Are we there yet?

As a teacher, I remember having various groups of students that were entrusted to me from August to May. Sometimes these groups were highly gifted, sometimes they came with colossal academic gaps and extreme social deficiencies. And strangely enough, sometimes they included an awkward combination of the two.

I attended trainings that taught me what the expected outcome for my students was (regardless of their situation) and how much I was accountable for making sure those students reached (and even exceeded) those expectations.

As a degreed professional, although I was given various resources to work with, it was my task to develop a plan as to HOW I would accomplish this feat on a daily basis. What environment would I create? What motivation tactics would I use? What amount of energy and passion would go behind my efforts?  All of these factors rested on me as the district and state anticipated the 'miracle' I would perform to ensure my students met the annual expectations.

Lately I've been consumed with the "how's" and "why's" of God's plan for my life. Almost to the point of distraction, frustration and even close to anger because I can't "see" what He's doing. Like an anxious child in the back seat on a road trip, I'm sure (if it was possible) I've annoyed Him with all of my questions,

"Daddy, why?"
"But how?"
"When will we get there?"

But like the patient Father that He is, He's continually & lovingly told me to "have several seats"! (laughing). He has an expected end for His children. One of predicted victory over trials, great expected outcomes and conquering of fears! And if this isn't news enough, He has a track record and history of un-defeat! He's not only reached His expected outcomes, He's been known to exceed them!
 
Sometimes I pray for something that's in accordance with His will, and He uses the most unseen, unexpected paths to make sure He accomplishes 'good' in my situation. How he gets his children (whether we are meek and frail or scarred and seasoned) to these expected victorious outcomes, is HIS favorite part! As a skillful architect, a patient potter, a meticulous sculptor, He uses His abundant resources, His exceedingly high thoughts and miraculous ways to accomplish His feats in our daily lives. The environment He creates may NOT be what we deem suitable, His tactics may not make a lick of sense to us, but the amount of energy and passion that He expends on our behalf goes far beyond our wildest imagination as He effortlessly turns our hopeless situations into ornamental masterpieces for His glory!

Oh to 'stand still and see the salvation of the Lord'. He stands eagerly awaiting for us to cast our fears upon Him, leaving all the factors to Him, so while flexing His strength, we may rest in Him!

Make God BIGGER!

¹ I will praise the Lord at all times.
    I will constantly speak his praises.
² I will boast only in the Lord;
    let all who are helpless take heart.
³ Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;
    let us exalt his name together.

⁴ I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.
    He freed me from all my fears.
⁵ Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;
    no shadow of shame will darken their faces.

~Ps. 34:1-5

 

When I was younger, we used to play around with a magnifying glass for the wrong reasons. We thought it would be fun to let the Sun shine through it in efforts to magnify the heat intensity on the blade of grass we held it over. In the process it often amazed us how we could see things that were extremely small at a more regular size. What was more captivating & funnier than that, was holding the magnifying glass to someone's regular sized eye, and seeing a colossal version of their eye. 

 

Troubles, anxieties, trials, helplessness, fears...they are all AMPLIFIED when they arise in our lives. They consume our thoughts, control our emotions, take over our dispositions and motivate our behaviors. They are present for a reason, but those listed are NOT why they arise.

 

Our praise is a magnifying glass of sorts. Not that God NEEDS to be magnified...He is already great & mighty. He desires us to magnify Him so that when our problems seem to inflate in size, bringing worry, anxiety and doubt He will be viewed as the Great and Mighty entity that He is.

 

When we shift our thoughts back on God (from our problems) and focus on His grandeur; when we tell others about the amazing things He has done for us; when we meditate on the victorious and compassionate words He has spoken to us...we hold the magnifying glass over our God thus making our issues minuscule in size.

 

The purpose of our 'valleys' are to give us an opportunity to "look to the HILLS (to the Lord) from which comes our HELP (strength in tough times)" [Ps 121].

Iced Over

Houston had a "Snow Day" of sorts (minus the snow) today as thousands of students and teachers enjoyed a much needed break due to the freezing rain that passed through over night and in the early morning hours.

District Superintendents across the greater Houston area were faced with the decision as to whether roads were safe enough to transport children to school; whether facilities would have the power to withstand extreme weather circumstances and still function properly, and whether sustained temperatures would affect mobility later in the day.

Ultimately, the power the Superintendents possess to shut down their District for the day, is exercised for the benefit of parents, students and teachers and their safety! Its part of their responsibility to protect the community from the danger that might ensue due to such hazardous weather conditions.

Around the beginning of the year, countless people make lofty resolutions with noble intent.

Quit smoking
Stop cursing
Leave unhealthy relationships
Cut back on spending
blah blah blah...

If you're like me, you just get tired of disappointing God with some of the things you do that break His heart. As Believers, though, our Lord sees and understands the good motives behind these claims, He knows that we don't possess the power needed to protect ourselves through severing these unhealthy ties.

To Him our best deeds are at best, filthy cloths! [Isa.64:6]

But there's a remedy! The good news is that the Holy Spirit, we as Believers possess [2 Cor. 5:5], holds much more Power than District Superintendents. The Spirits' functional power is intended to protect God's children from the danger that might ensue due to those hazardous behaviors and patterns we've become accustomed to. He can & will shut down whatever in our lives continues to put us at danger in our relationship with our Lord.

"..but if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature..."
~[Rom. 8:13]

Wishing away our bad habits, and ridding ourselves of our addictions and fixations isn't strong enough. God promises that if we use the Power of the Spirit living within us, by calling on Him to empower us, we will bury those things that we hate to do.

His Strength-the mutant gene

So this past weekend I literally watched every single X-men movie in the Trilogy (and even those Wolverine spin-off movies) from X-Men (First Class) to X-Men (The Last Stand). I must say I'm excited about the new one coming out in 2014.

I find myself quite smitten with Superhero films because its fun to see what human people do with super-human powers. It's obvious that some use their powers for evil while others feel obligated to use theirs for the 'greater good'. But that's not what my focus is in my using this comic book fantasy to make a point. What I see is something a bit deeper. Allow me to use Rogue as an example in making my point.

For those of you who DON'T know, Rogue was a character who could involuntarily absorb and sometimes remove the memories, physical strength, and superpowers of anyone she touched. Rogue, however, was more concerned about her inability to touch the people she loved and had feelings for than how her power could be used to help others. This 'weakness' clouded her vision and stifled her ability. All she could see was this weakness, so much so that she couldn't focus on the fact that the power she was given was not, in fact a curse, but was able to help others. In the final movie, she even opted for the "cure" because she viewed her weakness as a limit rather than a gift.

So many people quote Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" and do so with the premise that the very things THEY want to accomplish or anything WE can imagine (particularly without regard to HIS interest) can be done as long as Christ is on their side! In essence, the verse is used as a resource to push our own agendas. This is heresy!

Paul, however wrote the verse from a different context. He meant that in the areas of our personal lives where we struggle to understand why God allows certain issues to arise; or in the inabilities we find ourselves having as it pertains to following or being obedient to Christ--in these challenges that arise, Christ can and will empower us to do what He desires to accomplish through us.

In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul further exposes his weakness and even admits that He wished God would remove it. He saw his own limitations as failures, when in fact, God willed that He would see his failures as a gift! Therefore, he embraced his weaknesses because he realized that when he does, Christ's strength moves in on those weakness.

What a beautiful paradox!

Lately I've been focused on my handicaps as a Christian. Quite self-absorbed, if I was being honest, in the many ways I fail at obeying Christ. The closer I get to Him, the more He's exposed my weaknesses and the more ashamed I've become. But I've realized that His power can't fully work, unless I embrace my limitations, failures and weaknesses. I must see them as gifts that are intended to bring me to my knees so that HIS power may infuse inner strength in me.

If I, like Rogue, focus solely on my weaknesses by playing the 'woe is me' card, I insult Christ and by default deny the power I have access to. However, if I view my weaknesses and inabilities as signs to point me to my source of strength, I tap into limitless power and thus satisfy the heart of God!

The mutant gene is embraced, when we are on our knees.

Low Tire Pressure

Lately, I have been allowing social network sites (Facebook, Twitter, and InstaGram) to appeal to the lust of my eyes. When I see what others have in relation to what I don't have (and often THINK I need), it ends up triggering a feeling that I hate. This feeling is known as covetousness, which, plainly put, means wanting something you don't already have.

It may sound foreign and petty, but how easy is it to see people post pictures of their 'happy relationship' and want that? To see posts about having another baby, and desire that? Relational things aside, lets not even address the tangible things such as cars, raises, new jobs, shoes, etc? Even deeper than that, what about those who are accomplishing the dreams you're chasing after and working diligently for?

As I read Genesis 29:31 through 30:24, I realized that no matter how many children Leah bore, she was looking for her husband's love. And no matter how much Rachel's husband loved her, she was looking to bear children. Each woman had what the other wanted thinking it would satisfy. Yet if they'd both sat still long enough, they would have realized that neither their husband's affection, nor bearing of children was satisfaction enough.

I've had so many issues with my tires, that now I am pretty paranoid yet I have a pretty good idea what's wrong when my 'tire pressure' light comes on. As a result, when a friend of mine saw the tire pressure light turn on in her car, for the first time, she called me for a bit of advice. To her, the light coming on triggered an immediate call for action, but because I had a little more experience in that area, I knew how to address her anxiety.

The light (for her) triggered a desire to address a hidden issue.

Something as simple as a social network post, can trigger in us an awareness of what we don't have & what we desire. Yet, in that same way, God wants us to realize that what others have isn't what pours into the void that we are trying to fill. "Getting things in life" isn't the air needed to fill the void in our tire-like lives. When we see and hear about the things others possess, this should trigger in us (like a light in our car) the awareness that He desires to satisfy a deeper (hidden) longing and become an immediate call for action to run to Him. Because He knows exactly what we need, He knows how to address our anxieties and to fill us with Himself.