When did I stop believing that God has me where I am for a reason?
When did I stop believing that God answers my prayers?
In a few short months, I will complete my college undergraduate degree. Yet, only a few days ago, my cheeks were again damp as anxiety and uncertainty streamed down my face. What followed: A mother's tender concern. A counselor's wise advice. A preacher's true testimonies. And, a long-standing truth: The Lord prepares the way for His people.
While listening to the sermon recommended to me by my mother, the Lord impressed on my heart that I am where I am for a reason, that He has answered my prayers. That like Jonah, I have doubts about where God is sending me. Even though many times I doubted my major choice and considered changing, the Lord would always send some confirmation to me: a career skills test, a woman's prophetic words, a confirmation from a past teacher, an encouraging word from a current teacher... All the while, I prayed and trusted that God was guiding me.
God will answer those prayers.
I believe that(.)
I will like it in Ninevah.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Sharing
Some things are so good, I can't keep them all to myself.
Sometimes sharing costs me nothing...
Last night, I was having a conversation with a friend who expressed interest in teaching in the future. He isn't an education major, so my first thought was to suggest to him a program that I know of that recruits professionals in all disciplines to underprivileged schools in America whether or not they have an education degree. He thanked me genuinely, and we went our separate ways.
Sometimes sharing costs me something...
Earlier tonight, I reached into the cabinet to grab a granola bar, a chocolate and oat granola bar of the highest and tastiest quality. I quickly calculated that there were two left, one for me and one for our guest sitting several feet away in our living room. Yet, simultaneously, I reasoned what a shame it would be to give away such a delicacy. In the end, my state of sanctification won out, and I offered the granola bar to our guest with a high recommendation.
Sometimes not sharing costs others a lot.
Our guest from the previous story didn't accept before thoughtfully asking, "Are you sure you want to give it away?" By God's grace, my mind quickly made the connection: "It's kind of like the Gospel. Some things are too good not to share."
Sometimes sharing costs me nothing...
Last night, I was having a conversation with a friend who expressed interest in teaching in the future. He isn't an education major, so my first thought was to suggest to him a program that I know of that recruits professionals in all disciplines to underprivileged schools in America whether or not they have an education degree. He thanked me genuinely, and we went our separate ways.
Sometimes sharing costs me something...
Earlier tonight, I reached into the cabinet to grab a granola bar, a chocolate and oat granola bar of the highest and tastiest quality. I quickly calculated that there were two left, one for me and one for our guest sitting several feet away in our living room. Yet, simultaneously, I reasoned what a shame it would be to give away such a delicacy. In the end, my state of sanctification won out, and I offered the granola bar to our guest with a high recommendation.
Sometimes not sharing costs others a lot.
Our guest from the previous story didn't accept before thoughtfully asking, "Are you sure you want to give it away?" By God's grace, my mind quickly made the connection: "It's kind of like the Gospel. Some things are too good not to share."
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Selfless but not joyless
In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25), the master of the house blesses the two servants who were good stewards of what they had been given. These servants took what they were given and doubled it. Their blessing: "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things."
So, we worked hard and now, as a reward, we have more work to do?...
Sounds fishy, but here's the catch: doing the work of the Lord brings us joy because it is what we were designed to do.
Pursue selflessness, receive joy.
Pursue joy, receive emptiness.
So, we worked hard and now, as a reward, we have more work to do?...
Sounds fishy, but here's the catch: doing the work of the Lord brings us joy because it is what we were designed to do.
Pursue selflessness, receive joy.
Pursue joy, receive emptiness.
Friday, December 5, 2008
The standards we set
Do you ever feel you've set your standards so high that it inhibits you from ever trying to reach them?
I see the beauty in a woman's manicured hand.
Yet, it seems so beyond reach that I don't dare try.
...testifies my short, hastily cut fingernails.
I see the beauty in careful, flowing handwriting.
Yet, legibility seems to be my most attainable goal.
...testifies my future students while attempting to read the chalkboard.
I see the beauty in well formulated speech.
Yet, while always desirable, disillusionment ensues from lack of clarity and timeliness.
...testifies my friends who wait patiently as I stumble through my thoughts.
I see the beauty in a lifelong friendship.
Yet, the burdens of distance and the anticipation of new associations make me falter.
...testifies life-changing relationships that have come and gone.
Where is the beauty?
I see the beauty in God:
Does (blank) draw me closer to Him? -James 4:8
Does (blank) please Him? -2 Corinthians 5:9
Is (blank) done in the name of the Lord Jesus? -Colossians 3:17
Does (blank) increase my knowledge of Him? -Ephesians 1:17
Where is the beauty?
I see the beauty in God:
A father embraces a son who has squandered his inheritance.
A man returns again and again to his adulteress wife.
The majestic presence of a mighty God is found in the silence of a whisper.
A flower of the field, here today and gone tomorrow, appears more beautiful than the richest king's robes.
A new covenant for all people arrives wrapped in the vulnerability and dependency of a small child.
I see the beauty in God.
A beauty worth pursuing.
I see the beauty in a woman's manicured hand.
Yet, it seems so beyond reach that I don't dare try.
...testifies my short, hastily cut fingernails.
I see the beauty in careful, flowing handwriting.
Yet, legibility seems to be my most attainable goal.
...testifies my future students while attempting to read the chalkboard.
I see the beauty in well formulated speech.
Yet, while always desirable, disillusionment ensues from lack of clarity and timeliness.
...testifies my friends who wait patiently as I stumble through my thoughts.
I see the beauty in a lifelong friendship.
Yet, the burdens of distance and the anticipation of new associations make me falter.
...testifies life-changing relationships that have come and gone.
Where is the beauty?
I see the beauty in God:
Does (blank) draw me closer to Him? -James 4:8
Does (blank) please Him? -2 Corinthians 5:9
Is (blank) done in the name of the Lord Jesus? -Colossians 3:17
Does (blank) increase my knowledge of Him? -Ephesians 1:17
Where is the beauty?
I see the beauty in God:
A father embraces a son who has squandered his inheritance.
A man returns again and again to his adulteress wife.
The majestic presence of a mighty God is found in the silence of a whisper.
A flower of the field, here today and gone tomorrow, appears more beautiful than the richest king's robes.
A new covenant for all people arrives wrapped in the vulnerability and dependency of a small child.
I see the beauty in God.
A beauty worth pursuing.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
What I love about teaching
You can be as creative as you want.
Teach multiplication of negative and positive numbers by asking the students to write a short story about how the positive number became negative. Ask, "Have you ever had an experience in your life when your positive attitude turned negative? What was the cause?" Bring the numbers to life. Sure, it may not have much to do with numbers, but it has everything to do with life.
Teach someone not to fear by practicing putting on the imaginary "armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17)." Buckle on the belt of truth. . .(Show her how to do the same). . .Fasten the breastplate of righteousness to your chest. Put on your sandals, with which to carry the Gospel of peace to the nations. . .(When she cowers in fear, take her hand and help her to continue). . . Take up the shield of faith, and put on the helmet of salvation. . .(When she loses heart, urge her on). . .Finally, take up the sword. And, stab the evil in the throat. . .(When she shrinks back, wrap your arms around her and hold her close. Never give up.)
Teach someone to understand the spiritual by teaching the physical, as Jesus did. So much is packed into the parables that Jesus told. The Prodigal Son. The Woman at the Well. The Wedding at Cana. The Samaritan man. Even at hearing the names of these parables, I am reminded of forgiveness, salvation, hope, newness, grace. While at first just words, these promises come alive in the stories of real people and circumstances.
Teach everything by learning it first. Learn it: Not just for the test, as a list of remote facts in one's mind. Not just for the pride of knowing it. Not just for apprehension. But, rather, for comprehension. Teaching facts that we've memorized and regurgitated is not teaching at all. It would be easier for the student to simply read it in a book. No, we teach what we have learned, using every sense and perception in our body. We've touched it, smelled it, seen it, heard it. Our mind and our spirit tells us it is true. We see it in the sky, in our neighbor, and in the work of our hands. We can bend it and twist it, yet it doesn't break. We can say it with confidence.
We can teach it, as creatively as we want.
Teach multiplication of negative and positive numbers by asking the students to write a short story about how the positive number became negative. Ask, "Have you ever had an experience in your life when your positive attitude turned negative? What was the cause?" Bring the numbers to life. Sure, it may not have much to do with numbers, but it has everything to do with life.
Teach someone not to fear by practicing putting on the imaginary "armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17)." Buckle on the belt of truth. . .(Show her how to do the same). . .Fasten the breastplate of righteousness to your chest. Put on your sandals, with which to carry the Gospel of peace to the nations. . .(When she cowers in fear, take her hand and help her to continue). . . Take up the shield of faith, and put on the helmet of salvation. . .(When she loses heart, urge her on). . .Finally, take up the sword. And, stab the evil in the throat. . .(When she shrinks back, wrap your arms around her and hold her close. Never give up.)
Teach someone to understand the spiritual by teaching the physical, as Jesus did. So much is packed into the parables that Jesus told. The Prodigal Son. The Woman at the Well. The Wedding at Cana. The Samaritan man. Even at hearing the names of these parables, I am reminded of forgiveness, salvation, hope, newness, grace. While at first just words, these promises come alive in the stories of real people and circumstances.
Teach everything by learning it first. Learn it: Not just for the test, as a list of remote facts in one's mind. Not just for the pride of knowing it. Not just for apprehension. But, rather, for comprehension. Teaching facts that we've memorized and regurgitated is not teaching at all. It would be easier for the student to simply read it in a book. No, we teach what we have learned, using every sense and perception in our body. We've touched it, smelled it, seen it, heard it. Our mind and our spirit tells us it is true. We see it in the sky, in our neighbor, and in the work of our hands. We can bend it and twist it, yet it doesn't break. We can say it with confidence.
We can teach it, as creatively as we want.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Two words.
Isabel Allende, one of the most famous latina authors, writes her story "Dos Palabras" under the genre of magical realism. As real events become abnormal and impossible events become reality, magical realism both frightens and intrigues its readers.
"Dos Palabras"
Two words.
The two words that drive this thought-provoking and heart-wrenching story are never actually explicitly stated but the reader slowly settles on their interpretation in the last line of the story which is below written in the native language followed by my translation, not free of mistakes.
"Los hombres comprendieron entonces que ya su jefe no podía deshacerse del hechizo de esas dos palabras endemoniadas, porque todos pudieron ver los ojos carnívoros del puma tornarse mansos cuando ella avanzó y le tomó la mano."
The men finally understood that their leader could not undo the spell of the two words which had possessed him because they could see his eyes like those of a ravenous cougar become tame when she walked towards him and he took her by the hand.
How powerful is love between a man and a woman!
Yet, even as I grow to learn more about the love between a man and a woman, between a mother and a daughter, between two sisters and two friends, between a disciple and a discipler, it is then that I grow in deeper understanding of the love of God.
It happens through these thoughts...
Why not translate the way I treat my loved ones here on earth to the way I treat my Father in Heaven? Why not learn from the love I receive here on earth about the love I receive from my Father in Heaven?
"I wonder if he's thinking about me." => "I wonder if He's thinking about me."
"I want to do something special for him." => "I want to do something special for Him."
"She understands me so well." => "He understands me so well."
Your love is incomprehensible, Father. Only is it more fully comprehended through a reflection on the earthly relationships that You have ordained. What a master architect You are!...using Your own creation to point more perfectly towards Your holy identity. Amen.
Two words.
(In English, it's three.)
"Dos Palabras"
Two words.
The two words that drive this thought-provoking and heart-wrenching story are never actually explicitly stated but the reader slowly settles on their interpretation in the last line of the story which is below written in the native language followed by my translation, not free of mistakes.
"Los hombres comprendieron entonces que ya su jefe no podía deshacerse del hechizo de esas dos palabras endemoniadas, porque todos pudieron ver los ojos carnívoros del puma tornarse mansos cuando ella avanzó y le tomó la mano."
The men finally understood that their leader could not undo the spell of the two words which had possessed him because they could see his eyes like those of a ravenous cougar become tame when she walked towards him and he took her by the hand.
How powerful is love between a man and a woman!
Yet, even as I grow to learn more about the love between a man and a woman, between a mother and a daughter, between two sisters and two friends, between a disciple and a discipler, it is then that I grow in deeper understanding of the love of God.
It happens through these thoughts...
Why not translate the way I treat my loved ones here on earth to the way I treat my Father in Heaven? Why not learn from the love I receive here on earth about the love I receive from my Father in Heaven?
"I wonder if he's thinking about me." => "I wonder if He's thinking about me."
"I want to do something special for him." => "I want to do something special for Him."
"She understands me so well." => "He understands me so well."
Your love is incomprehensible, Father. Only is it more fully comprehended through a reflection on the earthly relationships that You have ordained. What a master architect You are!...using Your own creation to point more perfectly towards Your holy identity. Amen.
Two words.
(In English, it's three.)
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Living with disregard to the Truth
"...that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage I have overcome the world." John 16:33
Sin has lost its power,
Death has lost its sting,
From the grave you've risen,
Victoriously!
-Marvelous Light, Charlie Hall
the battle has already been won!
the battle has already been won!
why then? why do i continue on struggling with my flesh...desiring to do evil...liking the taste of sin in my mouth...forgive me O God...i am careless, thoughtless, selfish, only your love can undo this. set me free, take me back, let me rest in your arms, for it is your love that i seek the kind that cannot be removed, the kind that never ends...
Sin has lost its power,
Death has lost its sting,
From the grave you've risen,
Victoriously!
-Marvelous Light, Charlie Hall
the battle has already been won!
the battle has already been won!
why then? why do i continue on struggling with my flesh...desiring to do evil...liking the taste of sin in my mouth...forgive me O God...i am careless, thoughtless, selfish, only your love can undo this. set me free, take me back, let me rest in your arms, for it is your love that i seek the kind that cannot be removed, the kind that never ends...
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