7 Days

What if you were given seven days to address a particular weakness? Seven intensive days of honing into that aspect of your character.

What if you knew that God would really come through at the end of the week?

There would be no turning back. 

No matter if the sin is lying, you would be confronted as soon as you lie. In response to that constant awareness, you would have to confront the root of your addiction to lying. Leading you to confront those demons and begin to seek healthier habit.

If lying is not your Achilles heel, then insert what is your downfall.

Would you agree to such a week? Would you be willing to feel pain and hurt in order to receive deliverance?

Honestly, not everyone is up to the challenge. Honestly I am not sure if I am up to the challenge for some of the sins I am struggling. For I know that there will be a lot of tears and I will have to put feelings into words that I may not know how to or be disposed to.

"Behold I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and sup with him, and he with me." Revelation 3:20

What a loving Savior!! When you are ready to dive into the depths of your character and confront the sins of your life, you don't have to look far for Jesus to carry you through. As a result, you may have a hard week, month, year, or two years, but, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." Psalms 23:1

"And my God shall meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

"For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; 'he will lead them to springs of living water.' 'And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'" Revelation 7:17

Are you ready to take the leap of faith with your loving Savior??

~Shana

Woe is ME!

     This morning for devotions, I Ps. 37:1-8. During our Christian walk, we all go through times when we think that God has forgotten us. However, if we read the words of David, we are reminded of how ever present our loving Savior truly is.

     The first couple of verses serve to break down our insecurities. Then the chapter transitions to words of encouragement and then a call to action.

     When times are rough, do not fall in the trap of "woe is me!" Many find themselves trapped in that ever deepening pit for years. There is nothing good that comes from spending so much time thinking about yourself let alone your "problems." A particular student of mine comes to mind because he has a way of painting a picture in his mind that he is being held back by life and everyone around him is moving on. The peers who are doing what they need to do or even the ones who could care less about giving life a try. No matter what you say, the clouds in the sky are bleak and the storm is morphing into a hurricane. Is it interesting to notice that the "clouds" only loom over him?

     Do not create this doomed world that is not the reality God intended for you. Eventually you will become so comfortable in that reality that you make it your residence. How do you break free?

"Trust in the Lord and do good. Live in the land and feed on truth. Enjoy serving the Lord, and he will give you what you want." Ps. 37:3,4

     There is little else I can say that the Word is not saying. Simmer on these verses because they need to become your anthem. Serving and praising God needs to flow through your veins along side your blood cells.

     If you are going through hard times right now, then PRAISE the LORD!

"But you suffer because you are a Christian, do not be ashamed. Praise God because you wear that name." 1 Peter 4:16

     The trial you are enduring is not worth severing your relationship with God. It will end just as dawn comes each morning. Jehovah is right here, so "Seek ye first the kingdom of God." Look up towards the sky instead of staring at the ground for inspiration. Let the vast endless sky remind you of the vast greatness of God which is without limit. Limit how many times you ask Why? and never cease to inquire into the Character of Him.

"Shout to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with joy; come before him with singing." 

In your life, can you see how God makes you stronger through tribulation instead of weakens you?


photo credit: ROSS HONG KONG via photopin cc

I Will Try vs. I Will Commit

This year of teaching has taught me a lot, but there are some lessons that I hope and pray that I will never forget.

One of those lessons has to do with the importance of making and keeping commitments. I have always been a proponent for just trying. As long as you were in the mindset of trying, I could work with that. I would expect a certain amount of effort and if you messed up, I would expect you to just get back up and try again. But then the Lord had me look into my "just try" philosophy.

The challenge: is just trying enough?

Answer: No.

After much encouragement, one of my most challenging students decided to give cooperation a second chance. He said that he would give it a try. The time came for him to try and he did, however he messed up and gave up. We talked about it the situation and he decided to try again. The same results as before occurred: he messed up and gave up on trying. It just didn't seem to work. Just trying did not seem to be enough. I found myself doubting his willingness. Good thing God stepping in to clarify.

It was not my place to judge the willingness of the child, instead I needed to raise the bar. There had to be a way to encourage trying no matter how many times you fall down. Dun, dun, dun.... COMMITMENT TIME! The Lord spoke loud and clear and it made sense.

If I say that I will try to do better, once I give it a try I kept my word. I can choose to try again but at the end of the day, I have already tried. Then there is the commitment. If I say I will commit to doing better and I mess up, then I try again. Why? Because I am in it for the long hall. I will not STOP trying till I am actually doing better.

Now it MADE SENSE!

Commitments are not foreign concepts to us. The most commonly heard of commitment is marriage. If the couple gets into a fight, they do not part ways and get a divorce; they will stick it out through thick and thin--ups and downs.

I have committed to a relationship with my Lord and Savior and He has made a commitment to me. The beauty is that He has promised to "never leave you, nor forsake you." His desire to be with me has been around longer than I will ever understand. Jesus is the one we should look to on how to stay dedicated with others and himself. When we see how he dealt with David, you see how he never let go. He was kind, patient, gentle, faithful and brought joy to David's life. But it did not end there. God also was stern and kept him accountable. With all that He brings to the relationship, there is any wonder how we could misunderstand his intentions. He stays close by and His love never fails.

So, if I desire to teach my students to stay committed to changing and healing, I have to understand what it means to keep a commitment. As I study the Lord's tracks and have my own experiences, I will gain further understanding, but for now I have learned a lot. I see that you must start by saying that you are going to do more than try, you will make a commitment. Then try again. How? By first increasing your commitment to God. By being kind as God is kind. By being patient as God is patient. By being gentle as God is gentle. By being faithful as God is faithful. By keeping others accountable and God keeps us accountable. Ultimately showing love as God is love. When your relationship with God is deep, your strength to run life's race and never drop out will never wane. Then, use the strength given from God to keep pushing forward. Just keep swimming.

Commit.

So commitment is more than a simple concept or desire, it is a principle we must all live by. So I urge you to do more than just say you will try, say you WILL COMMIT.

~Shana

The Student Keeping the Teacher Accountable

Today, while talking to one of my students, I recalled a time when he was disrespectful to me in class.
It was only yesterday, so it was fresh on the mind. After going back and forth about what really happened, he began to share why he acted so rudely. “I knew you would ask about it. I needed to be held accountable.”

Wow. I needed to be held accountable. That is a very powerful statement to come from the mouth of a 16-year-old struggling with defiance. At that moment, God has helped him to articulate that being held accountable was something to be valued.

I was so shocked at the statement that I instantly performed some introspection. How willing am I to be held accountable?

Also today, a friend of mine vented about one of her coworkers that was not open to being held accountable. She rehashed many memories of frustrating scenarios and impact it left on her. It was hard to see her hurting, but at the same time it made me think. Why do we as adults reject accountability so often? When we see that spirit in children, we instantly know how to diagnose that child; but we do not perform the doctor role when the patient is ourselves.

Lord, this is definitely one of the reasons your Word tells us to possess a humble spirit. When we are filled with pride, it is close to impossible for us to grow. Why? Because we are not doing anything that warrants a change. How sad.

So, despite my title of teacher, without my student’s knowledge, he taught me a refresher lesson on being humble. If I critique others for being difficult with God, then I must not refuse to surrender my weakness to God and take his help—whatever form it comes in.

Was it Meant to be Easy?

As I sit here trying to motivate myself to be productive despite my tired body and mind, I wonder if I am trying to hard. Today was a long and extremely productive day at work. I feel very proud of what I was able to accomplish with my coworker, yet as soon as I walked through my front door, I did not feel the same motivation.

Now hours have passed and I feel shame for how I have spent my time. I have calmed my spirit, but have I used my time wisely?

Then I stop and ask God what he thinks.

I hear two things: balance and that my strength is small and his is great!

How could I ever forget that? If I really want to be a woman of action this year, then I need to derive my strength from the only source that is never without momentum. How silly of me!

***

Lord,

Thank you for today and for qualifying the one you have called. Please ignite my mind and spirit in the evenings. Let me never go an hour without dwelling on you or including you. Forgive me for my short-comings and continue to teach me how to do better.

Amen

***

I guess it is not as hard as I thought to get moving. Off I go!

~Shana

More than a Phrase

I know that Happy New Year is a phrase that is easy to roll off the tongue. However, I actually want this year to be a happy one. I don't want mediocrity. I do not desire to barely make it through. This new year will be more than I could ever imagine, but I have to do it God's way. I have expectations and desires. I can envision a future that makes me smile:

My Happy New Year:

Increase of patience

Writing more

More dates with God

A successful semester

My students drawing closer to God

Visiting friends in different parts of the country

Traveling more than in 2013

Becoming more financially sound

My heart opening up more to God's will

This is not the end of the list, I see a future of adjusting more to living a balanced lifestyle. Exercising more and drinking 3 liters of water everyday. 

So Lord, I want to give you the desires of my heart that would make me happy. I also open the door for you to give me desires that I do not know I have....

My Happy New Year Part 2:

Trials that increase my love of others

More challenges from my students

Hard weeks to remind me that I need you

... As many challenges that come my way, I renew my commitment to you. 

It will not be easy to achieve a happy year. I must always lean on Christ. I must be content with the life that God has given me instead of dreaming of a different one. I must have God's Word live in me and ignite me. I must choose to be happy. Not an impossible task because I have experienced happiness in the Lord before, so let's do this thang!

~Shana

Stress

"15 Then Nathan went home. And the Lord caused the son of David and Bathsheba, Uriah's widow, to be very sick. 16 David fasted and went into his house and stayed there, lying on the ground all night. 17 The elders of David's family came to him and tried to pull him up from the ground, but he refused to get up or to eat food with them.
18 On the seventh day the baby died. David's servants were afraid to tell him that the baby was dead. They said, 'Look, we tried to talk to David while the baby was alive, but he refused to listen to us. If we tell him the baby is dead, he may do something awful.'
19 When David saw his servants whispering, he knew that the baby was dead. So he asked the, 'Is the baby dead?' They answered, 'Yes, he is dead.'
20 Then David got up from the floor, washed himself. put lotions on, and changed his clothes. Then he went into the Lord's house of worship...."
     ~2 Samuel 12:15-20

Having had a tough day, and hearing council from a good friend about letting go of stress, I knew that I wanted to return to my hommie David and recall his many stressful situations. How did he deal?

I carefully and prayerfully opened my eyes to this chapter. Although David's situation isn't similar in any way to my situation, stress is stress. There were a couple things that jumped out at me. It is all that human nature shinning through.

1) The struggle.
After hearing from Nathan that his baby was going to die, David shut down. Nathan spoke all that God asked him to speak. It was all very clear what the consequences of David's actions were and why they were going to occur. But, after hearing these things, David shut down. Not easy things to grasp, yes that is true, but the deeper struggle is acceptance.
How easy is it to accept the hurricanes that come our way. It's a whole lot easier to curl into a ball or to lose momentum. The emotions that desire to linger during these times are dangerous. They are so borderline. You desire to give God all in the situation, but.... There is the 'but'. That's why I use the term struggle.

2) The Hearing Impaired
When you are at the point of deciding whether or not to give all to the Lord, we often times become like the hearing impaired- temporarily at least. Everyone tried to talk to David. It got to the point where they were not sure how emotionally stable he was. When the baby actually died, everyone was walking on eggshells, unsure of what would happen at any second.
At that moment when the flesh is weak but oh so strong and you hear Jesus speaking, do you listen to him. It's like when we are in class. You hear your boring-redundant professor speaking, but are you intently listening? Internalizing the words leaving his/her mouth?

"21 David's servants said to him, 'Why are you doing this? When the baby was still alive, you fasted and you cried. Now that the baby is dead, you get up and eat food.'
22 David said, 'While the baby was still alive, I fasted, and I cried. I thought, 'Who knows? Maybe the Lord will feel sorry for me and let the baby live.' But now that the baby is dead, why should I fast? I can't bring him back to life. Someday I will go to him, but he cannot come back to me.'"
     verses 21-22

Breakthrough. Choosing not to stress about things that are not in your control (or in your control). David was able to make that choice in regard to losing his child. His child.... How much more should I be able to dedicate all of my emotions to God? How much more should I let things go. I have not experienced the pain in losing a child. But, it's not the amount of pain that makes the difference, it's amount of peace that you really want. Either you desire to be at rest or you desire to hold onto the unrest.

I am no longer stressed.

2 Kings 11

     I always loved the story of Joash, "The Boy King," when I was growing up. What was not to love? He was a jit, yet he was ruling a country. Not only that, but his entrance was so grand. :-) That's pretty awesome for a boy who was only seven years old. As I read the story now I have noticed a few new things that remind me of how experience may not always seem to work in your favor, but on God's side, they always do.
     After Athaliah, Joash's grandmother, went on killing spree of all her family, Joash's aunt stole him and hid him. Now of all the words that you could insert there, stole is an interesting one to use. Strong. For Joash, that was not fun, good thing he was a baby. But, they took him to a safe place, the temple. Irony: Judah was so far from God that Athaliah never thought of checking the church for her family. Deep.
     Finally, I admired the strong stand that Jehodiah, the priest took. He orchestrated the crowing of Joash. Commanded the special palace guards on what to do and made sure everything was planned out to the 't' and organized.
     There is soo much to be taken from this one chapter. For one, experiences in life are what help to shape who you are. Some times those experiences can be crazy. Athaliah was just crazy, she done lost her marbles. Being taken from your family as a baby, never to know them. Whether or not your family is crazy or sane, it's a blessing to know them. Then you have to prepare to take the throne at seven years old. There are spears and shields all around you as if your life may be taken at any moment, but you have to be a big boy-- a man. This is no normal llife. How many of us could handle such a call. So many people can barely handle the call that God has given them in their families or careers, let alone leading a country. The crazy thing is that each individuals call is great in the eyes of the Lord, which makes them great. Wow.... we must all answer God's call without comparing it to that of the person next to us. When we do that, we run the risk of convincing ourselves not to answer.
     In this story it was imparative for each person to play their part. Joash had to say yes, Jehoiada had to say yes to the Lord, the temple guards had to risk their lives by betraying the queen, Jehosheba, Joash's aunt, had to answer God's calling and take the child. Crazy, what would the story been like had one of the main characters said no to God? Why was it so organized. What was God doing? What was the end of the story to look like? Well, the end is yet to come. We are all still apart of the story. Because all of the these people obeyed God, God was finally able to put Judah back on the right track. King after king had disobeyed God. It seemed as though God was no longer good enough. But, after Joash becomes king, it is time to destroy all of Baal's temple and followers. This time however, "all the people of the land," took that temple down. All. In past chapters, it would say that the a king would order for Baal temples to be done away, but not this time. This time the story points out a change in the people. They took the reigns and were ready to go wherever God called. That is what this whole story is about! God wanted to show his people hat it is possible to follow Me. Look at all of these people who have been following me for years. Look at how faithful they are to me. You can be faithful too. God wants to use our lives to bring others to His side! There is not a person out there who has no influence in someone else's life. It could be a stranger or someone you know. We just need to say yes to the Lord and be used so that we can finally go HOME!

Time to Go Home!!

I know that I said my next post would be in conjunction to my last, but I going to step away for a second and write about something else.

     So, it's Friday evening and I am walking into the Collegedale Church sanctuary very determined to find a seat and fast. The place is filled more than usual. Why is that? Then it dawns on me. Mother-daughter weekend. Oh crap.... Then the one thing that I had been avoiding all week was directly in my face. My mother was not beside me. I received the dreadful news on Monday during my eight o'clock class and had chosen not to think about it. Now, as I sat in a pew by myself, I knew I wanted the friends that I cared about the most right next to me. I knew I needed to feel the warmth and love of those that I loved. I thought about who was going to actually be in attendance for vespers and then sent out the texts: calling all loved ones!!
    Knowing that I know longer sat alone, it gave me some peace; the peace that does not pass all understanding. But I quickly began to realize that there was more to this situation. That I felt more inside than I had originally wanted to see. My eyes began to wander into a different world. Seeing things from a different angle. My eyes lost interest in the songs being sung. My body became tense as I folded my arms. Then one of my friends reached out to me. Reminding me of who had never left me side.... The peace that passes understanding began to mist about me.
     The senses that the good Lord gave me, began to work once more. I felt my heart opening up to the songs that those around me were singing. The peace that passes understanding began to rain upon me.
     Then after vespers I loose my phone. Really? Was this was I needed? Where had the peace gone? Was I sensing a drought coming on? But, when it comes to God, does silence equate distance? I sat on the bleachers of Spalding, before making my way to my room, crying out to the Lord! Why?? I just wanted to be home. Home in my bed! Home with my family! ... Does silence equate distance?
     When I stopped wanting to know it all and just figuratively sat motionless in my room, all I heard was my air conditioner. I sat longer and I heard a knock on my door. I sat longer and heard the word of the Lord spoken through my friend. I sat.... and finally ..... the silence was broken.
     "Do you long for an earthly permanent address that does not exist more than you long for your everlasting home?" Thus saith the Lord.
     Such words struck a cord in my heart. I am but a single woman, one of many, on this plant, but for one woman Jesus would have died. His all was consumed by this world and spit out. Why? Home. My Father did all that He had to do to make sure I would come home to him.  How insane it is that I will shed a tear for Miami, Fl, but not for HEAVEN, state unknown (for city or country can claim it)!
     It seems as those who saw heaven didn't want to come back to earth, so is it going to be that those who have never seen heaven will only yearn to stay on earth? Shucks, it won't even be for long....