on subjects that they possibly never made it to. 

Not only that, but I have had students that have told me their parents actually made fun of them for getting up and coming to school every morning.  How long do you think this young person will last? 

This is the burden that I carry.  I'm good at my job.  I connect with the students.  I teach them what I know, but I'm soooo tired of it.  I'm torn between staying, helping, and leaving for something that will be more comfortable, but make less of an impact.

How do you know what the right move is?  Where is the satisfaction in helping when you are so tired of seeing the same stuff and feeling like you are getting nowhere with a confused generation.  Where is the guidance for them outside of school?  How will I prepare my children for a world that is set out to corrupt and discourage them? 

I really don't know.

This is where faith comes in. 

I could go on, but I want to hear your thoughts on this.  What are some of your answers to these questions?

So I Was Called A Willow Tree...

Last week, I decided to go to a service for women at a church that is near my house.  It is not my church, but they have an awesome women's service and my husband was helping to lead worship.  (I'm setting this up so the rest of this post doesn't seem odd. 

As I was leaving, a woman stopped me and asked if I had a minute.  I did, and she asked me if I was familiar with the scripture about the tree planted next to the water.  For your reference, it says,  "He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers." Psalm 1:3.

She then told me that the bible often refers to oaks, but that I was a willow tree.  At first I didn't know how to take it and I'm still figuring it out, but, after some research, I found out a few things about willows:

• roots are known for their toughness, size, and drive to live and find moisture
• at full maturity, they are larger than most oaks
• their trunks have different "strands" that intertwine and wrap around each other
• they can be gorgeous
• without attention, the leaves can overwhelm the rest of the tree

How does this relate? 

I long to have deep roots, to not be moved by whatever comes along, but, instead, be planted and solid. 

I long to grow and mature into a woman that loves life, her family, God, and people.  I want to make a difference in the world, but first, in my own backyard.

There are many complex parts to me and that can seem overwhelming, but they work together and "intertwine" to make up who I was created to be.

I'll take gorgeous any day.

I have to be careful to not just pay attention to others, but take time for myself.  Trim my branches and tend to my overall well-being.

This really encouraged me and I would suggest that you take the time to figure out what tree represents who you are or who you want to be.  OOOH! and I have an idea...tell me about it!