Love, part two

Today I listened to another tape from Focus on the Family and it was called "A Man Called Norman." The tape was about a man who befriended his neighbor, Norman. Norman was not an easy person to be friends with. He was a hemit, had few social graces, and no friends. Norman was loved by God, however, and He led Mike to be a friend to Norman.
So I started thinking about the people to whom I show love. It's easy to love people who are like me. It's much harder to love someone who smells, or dresses funny, or talks funny. It's hard to love someone who has a lot of needs - who will take up a lot of my time. It's not so hard to write a check and send it in the mail to an organization that needs it. It might be a bit of a sacrifice to give money. But it is so much harder to make the sacrifices of time or reputation. What will people think if they see me with that person? I just don't have time to spare - I have my job, and my home to take care of. I only see my husband on the weekends - so I'm just not available to help. These are just a few of the arguments I have with myself.
If I really love God, then I need to love those that need my love the most. That might mean the staff person at school that doesn't really get along with anyone else. Or there might be someone in my neighborhood that needs a friend.
Who can you show love to today?

Just a heart beat

This morning I read an e-mail about a friend of ours who recently had a heart attack. I could not believe it. I am praying for him and his family. It got me to thinking, however, about how fast life can change - in just a heart beat. We take our hearts for granted. We can't usualy feel it working, pumping life through our veins.
I realized that each heart beat is a gift from God, and I need to both appreciate each moment of each day - and also to not waste a moment. I want to make sure that I tell my husband and my children/grandchildren how much I love them. I want to make sure that my heart is right with God, and that I am sharing God's love with all the people I meet each day. I want to take care of my heart so that it can continue to take care of me.

Don't Look Back

God had a special lesson for me to learn last week. I have been settling in to my new job- but on Wednesday I received a call from my former school district, offering me a job. I have been on the recall list since my position was terminated last spring. The new job I was offered was two steps below my former position - a cut in pay, days worked, and responsibilities.
I realized that I had not completely embraced my new job in a new district. I had thought of it as a job to do while I was waiting to go back to the old district. That's when God spoke to me - first through my husband, then throught Charles Swindoll, and then through His Word. He reminded me that all of His children go through times of testing. Why should I be any different? He showed me the examples in Scripture of men who had to step out in faith and trust Him to lead them.

Charels Swindoll spoke on Romans 8:28- "and we know that God causes all things to work for good to those who trust Him, who are called according to His purpose." The word "know" means to have absolute unshakable confidence. We need to claim this promise, to embrace it, to take it to the bank, in ALL circumstances. Then Swindoll talked about the next part, "God causes...according to His purpose." It's God's project. The develpoment of our Christian character is God's project.

Finally, God told me that it was time to let go of the past. He reminded me of the story of Lot, how He told Lot to flee the city and not look back. It was time for me to embrace my new job, to cling to the promise that He would cause it to work for good, and to not look back. Maybe He's saving me from something bad. Or maybe He just has a new prupose for me or a new project for the development of my character.

I turned in my resignation to the old district, and I'm looking forward to new relationships and what God is going to do with me at my new job.

Love

"You only love Christ as much as the one you love the least."
I heard this on a Focus on the Family broadcast and it blew me away. Stop and think about it. The annoying neighbor, the crabby coworker, a relative, a person on the street. Who is it in your life that you have a hard time loving? I was humbled when I thought about the people who I don't love. Does that really mean I don't love Christ? May it never be! So I need to start right now to love as Jesus loved - to love as God loves me.I'm going to start by praying for people that I am having a hard time loving,and I think that praying for them will help to change my attitude about them. Will you join me?

(Guy Doud was the speaker. I highly recommend that you listen to his talk - it's on CD and DVD through Focus on the Family - the CD is called "Teacher of the Year" and the DVD is called "Molder of Dreams.")

Holy Spirit Moment

Yesterday as I was driving home I was thinking about my summer - and thinking about all the yardwork we've done. We've planted trees and shrubs, fertilized and cut the grass, put in a vegetable garden, planted flowers, and picked weeds and more weeds. Just about every night you could see me outside walking around either watering or weeding. I've read articles on how to have a green lawn and how often to water my trees. Everything I've read says to water things deeply. That's because you want the roots of the trees,plants, grass to go down deep. That way they'll get well established. And then it hit me- that is exactly what God wants us to do. He wants us to go deep into His Word and get established, rooted in Him. If we just water plants lightly then the roots will stay near the surface. The plants will be easily uprooted, and much more affected by heat. But if their roots go down deep they stay alive no matter what the weather. One special note about grass - when your grass is really healthy and growing it keeps the weeds from coming in. So, in spiritual terms, when I am keeping myself watered with God's Word it will be much much harder for weeds to crop up in my life- like the weeds jealousy, greed, lying, gossip, etc. I need to make time every day to drink deeply from God's Word - not just a minute here or there, but time to read, meditate on the Word, and pray. And if I do that, then the storms of life will not be able to uproot me. When times of drought come I will be able to survive.
When I shared these thoughts with my husband, he said "Honey, that was the Holy Spirit teaching you that." Thank you, Jesus, for sending the Holy Spirit to be my teacher!

Goodbye Summer

I know that it's only August 7, but for me - summer is about over. My brother and his family have come and gone. Carrie is done with her summer job, and is on her trip to Guatemala. And, most importantly, I am back at work. I have workng a week at my new school. I feel like I'm pretending to be a secretary, or that Iam just there temporarily. I know that I will feel more and .more at home as time goes by. Everyone there has been really nice. I really miss my old school, but I am thankful to have a job - and I am enjoying getting to know new people, who will hopefully become good friends.
There are a few things I miss, that I really enjoyed this summer:
Sleeping in - I am really a night person by nature.
Being able to ease into the day. Now I am up at 5:15 and I have to leave the house by 6:15 so there's no time to waste.
Going for a walk or bike ride in the morning, when the air is fresh and there's the promise of the whole day in front of me.
Staying up late. There's the pressure to get to bed because of having to get up early. I love staying up late, but I suffer the next day at work if I do.
Setting my own goals/agenda for the day.
Eating lunch on my deck.