Challenges - sometimes they do us good and sometimes they really add some weight to us. As this past year has certainly had its challenges - one thing I can honestly say is that I have not lost my words for encouragement. It is something that makes me who I am. I know this, recoginize it and use it to the best of my ability. God has given me this gift and there is nothing like a kind word, a smile or a hug to lift someone's spirit who is down. There is so much to be thankful for even if the world around us is falling down... there is something good that God wants us to focus on even amongst the darkness. I have had it on me the last few days that no matter what - I will seek and find God this summer in all that I am doing. If its talking with a student who just made a major boo boo - I have to seek God in that and focus that student on the good that God has in that situation. No matter if I have a friend who is out of work - I will do my best to seek God and possibly expose an area of his/her character that God wants to show some future employer. No matter if a student has had a terrible year and summer school is in the coming weeks. Seek God and focus on that student to help remove the distractions and focus on giving God his/her best in doing well.
It's hard at times for sure ... but seeking God in those opportunities is a place that I find such joy. People want to come and be lifted - who wouldn't and I know there are times when I need it too and so often - I recieve. Thankful and blessed for those who lift me in prayer and speak volumes into my life.
A few weeks back I sent out some text messages early in the morning to some of our students praying for them over their exams and their day ahead. It was nice getting text messages back saying "thank you" - "I did great on my exam today because of your prayer this morning!" - Parents sending me an email to say "thank you"..... what makes this all very special is the text that I got one morning. Never has that happened in all the morning prayers - A student without prompting .... sending me a text, praying for me, my family and for my day.
Tears as I think about that. What a special student to do such a thing in return. That is owning your faith and living a life with a heart full of love. Jesus smiled that morning for sure :)
Scripture today ... it comes from Ephesians 5:3-5
3-4Don't allow love to turn into lust, setting off a downhill slide into sexual promiscuity, filthy practices, or bullying greed. Though some tongues just love the taste of gossip, those who follow Jesus have better uses for language than that. Don't talk dirty or silly. That kind of talk doesn't fit our style. Thanksgiving is our dialect.
5You can be sure that using people or religion or things just for what you can get out of them—the usual variations on idolatry—will get you nowhere, and certainly nowhere near the kingdom of Christ, the kingdom of God.
We should always be the same person all the time. No matter if behind a computer screen, a text message, on the phone, in person, at the mall, in a movie, with friends, parents, schools ... we should always be the same person and never changing our character for any reason. Doing so brings out those different people we all are at times. Some of us more so than others. We should always act like our parents or our Pastors are in the room with us. Jesus is ....... that alone should keep our character in check no matter where our day leads us and who comes along our paths.
Faith and Character = Defining our lives.
Lonnie~