When Words are Not Needed

I took this today ... out towards the edge of town.  It was a glorious end to a day that spilled out the blessings of hearing God's voice and following it.  Today I chose kindness.  Today the rewards of that were incredible.  May you find beauty that all but stops your heart from beating in this world, and when you do may you take the time to just stop at the crossroads and appreciate each and every detail of it.

Lisa

Keeping it Real - Even When it Means Looking in the Mirror

Sometimes we seem to miss signs that the Lord is trying to get our attention ... trying to send us a message ... trying to guide us towards something.  They catch our eye for a moment, but then are dismissed as we rush ahead on our own path.  Today when I was driving home, the words on a sign jumped into my vision and read themselves into my thoughts as I was driving past them at 45 miles an hour.  It struck me.  It resonated with me.  It drew me back to it, and in response I had to park and walk back to it and take this picture.

One's first thought at meaning might be ... "Your" life is fragile - handle it with prayer.  Most days, I would have read it that way, but today I read it differently. For right before I was embraced by these words, I was deep in thought about how short I have been on patience lately.  I have so much on my plate and never seem to get in front of the 8 ball ... to quote a friend who has been feeling the same way.  Expectations of me as a teacher these days are so high.  I work long hours and pour my heart into trying to make sure that I have done everything I can to ensure that "No Child is Left Behind."  There is so much pressure on us to achieve, achieve, achieve.  We are reminded over and over that within the next few years 100% of our kids must pass the AIMS ... and that in two years  all 3rd graders must score higher than FFB on the AIMS or they will be retained.  We are asked to fill minutes so full that the true weight of them would not fit on a dozen clocks.  And ... somewhere in all that, I have become stressed to the point that I have lost my sense of humor and find myself smiling a little less often.  I forget that I want my classroom to be a fun place ... a place where we laugh and are captivated my learning ... instead of a place where we "have to learn."  The foremost takes energy and planning ... it does not happen by chance. It is the product of the magical, creative side of teachers who can make the mundane nothing short of amazing through careful planning and is birthed bu the love of doing just that ... making learning magical.  I am that type of teacher ... but it is hard to remember that on days when I feel smothered by the pressures of the outside forces that be.  Anyway, today God was talking about that with me.  Reminding me that when my patience runs short, His runs in abundance and is there for me to drink of - if only I would ask.  That He has equipped me for this work ... woven within me the creativity to weave for these children learning in ways that ignite their innate desire to learn and create as well ... and that He is there to remind me of that when I loose sight of it ... if only I would ask.  That he breathed the passion for this career for a reason ... that He uses me to touch the deepest parts of some of these kids ... that I live on in them years after they have walked through the hallways of my school for the last time ... that he has chosen me to be a part of this ... that He can revive that passion tenfold when it begins to dim ... if I ask.  AND THEN .. OUT OF THE BLUE ... "Life is Fragile .. Handle with Care." 

"Life is Fragile ... Handle with care." for me today was God reminding me that the children that I call my students are fragile ... and when I feel overwhelmed, frustrated, and uncreative ... when I feel like I am failing and can't seem to get a second wind ... I need to handle it with prayer.   I need to remain steadfast in prayer and relinquish it all to Him ... that He might do His work through me ... and empower me to do the job that I know He has called me to.  The lives I touch every day are fragile ... I need to handle the journey with prayer.

Then I get home and decide to go on Facebook and low and behold the following picture is the first thing on my wall.  (Courtesy of Meg Bitton Photography who is amazing if you are in here area!)

And this was the caption:
Friends.....so much more is accomplished with kindness than anger. I know that things make us angry and emotional, but remember...people make mistakes and its better to love than hate.

And ... although I am not hating people ... nor am I begrudging people of their mistakes  or trying to be unkind ... but God had a translation in this for me as well ...

Being kind is a choice it is something that needs to be done intentionally.

We have to filter everything we do through the filters of kindness and love.  We have to make sure that they are the motives behind each decision that we make ... no matter how mundane.  Take for example the following paper that I found on Pinterest.

Some of the statements in the first column can make kids feel little ... while the statements int he second column get the same message across without causing damage.  It is simply a choice of the words said ... it is  ... Being kind ... intentionally.

As you can see God was pouring signs down upon me today from all angels and venues ... and today I did not miss them.  I know that what He showed me today does not only apply to my school kids ... it applies to each and every person that is in my life. 

It is 

a way of doing business 

... a way 

of doing 

life.

How I Will be Remembered ...

Of all the traits that my youngest daughter has inherited from me, my propensity for procrastination is one that I am most challenged by.  The only thing that is worse than one procrastinator .. is two procrastinators.  I cannot count on my hands the number of times that she has procrastinated about telling me some deadline for school ... which leaves me with less time than I need to follow through and help her complete the pending assignment or task ... because the truth is that I need time to procrastinate as well.  Between the two of us, we end up in facing deadlines frustrated and grumpy.

The most recent example of this phenomenon was in regards to her 5th Grade Explorer Report.  We were actually doing so well ... extraordinarily well, in fact.  Her report was done, EARLY! .. her note cards packed away in her backpack .. BEFORE the due date  ... and her Power Point was less than ten clicks from done!  We were enjoying a delicious meal with my mom (who just finished her readiation ... praise the Lord!) when Jillian reminded me that she really wanted to wear a costume during her presentation.  Now, to her credit, I did know this weeks ago .. but I refer you back to the fact that I am a procrastinator.  Mt first spoken response was, "Sweetie, your presentation is in two days.  Mommy, just worked 10 hours, and I really am not sure that I can get it done.  Nobody else has worn a costume .. it'll be fine."  Her response ... a simple, understanding, sweet one ... "It's o.k., Mommy." Said with such understanding and tenderness, that I knew right away that I was destined to pick up my keys, say my good nights, and go out to find something that I could make into an outfit fit for my little Sacajawea."  Which, is exactly what I did ... with a happy, giving countenance.  I did not begrudge her, huff nor puff ... no, I smiled and told her that I would go out and see just what I could do.  She wrapped her arms around me and said, "You are the BEST Mommy in the whole world."

Driving from store to the other (there were only two needed) ... it hit me that this is one of the times that I will be remembered for in her heart.  Long after I am taken home, my youngest will speak of the time that her mommy smiled and tackled the stores to find the perfect costume for her ... even though I was tired.  In that moment, a simple truth hit home ... we will be remembered by those that we come in contact with here in this life ... we have no choice about that.  What we do have a choice about is the way that we will be remembered.  We need to be intentional in the things we do, the way we give of our time, talents, and treasures,  the way we serve others  ... and we need to choose to do all of it with a cheerful heart.  That is really the only part that we have control over ... but, either way, we will be remembered.

Oh, if you are wondering about the costume ... Ross had the perfect brown tunic in the Teen's dress section, and Walmart had all the needed trimmings to make this costume:

The supplies that I found with NO TROUBLE at all!  

The finished costume .. complete with Sacajawea's

prize possession, a turquoise belt. 

(All for under two hour's time and $22)

A happy heart + 2 hours time + $22 =

1 very Happy little girl ...

and a Mommy who is smiling from ear to ear 

because she is ...

"The best mommy in the whole world!"



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Flood Insurance

I was blessed to spend the weekend in the company of some amazing women in Williams, Arizona.  We spent the weekend learning more about the incredible Lord that we serve and the manners in which we should approach him.  We learned about looking up instead of out ... the sovereignty of our creator ... and His ability to heal in one day, that which we would (in our earthly expectations) think would take ten times as long, or maybe never at all.  I learned a few things that meant a great deal to me, but those are for another post.  Today's story is about an illustration of trust that God gave me on the drive out of the retreat center.

On the way out of the center, I noticed something that had been cloaked in the unending darkness of night when I had arrived on Friday ... a lake.  If you know me even a little, you know that I am compelled to stop at the miraculous beauty of nature and document it through the lens of my always present companion ... my camera ... and this lake was no exception.  I pulled off the winding road to home, and was rewarded with this view.

The lake is actually a reservoir that is formed by a the Santa Fe Dam.  Constructed between 1892 and 1895, this dam was built to provide the Santa Fe Railroad water for its steam engines.  Today it holds back 70,000,000 gallons of water.  Standing at the dam's edge one need only rotate 180 degrees to see the following view.

A view of the outskirts of Williams, nestled in the shadow of this dam.  Home by only 3,094 people, Williams sits in the direct path of the water's fury, should the dam give.  The dam is considered a high risk dam, because the loss of life that would occur should it give ... and yet they stay ... trusting the ingenuity of man to hold back the flood.  This made me think about how easy it is for man to trust his ingenuity ... and yet how difficult it is for some to trust the sovereignty of God.

Why is that?  Well it is a matter oh head vs heart.  With our heads, or intellect, we invent the most amazing things ... but, this very same part of us cannot  accomplish the task of trusting the Lord with everything.  This trust must come from the heart alone ... and must be developed and refined by an ongoing, ever-deeepening relationship with Christ.  We know this in the difficult times ... we are born knowing to run for protection when things are rough and we feel endangered.  But, in the peaceful times we tend to put our trust into our own understandings, strength, and intellect.  The problem about this is that they will eventually fail us .. just as that dam will eventually crumble under the weight of time.  The people who live in the shadow of this possiblilty are currently working on a plan for the day that  comes to pass ... a plan that may or may not work when it is one day put to the test.  I am so thankful that I have a protector that never fails ... that knows each and every trial I will face in life, and how to equip me for each of them.  I know that there will be floods in my life, but my heart knows that I belong to the one who alone can calm the seas.

Are you like the residents of WIlliams?  Living in the shadow of an impending flood and working to figure out a disaster plan?  Find your way to the one that can give you the only insurance that you need to survive any of life storms ... Jesus.  He has paid the cost for your premiums already ... and waits only to start a relationship that will last when all of our creations have crumbled with time.

Lisa


The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. 8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. 9 Fear the LORD,you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. Psalm 34: 8-9