A Joyful Mission

No Guarantees

Sometimes, don’t you wish that life could have something like the guarantees that come with cars, electronics and appliances? It sure would be nice…. sometimes. I say “sometimes” because even as hard as this life can be and feel at times, I have found that by not having that guarantee about an easy life has helped me to see God in a bigger way. No guarantee means that I have to trust God with the outcome instead of expecting the outcome that I would want to see.

The hardest journey that we as humans have to take is that of trust, especially when it comes to God. We want to yank back control on every occasion when, if we truly trust God, then we will get where we need to be so much faster. Admittedly, we tend to mess things up when we don’t give that trust over to God. We like to rush things and we know that it can be difficult to stand on faith when we have a world that is not kind to believers. We are made fun of, mocked, challenged and ridiculed, all because they don’t believe.

I also bring up this idea of guarantees because I have a sister-in-law who is struggling with bouts of cancer that keep coming back. Understandably, she is angry and tired. I am also sure, as with any of us, she asks God, “Why?”. It’s hard to find the joy in living when the future is so uncertain. However, I think that is the purpose…. finding joy within the sorrows that living brings.

Yes, there are no guarantees in life. We ALL suffer in some way. Whether it is through our health, our relationships, our families, our jobs (or professions), or our ______ (fill-in-the-blank). Living life means dealing with sorrows. The difference that tells the true tale is perhaps how you deal with your sorrows. They don’t go away but the one guarantee that we do have? Our God loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus to us. Jesus died for us. Trust me, He knows what suffering is. That is the very definition of the only guarantee that we need! (Related post: The God of Everything).

So, what did I learn from this? I like knowing that I have a God who loves me enough even though I am not worthy of that love at all! It just fills me up with joy even when things get difficult or I become frustrated. He helps sustain me in those times that I need Him but also, I know that He’s there even when things are going just fine. It’s that balance that He gives me and that’s all that I need to be sustained.

What can you learn from this? Remember Philippians 4:7 which says, ” And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” In fact, I keep seeing these videos on YouTube which others have been showing how the Bible states 365 times, “Do not be afraid.” There is your constant, daily, reminder that the only guarantee that you need, is God. Don’t worry, He’s got this and I can guarantee that!

Roots and Wings

At one point when I was younger, I saw that my mom had found a wonderful saying that was hanging in our den. I’m sure that she had found it at some garage sale or thrift store. Anyway, this saying has always stuck with me. It says, “There are two things that we can give our children: One is Roots and the other is Wings.” I remember asking my mom at that time what it meant and she told me that the roots are what we get as we grow up. It’s our values and the core of who we are. The wings are the gifts that our parents give us so that we can soar on our own in the world, and that we can be productive citizens.

With my new job with a different school board (a neighboring parish), I’m working with students who have behavior issues although actually it’s more that I’m also working with the teachers and administrators so that they can help these students as well. Even though I knew this from before from my time as a teacher, I have also realized something important as well, there are so many people who didn’t grow up the way that I did or even the way that my husband did. You see, both my husband and I grew up with both a mother and father who stayed together, no divorces, no messy separations. During my time here, there are so many things that I’m hearing these students go through and some of them haven’t been near as lucky. It’s hard for them to develop wings when their lives have been so boggy. They never had the chance to develop those good roots that my husband and I have had.

So, how could I help them when it’s hard for me to understand the sort of things that they have had to go through?

I do a lot and a lot of praying and I know that God gives me the words when I don’t have any. (Related post: An Act of Faith). So, essentially, He helps me to tell them that they have untapped strength inside them. He helps me to let them know that they have a purpose and a meaning, that they can be so much more than what they’ve experienced in this world and that they can also help others who have been in similar situations.

Many, many times we don’t truly know why we have been on the path that we are on. Sometimes, it is through the choices that we’ve made and sometimes it’s by sheer happenstance. Yet each experience can be used to help us to grow those roots so that we can develop our own wings. We just have to remember that we are never alone on this journey that we call life. All we have to do is look up. (Related post: The Path to Redemption).

So, what did I learn from this? I can be a vessel to show others who God is. He is compassion. He is love. He is redemption. He is joy. My roots run deep because I do have a family that loves and cares for me. I am lucky in that and I don’t take it for granted at all. However I have come to this job, I see it as a ministry and a way to show others the compassion, love, redemption and joy that God has shown me. Am I always successful? Unfortunately and sadly, no. As I work with children, their parents and all of those who work with them as well, my hope is that I can plant a seed that when watered, will grow and become something beautiful later on. This is always my prayer.

What can you learn from this? Think about your own journey that you’ve been on. I’m sure that it hasn’t all been sunshine and roses. I’m sure (like all of us), you’ve battled the storms and thorns of life. As you’ve come through, you have come out stronger and more resilient than ever. When you do get through, then be sure to say “Thank you!” to the Man upstairs. He’s been holding your hand and carrying you the whole time (even though you may not have seen it at that time), so give Him a little bit of love and acknowledgement. I think that He would appreciate that.

Grace Received, Grace Given

My job has recently changed and I now work with a different school system. My current job focuses on helping administrators, teachers, parents and students to work through some of the behavior that we see on a daily basis and the hinderance that it has on a student’s education. I only point that out because of what I see, I have to look past the behavior to what’s underneath it. In fact, I have to look at the feelings and the needs that go along with why a person is acting the way that they are. I’m not a social worker, just a person who has had lots and lots of experience dealing with behavior. In fact, I feel (believe) that I went through all those other things in my own life, just to get to this point. I’ve learned (and continue to learn) from my own mistakes and use them to try and help others grow as well.

Why did I tell you all that? Here’s why…..

In dealing with all the issues that are coming up in today’s world, it made me realize how amazing that our God truly is. Not that I EVER had a doubt before, but I know that I ABSOLUTELY see it more so, now. It’s my job to try and figure out why the student is acting the way he or she is. Yet, we have a God who already knows why we are acting the way that we are. He puts up with so much from us and still wants a relationship with us! Even though He sees and knows all, He gives us free will but He wants us to trust Him and give that will back to Him when things aren’t going quite right in our life or in the world. He gave us guidelines and rules (the Bible) that tell us what to look for, how to act and what to do so that can put us on that pathway to Him. He also gave us His Son, Jesus, just to save us from our own sinful nature. He wants us to be with Him in Heaven when our time on earth is done. Why? That’s His Grace that we’ve received…. and it was freely given!

The thing is, is that we have a God who loves us more than we love ourselves.

And here comes another kicker…..

We are called to be a new creation when we accept God into our lives, but how many times have we failed to give that same grace to others? We are so quick to jump and condemn the person who is acting out but fail look at the feeling and the need behind that behavior. Of course, it’s never to excuse the behavior and to not give consequences that are earned, but, grace is instead needed to help that person to work through the why’s and reason’s for their behavior so that they can make better choices in the future. Remember, we have ALL sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. So, we need to take a step back and look at others just in the same way that God looks at us….. with mercy and grace.

So, what have I learned from this? I’m humbled and there are a thousand times that I wish that I could go back and do some things differently, but I can’t. All I can do, is to go down a different path than the one that I was on. This new path has Jesus at the end. This new path is where I am guided by the Holy Spirit. This new path has shown me something that I didn’t think as deeply about before…. God is love and mercy and grace. So, how can I do anything differently as a Christian? Am I always successful? NO! I still continue to work on it because of my sinful nature as a human and I continuously send thanks to Him who created me. I NEED Him to guide me so that I can give out that same grace that I have received.

What can you learn from this? When you fully accept that God loves you and when you realize that He sees past all of the hurt and the pain and the anger that causes you to act out, then you will truly know peace. God doesn’t hold our past over our heads and He certainly doesn’t tell us that we can’t be with Him because of the choices that we’ve made. Know that what we receive from God, can also be given to others. It’s a gift that never loses it’s value when it’s passed on.

Look Up!

I love to scroll through Pinterest! I always find something that gives me a boost. There was a post that I saw recently that really made me think. It was a picture of Jonathan Roumie who plays Jesus in The Chosen series and he was looking up. The statement that was on it went something like this (I’m going to paraphrase it)… Look past (to our) mistakes; Look around (in our) worries; Look up (to) God.

Not sure if you caught that but it was a very revealing statement to me. How often do we continue to look back at our past? To the things that we’ve done and yet cannot change? How often do we look around and worry about the world around us? Can we change what’s going on? OR…. Do we look up to our God who redeems us and gives us hope for and towards something that we cannot see?

None of us can change who we were but we can learn from it. None of us can fix our past mistakes but we can grow because of it. None of us can change what is happening in the world but we can learn from it. None of us can fix what is broken in others but we can lead others by our example. None of our worries and/or anxieties can be changed EXCEPT by the belief that we have a God who loves us and took all of what we are onto the cross as His Son, Jesus, who suffered and died for us. Nobody can do that but God. Nobody has done that but God. Nobody WILL do that… but God!

He gives me hope as He should for all of us! God NEVER promises what He will not deliver. We don’t know the time that it will occur but we have to trust His process. There is a reason why He makes us wait. As for me, yes, I will continue to be impatient for it because now I know that it’s going to be good! (Related posts: God’s in the Details and God’s Promise)

So, what did I learn from this? It’s hard not to look back in my life, but now I can see it through a different lens. I can see it as times of growth. Change is hard and sometimes that growth can be hard as well but what I do know is that I became a better person because of it. Luckily, we have a God who sees and knows this about us as well. He sees where we try to change and grow in who He knows that we can be.

What can you gain from this? Give everything that worries you to God. It’s hard, I know. I always need those reminders too. We’re human, not perfect but perfectly imperfect! God sees us, flaws and all and loves us anyway. So, the next time that you want to look back in regret and worry and/or look around in fear and anxiety…. remember to also choose to look up. God’s got this so put your trust in Him to solve it.

Heart and Mind

A heart that longs for Jesus and a mind that thinks and believes about Him…. that is the reality of a life spent pursuing God. He’s bigger than we’ve ever dreamed, yet simpler than what we want to believe. For those of you who know the story of Jesus is actually to know God, Himself.

So, what does that tell us about God? God loves us SO MUCH that He sent His Son, Jesus to live among us, teach us and then die for us. Why? He, who had NO SIN, took all of our sins, so that we could be with Him once we leave this place. What does He want in return? He just wants our hearts and our minds.

Our heart is not just an organ within our body, but we need to remember that the heart is the symbol of love and compassion and understanding that we have for things that are outside of ourselves. Our mind is not just an organ that belongs in our head, it is also something that we use to discern between good and evil, right and wrong.

When we give our hearts and our minds to God, we choose to turn away from evil and turn away from doing the things that bring hurt to others, of course, to the best of our ability. We choose to give our feelings and our thoughts to God so that we can be guided toward Him during our time here on earth and then to spend eternity with Him in Heaven.

Jesus came as a child. Has anyone ever figured out why that was? Why didn’t God send a warrior on a mighty steed to destroy all of our enemies like the Jewish people thought would happen?

Personally, I don’t think that it was time, then. I think that God sent Jesus to come as a child to show all of us that He needed us just as much as we needed Him and in the most basic, elemental of ways. Think about it…. God, in Jesus form, was totally dependent on humans for His every need. I think that He wanted to see if we would rise to the occasion and have the heart and mind to see Him as MORE than what He appeared to be on the surface.

So, what did I learn from this? I give so much credit to our God who loves us that much, that He came to live among us and died for us. Would we, or could we do the same for Him? Our God is truly an awesome God! There is none like Him! He fills up my soul and I know that He will never let me down. He’s patient and kind, firm and loving. He’s the very model of what a parent should be. I’m not worthy of his love and grace. I make lots of mistakes but I sing His praise because it is ONLY through Him that I am strong and whole. He MAKES me better!

What can you gain from this? I was an empty shell before knowing and loving God like I do now. The funny thing is, I’ve always known Him but now my reliance on Him is deeper. If you want to feel some of what I feel and those who love God feel, then start by trusting in that little Baby who came down, grew to become a Man and then died just because He loves you that much. No sin is so great that cannot be overcome by the love of our God. He just wants your heart and your mind. Will you trust Him with it?

An Act of Faith

Who can know God’s purpose in our lives? When we step out in faith and trust God’s will for us, we begin to realize that we can discover so many things about Him and even about ourselves.

Never, ever, ever did I foresee where I am today. I’ve also realized how much I have grown through the journey of my career and, very simply, my faith. When I was young, I could never see the path that He was leading me on, while I was on it. It was only in looking back that I can see the connections and the layers and how each one led to the next. God’s sneaky like that. He gives us free will but asks that we trust Him to guide us on the best path for us. It’s an act of faith. It’s that Letting Go and Letting God component that I’ve talked about before.

So many times before, I thought that there was something wrong with me. I’d ask myself why I wasn’t happy where I was. However, I recognize now that God was asking me to just be patient and learn what I needed to learn while I was on that path. You see, God takes all those little gems that we pick up as we grow in our faith and in our journeys through life. He wants us to use that knowledge for later when He puts us on a different path. So, in doing that, I have begun to realize that there was nothing wrong with me. At that moment in time, I was right where God needed me to be.

Remember…..

Life is all about the choices that we make. How we respond to those choices, what we do with those choices and what we learn from those choices are the keys to finding joy in this life. Yes, God gives us free will but I would rather give mine back to God. He certainly knows what to do with it.

So, what did I learn from this? I’m so much stronger now than when I was relying just on my own knowledge and interests. I also know that I am so much stronger with God as I travel each path. I have learned to truly put my faith in God for everything. I’ve grown as a person, a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother and as a faithful follower of a God who has never let me down. I am better because I trust in Him to guide me in this journey. Who knows what path He has for me next but guess what? I look forward to it because I know that it’s where He wants me to be.

What can you gain from this? There is a certain freedom in turning our own will over to God. It’s so uplifting and invigorating at the same time to know that you matter so much to God. He wants us to know Him. He wants us to love Him and mostly? He wants us to trust Him in ALL aspects of our lives, not just the times that we think we should. I’m just betting that you will begin to see it the same way too!

In Thanksgiving

We complain a lot, as humans. That’s something that we do. I was listening to K-Love in my area one morning on my way to work and a listener came on who stated how she had a child that had cancer. During a very difficult conversation when a doctor was trying to tell her something about her child, this listener said, “Thank you.” to this doctor. The lady then went on to say that the doctor just looked at her with shock and tears in her eyes. When the mom saw that, she asked the doctor if anyone had said that to her and she replied, “No.”

That got me thinking a lot. How many times do we fail to say thank you to someone who is doing a job? Too often we don’t. We fail to see them as individuals who have their own hopes and dreams. They also have their own heartaches and fears. It might not be their dream job but at least they are doing it. We don’t know what’s going on in their lives but they still deserve warmth and kindness from us. A simple thank you can go a long way in uplifting others. I also find that it can uplift ourselves as well while we go through our day.

Another thing that I thought of is that we have a God who appreciates the same courtesy that He wants us to show toward others. Next time that you wake up in the morning and have a job to go to, say, “Thank you!” Thank Him for the food on your table, the clothes that you wear, the clean water that you drink, the ability to have a say in important matters and all other things that are a part of who you are. Say thank you to God for the little things, the in-between things and the big things. We need to remember and understand that we also have a God who loves us very, very much and wants to be appreciated just the same as we can be to our fellow human beings.

The very, very best thing? It’s free and while it can be uplifting to them, it also can do something positive for you as well.

So, what did I learn from this? I’m better when I see others as God sees us. I have to take all that love that God freely gives me and share it. Will others always be receptive to it? No but I don’t give up. I just turn to prayer instead and pray for them. That’s also free. I can’t change them. Only God can do that but I want them to see God through me. I’m not perfect by any stretch of the imagination so I constantly have to work at it. It’s a process but I do know this… I can help someone else feel the love of God even if they don’t believe.

What can you gain from this? If you want to become a better person, then see all the wonderful opportunities around you. There are people all around who really, really could use some encouragement. Will you get knocked down some? Yes. Not everyone’s going to be receptive. However, that shouldn’t stop you from trying. After all, how hard is it to say something nice? It doesn’t take any effort, just initiative and a simple kindness under it all.

Jehovah-Nissi: Name of God

Agnus Dei, Church of the Holy Trinity by Maigheach-gheal is licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.0

Jehovah-Nissi means, “Lord is my Banner” and was referenced in Exodus 17: 13-16 which is the name that was given to God by Moses after he built an alter to celebrate the defeat of the Amalekites and Rephidim. According to simplyvindblog.com, it states that, “By referring to God as the Banner over his life, Moses was acknowledging that his whole identity was found in and founded on God. His life’s purpose was to know God, understand things from His perspective, and do what God was calling him to do.”

When we call God Jehovah-Nissi then we are acknowledging that God is who we stand for and with. We are all called to be His children but we also called to a higher purpose as well. We are called to be His disciples and to go into the world and proclaim the Good News. It has been very refreshing to watch The Chosen (series that is about Jesus and His disciples), because even though some of it is guess work (on the writers part) when it comes to what the disciples were going through before and during the time that they came to know Jesus, it hits home for me. I began to understand that we ARE those disciples. We are going through some of the same things that the disciples were going through even though it is 2000 years later.

It helps me to know that I can stand on ALL of God’s promises from long ago until now. He has never changed and will continue to never change. We can stand on His principles and know that they are ALWAYS true and right even when the world tells us that we are wrong. It helps me to know that we have a God who empowers us to stand up and stand firm and that we will be rewarded by being with Him at the end of our time on Earth. So, thank you God for standing for me and all of your people. Amen!

So, what did I learn from this? Sometimes I’m down about things but more recently I’ve been more up because even as screwed up as the world is, I know that I can count on God. He’s always been consistent. I may not understand or want to wait on His timing but I know in my heart that it will be perfect when He chooses to show me what my purpose is. I just have to continue to be patient (of course, it’s not always my strong suit!). (Related post: The Difficulty With Waiting)

What can you gain from this? It’s hard at first to give anything and everything that you are going through over to God. We have this tendency to want to handle things ourselves. I get it. That’s called self-reliance. However, here is the thing, we don’t have to do it all by ourselves. We have a God who wants and desires to take away our sorrows. He just asks that we trust Him as we are going through the process because He will show us a better way in the end and that will make all the wait worthwhile.

The God of Everything

I recently was laid off (uh, actually fired) from my job that I had enjoyed. I was actually blind-sided really. The reasons that she put doesn’t hold a lot of water because when I was talking to some of friends, who are also my references, they laughed. My boss had said that I couldn’t work with others and that I didn’t have the right judgement to work with teens and adults with disabilities. Hmmmm, let me unpack that for a minute. I was a Special Ed teacher for 15.5 years. I worked with ALL kinds of people in order to help each child reach their potential. I had nonverbal students starting to talk and non-readers begin to read fluently. I was tough but fair and loving. Each of my students knew that they could always get hugs and high fives and praise at any time. I did nothing different when I worked with teens and adults with disabilities. However, I really think that letting me go was a ploy to hire someone else to my spot but I’m actually starting to be okay with it. Why? I know that God’s got this. (Related post: God’s Got This)

So, what does what I’m going through with have to do with us having a God who knows us inside and out? Apparently, everything, actually.

Let’s go to the beginning (or the Old Testament, if you will). In the beginning God formed everything around us and then He formed man and woman to have dominion over everything that He had made. In the Old Testament, God seemed more distant to His people. Oh, don’t get me wrong, they knew that they were His chosen people but He was up there and, well, we were down here on Earth. The connection was there but it was like talking and writing to someone that you’ve never laid eyes on.

Then, in the New Testament, God came to Earth in the form of His Son, Jesus. He was present here among us. He walked and talked with us. He laughed and cried like us. He felt joy and sorrow like us. He felt encouragement and anger like us. So, we go from a God who was loving but seemed distant to a God who loved us enough to BE with us in human form and He also experienced everything that we as human do. Then, of course, we can’t forget that He also suffered and died for us so that we can be with Him in Heaven when our time on Earth is done. That’s a TRULY loving God, for sure.

So, going back to my story of recent happening, I spoke of that so that you can understand and know that we have a God who is with us in every single aspect of our lives: the good, the bad and the ugly. He’s got this for me just like He has anything and everything that you are going through as well. He really is in the details of our lives. (Related post: God’s in the Details)

So, what did I learn from this? Everything. I’ve learned and am still learning that God has a purpose and a path for me. Now, the path that I thought that He wanted me on has changed. During this process, I’m learning to really, really, really LET GO and LET GOD. I’m learning to have absolute trust (I’m human, so make that actually 95% trust and 5% worry) in Him. I can say with certainty that I’ve come a long, long way with knowing that God has this and I’m just along for the ride. He has a plan. I’ve never doubted that. I’m also realizing and understanding that our God never fails to show up on time.

What can you learn from this? God truly understands and loves us but He wants us to trust Him in our journey in life. It’s never the straight line that we sometimes think that it should be. Sometimes we’re in the hills of life then we will go down to the valleys. (Related post: Traversing the hills and valleys of life with grace). He’s with us in both. He’s with us in each hill and valley that we encounter. He’s in the everything that life throws our way. So, my advice? Trust yourself to Him. Trust me, as scary as this time is for me? I’m starting to develop more peace than I had before this happened. Crazy, huh? So, I pray that what I’m going through helps make whatever you’re going through, not seem so bad. Know that God loves you and He will get you where you need to be. Trust Him in the process. You might just be really, really surprised at the results!

God’s in the Details

According to http://www.artsandculture.google.com this saying, “God is in the details.” is a quote by German-American Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1996) “It means that when attention is paid to the small things it can have the biggest rewards and that the details matter.”

So, how can this be important for us? We must remember that we have a God who knows EACH of us intimately and fully. He knows our individual tragedies and our triumphs. He sees the best that we are and the worst of what we do. When we trust God with every detail of our life then we are saying that He alone can guide us where we need to be or even in what can help us to find that fulfillment that we always are looking for. Our God NEVER uses it to control us. It’s within us so that we can give the reins of our free will to Him who always loves and cherishes us.

It’s hard to do, I get it. I actually know that God gets it too. How? We need to remember that God was FULLY human (in the form of His Son, Jesus) and still FULLY God. He understands us, not only because He formed us and knows each of us by name but because we are His. Yeah, I would certainly say that He’s in the details of life, for sure!

So, what did I learn from this? We never know the turns that our path will take in life. We can try to control it but that’s an impossible task. We would worry ourselves to death. Trust me, I know! I’m a champion worrier!! It’s taken a lot for me to get to this point in my life and let go of the hurt and pain. Does that mean that I don’t worry at all? No, not a bit. What I do know is that I have to give it to God and trust that He will help me to become a better person in the long run as I go through it. Also, it helps me to always remember that He holds me in the palms of His hands through it all. (Related posts: God’s Got This and God’s Promise)

So, what can you learn from this? You may already know and love God, but have a hard time with the letting go of the pain that you have in life. It’s really, really hard the first time. Then, you do it (give Him your trust, fully) and then you find that the pain is lessened somewhat. Then you try it again with another problem and it’s just a little bit easier then, too. Each time, it’s like that. You will get to the point where you begin to SEE God in those prayers when you asked for something. So….. when that happens and He answered, be SURE and tell Him, “Thank you!” when it happens, whichever way it turns out. He likes your acknowledgement of His help just like we all do.

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