Remembering the Impact of a Kind Teacher

I’ve recently joined a Facebook group made up of people who went to my high school in the ’80’s and ’90’s. It has been fun to reconnect with old schoolmates and remember some things I hadn’t thought about in years. In one thread, we’ve been discussing memories from our elementary school years, and it reminded me of something I have thought about often through the years.

In about the fourth grade, I had a teacher who, as I look back over the years, made a big impact on my life, and I’ve often wished I could contact her and thank her, but I don’t know how to do so. Anyway, one day as we were sitting in class doing some desk work, I remember us kids talking, like kids do, and I said something unkind about someone else. Word got back to the teacher about what I had said, and she called me over to her desk. I was mortified, just sure I was in trouble. However, she very kindly, very gently told me a story about how she had known a girl when she was in high school who she hadn’t been very friendly with and who wasn’t the most popular kid, but later they ended up going to the same college and living on the same floor in the dorm. She told me she and this girl ended up being really good friends, and how she regretted not being kinder to her in school sooner because she missed out on those years of being friends with her. The point was, be kind no matter what. I felt then, and still to this day feel ashamed of what I had said that day. I don’t even know why I said it. I didn’t mean it, and I was being a dumb kid.

As I’ve thought about that incident through the years, I’m so thankful for how kindly my teacher handled that situation.  She could have just scolded me in front of the class, but she chose to make it a teachable moment instead, and I remembered it. Forever after that, it made me think before judging or dismissing someone unkindly. Even at that age it helped me to realize it’s not all about me.  Everyone has a story. I believe the Lord used that teacher in my life to begin chipping away at my prideful little heart, because as I look back, wow, I sure did have a lot of self-centeredness going on, even in fourth grade. I’m thankful for that teacher’s influence in my life. She probably doesn’t even remember that day, I’m sure there were lots of moments like that in the life of an elementary school teacher, but I have never forgotten it.

Thankful Thursday

I seem to have forgotten that I have a blog, and that I enjoy writing it, and that I enjoy reading other blogs. Or maybe it’s just been summer. And a HOT one at that.

Seeing as it’s Thursday, how about I write a Thankful Thursday post to remind myself that I have a blog and enjoy writing here?

I’m thankful for pomeganates. What an interesting and delicious and beautiful fruit it is.  My mom taught me how to cut and eat one last Thanksgiving, and I’ve been searching the grocery store ever since in the hopes they might some day have them in our produce section. Yesterday they did! I was tempted to do a dance of joy right there in the store. My boys were excited to see the pomegranates come home, too. They LOVE them. Here’s some pictures of my pomegranate fun: 

Such a pretty fruit, don't you think?

All those yummy little jewels!

I’m also thankful for air conditioning. It’s been over 100 degrees here several days during the past few weeks. Whew. Our upstairs AC unit, on what was supposedly the hottest day of the year, decided to quit blowing cold air. It got HOT, HOT, HOT upstairs. I’m thankful we have two units and the downstairs is cool. We’ve been calling for a week now and finally have an appointment tomorrow to have the upstairs fixed. Long story, not going to complain here, though. I’m just thankful we have any AC at all. In a world where there is so much poverty, I really feel selfish complaining when we have one working unit in the house. That’s an inconvenience, not a crisis.

I’m thankful for the ministry of Truth for Life, Grace to You, and Wretched Radio. The teaching I hear daily from these resources has been precious to me. I really appreciate the instruction I’m receiving in the gospel, and words just can’t express how thankful I am for the impact it’s having on my own life and on how I’m growing in teaching my children. 

I’m thankful for an app I found for my iPhone called Run5K. It was an 8 week program that helped me to learn to go from a non-runner to being, well, more of a jogger than I ever have been in my life. I finished the program, heat and hilly neighborhood notwithstanding, and I’m trying to get into better shape. All this hilly running is even helping me to strengthen the muscles that are helping my knee to not hurt quite as much as it has for the past 3 years. Nice. Now if I could just see some of the weight come down. You’d think with all this jogging I’d lose a few pounds, wouldn’t you? But I’m thankful to be feeling healthier, and to have reached a goal I’ve never been able to reach before - being able to run (slow, but more than I've ever done before) for exercise outside. My husband likes to run, and he’s really patient and slows his pace to run with me once in a while and is very encouraging in my effort to learn to do this hard thing.

Most of all, I’m thankful for the gospel and that God delights to save sinners, of whom I am a most wretched one who is most grateful and joyful to be saved by His grace. I am thankful that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and He ever intecedes for His people. 

Romans 5:8

“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Thankful Thursday and Thinking About Prayer

Hmm. I just realized as I went to post this that it's been a whole week since I last posted here. Time just flies. Blogging may continue on the lighter side this week as well.

This is, I think, the third post in which I’ve mentioned the ladies’ retreat we had a few weeks ago, but I have to say something about it again in this Thankful Thursday post. I have been concerned for a while now that I’m not very focused in my praying. One thing I’ve made it a habit to do is that when I say I’ll pray for someone I try to pray right then because I don’t want to forget. I tend to say little conversational kinds of prayers throughout the day, but, when I sit down to pray in a focused way, I tend to be a bit ADD in that I no sooner start to pray then I’m thinking about the 1 million chores I need to be doing or my mind is wandering all over the place.

One thing I’m thankful for is that on the ladies’ retreat, our speaker gave us a little outline that has worked for her in organizing her thoughts as she prays. Basically it begins with bowing to worship, taking cares to the Lord and laying them at His feet, confessing and asking Him to search your heart, praying through Eph. 6:10-18, thinking on an attribute of God from the Scripture and thanking Him, praying for others, reading the Bible and praying about how you need to respond to and obey His word that you’ve just read. Taking the basic format, I’ve been making myself a prayer notebook with an outline that works for me and helps me focus during my quiet time in the morning which I’ve typed up and put in page protectors in a little notebook, along with a list of people I pray for every day, and then I’ve broken up other prayer concerns and assigned them a day of the week when I will be praying over them - things like my family and church (those are on the every day list), my country and leaders, neighbors, friends, extended family, and some other things (certain days of the week). I’ve also started listing out scriptures as I’m reading the Bible that I find I can pray for people on my list.

One thing that I thought of today is to print out a list of my Facebook friends and blog friends for one of the weekdays. Each week I’ll take a few friends from those lists and pray specifically for them, and when I actually know of specific needs I’ll remember them, too. I got to thinking what a special way that could be to take a hobby and make something meaningful of it. As to the blog friends list, if you’ve interacted with me in a somewhat regular way, you are probably on that list. If you want to be on that list, please leave me a comment or send an e-mail and I’ll be happy to add you. I’ve also added to my list the bloggers I read regularly, whether I have actually interacted with them or not.

So, I’m thankful for the encouragement and practical organizational tips the speaker at our retreat gave me to help me to become more organized and diligent in praying. For all the talk about prayer these days that tries to make prayer out to be some contemplative, wispy, unmindful thing, I don’t want to be caught up in seeking after some elusive, hyper-romanticized experience. I want to pray and love God with my whole heart, soul, mind and strength. I want to be grounded in God’s word and fellowshipping with Him in a way that truly honors Him and is biblical and will teach me to grow in Christ as I submit to Him and love Him more and be living for His glory throughout the day.

Thankful Thursday

I’m thankful for the ladies’ retreat we had last weekend. I already wrote about it, but I received some very needed and practical encouragement about daily prayer that has stuck with me this week. I noticed something, too, and I must thank God and give Him glory and praise for the work He is doing in me. I have written before about how I struggle with my temper and impatience. I noticed this week after thinking and praying purposefully through Ephesians 6:10-18 each morning that though my circumstances haven’t changed at all, looking back over the past several days I’ve been much more even keel in how I responded to frustration this week. Friends, that is all God’s amazing grace, and to God be the glory, great things He is doing as He is working in me to conform me to His image. God is so very kind to us!

I’m thankful for a sweet time of prayer together with my fellow choir members last night. Rather than practice, we spent the entire rehearsal time praying for our church.

I’m thankful for a sunny afternoon walk with my daughter today, and I’m thankful that she is coming around about my hair. She still doesn’t like it, but she is dealing better with it today. I said on Facebook that you don’t take a walk with a 5-year-old if you’re looking for a heart-pumping workout. But if you want to look at weeds and see them to be beautiful yellow flowers and enjoy the magic of dandelions and remember that S-T-O-P spells stop at every single stop sign and enjoy amiable chatter, then a walk with a 5-year-old is just the thing for the first sunny afternoon in ages.

Did I mention sunny afternoon? Yes, I was thankful to see the sun again. It’s been a gray spring so far.

I’m thankful for my parents. They taught me, and continue to teach, much about loving Jesus and His word, and I am so grateful. I’m thankful I got to Skype my dad yesterday and tell him happy birthday.

I’m thankful for music. I ordered the soundtracks from Tangled and Enchanted because I just really like those movies and the music. Had a great time listening to them in the car with my oldest son and youngest daughter today as we drove to son’s trumpet lesson. Son tolerated it and read his book, daughter laughed out loud as song after song that she recognized from her favorite movies came on.

I’m thankful for my husband and his love for me. He says he likes the hair. I’m quite sure he doesn’t love it, but he does love me, and I love him, too.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for other bloggers who write ‘Thankful Thursday’ posts, because, to be honest, I’d forgotten about thankfulness and Thursdays....again....until I pulled up my Google reader and saw what others had written today. I am humbled and ashamed when I think about how often I forget to stop and think about thankfulness, especially on Thursdays which seem to be one of my busiest days.

I’m thankful that faith is not dependent on how I feel. Again.

I’m so very thankful for the righteousness that comes from God, the only true righteousness, that depends on faith, not a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ. What an amazing thing. And that is not just words, it is life.

I’m thankful for the book of Philippians and the Partnering to Remember project and the encouragement to hide God’s word in my heart. I’ve started going back and writing out notes on what I’ve memorized, and hope to be able to use it to encourage someone else as opportunity arises.

I’m thankful for periods of ‘the blues’ and for opportunities God uses to draw me close to Him and into His word for the only encouragement that will truly satisfy a sinking heart. And I’m thankful that no matter how low I feel, I will ever find the Rock of Ages upon which faith rests and is sustained. Thanks, Octavius Winslow, for that thought.

I’m thankful for joy that is deeper than momentary, or even longer than momentary, blues. The joy that is rooted in knowing Christ Jesus, the security that I may be found in Him and that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection. The joy that is found in knowing that my hope is sure because it is anchored in Jesus, and I am clothed in His righteousness. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

I’m thankful for reminders, painful ones, that sometimes I feel blue because I’m thinking too much of myself and not enough of others, and more importantly, not thinking highly enough of God and seeking to love Him and seek His Kingdom with all my heart, and that I need to repent and pray for grace and mercy to retrain my thinking and to think biblically and lay aside weights of selfishness and pride that will not only hinder my race, but strangle me, so please, God, have mercy and may I fling those weights aside and run with endurance and live in obedience a life that is worthy of the gospel!

I’m thankful for my husband, who is encouraging me to get moving with my writing. I'm also thankful for my parents' encouragement to write and keep writing the blog, too. I think I’ve been stalled because I’m scared. I’m scared because as long as I stall and only think about writing, I haven’t actually failed at it. Once I start, if I find out I can’t, well, it’s been part of me for so long....

But I’m thankful for my husband’s patient encouragement when I tearfully told him about a deep and secret hurt and fear yesterday regarding my dream to write. He believes I can do it. I don't know why, but he does. And he understands my insecurities in a way no one else can, but he loves me and is cheering me on. He even helped me find my ‘lost’ notebook of unfinished scribblings so that I can, finally, get busy. Even if the only thing I ever write is the story my little boy requested so long ago and only he ever reads it. Even then, at least I will have written it, if I just will get to it, and it will be worth it to be able to write this story before he is too old to care anymore.

I’m thankful for spring and greatly hopeful that it really will be warm consistently here again one day.

Happy Thursday!

Thankful Thursday

I find myself experiencing a bit of unexpected blues and need to work through it. It's like I'm scrambling on the edge of one of those pits of soul depth that hits sometimes when you just have to anchor your thinking in truth even when you feel really low.

Then one of my long-awaited books came in the mail today. This evening I began reading the first chapter of Soul Depths and Soul Heights by Octavius Winslow. I am so thankful I was encouraged to order it a while back and very thankful it came today. I was so encouraged to see that experiencing momentary ‘depths’ is not singular to me. It is not even something that I, as a Christian, should think I am alone in experiencing at times. But there is encouragement! After being careful to state that the experience he was about to discuss applied only to the believer in Christ, not the unregenerate, there followed a very encouraging passage. Allow me to quote what was very encouraging to me this evening:

“However profound these ‘depths’, they are not the depths of hell, draped with its mist of darkness, and lurid wrath, nor condemnation. Sink as the gracious soul may, it ever finds the Rock of Ages beneath, upon which faith firmly and securely stands. Whatever may be the depressions of the believer, it is important to keep in mind his real standing before God. From this no chequered spiritual history can move him. There is not an angel in heaven so divinely related, so beauteously attired, or who stands so near and is so dear to God, as the accepted believer in Christ, though earth is still his abode, and a body of sin his dwelling.

A practical lesson grows out of this truth. Let it be your aim to know your present standing as in the sight of God. Upon so vital a question not the shadow of a doubt should rest. ‘We believe and are sure.’ Faith brings assurance, and assurance is faith. The measure of our assured interest in Christ, will be the measure of our faith in Christ. This is the true definition of assurance, the nature of which is a question of much perplexity to sincere Christians. Assurance in not something audible, tangible, or visionary - a revelation to the mind, or a voice in the air. Assurance is believing. Faith is the cause, assurance is the effect. Assurance of personal salvation springs from looking to, and dealing only with Jesus. It comes not from believing that I am saved, but from believing that Christ is my Saviour. The object of my salvation is not my faith, but Christ. Faith is but the instrument by which I receive Christ as a sinner.” - Octavius Winslow in Soul Depths and Soul Heights

There is more, but that should whet the appetite, I think. I am thankful that no matter how far my soul may sink in momentary blues, it ever finds the Rock of Ages beneath, upon which faith firmly and securely stands. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Thankful Thursday

I was opening up the window to try to air out the house a bit - two sick boys at home today. Well, one boy probably could have gone back to school, but tummy still hurts him this morning and he was still pretty puny last evening, so I thought another day at home wouldn’t hurt. On the roof outside the window was a beautiful bluebird. I love it when the little bluebirds come back! Brilliant blue feathers and a rusty red belly. So, I’m thankful for the beauty of God’s creation and the smile that little bluebird brought to my face as a reminder that Spring really is coming.

I’m thankful it’s not terribly cold and I can open the windows for a little bit. It’s getting chilly, so I’ll have to close up soon, but the fresh air is nice.

I'm thankful for good books to read.

I’m thankful for hot tea, especially Constant Comment. I’m going to go have some now.

Happy Thursday!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful that it was my last day of my two month jury duty. The judge said today as he was dismissing us that he hoped it had been an eye-opening experience and that we can appreciate better what a necessary service it is to our community. It was definitely an eye-opening experience, that’s for sure. I’m thankful I got to participate, though, and I’m thankful to be finished today, too.

I’m thankful for the rain we are receiving today.

I’m very thankful for men of God who faithfully open His word and teach it well. I’ve been listening to John MacArthur preach on the Lordship of Christ, and it has been refreshment for my soul and mind.

Even more than that, I am thankful that I have God’s word translated into my language and that I can hold in my hands and read and study it. More and more, I am growing weary and distressed with books about Christianity and faith that are not biblically sound, and there are so many of them capturing our attention, ladies. May we be satisfied in Christ, and to seek to know His word with intensity and devotion. It is His word that is the word of life, dig in and feast there, my friends. It is so worth the hard work and time to read and study the Bible. It is in saturating our minds with the truth that we can recognize the error that is so prevalent in Christian books and blogs and thinking anymore as the Holy Spirit opens our understanding and love for Christ and turns our thinking to a biblical and God-honoring way of viewing all things. Let us seek not to be looking for the next emotional high or method or some new thing, but let us ground ourselves in the riches and depth of God’s word and learn to be satisfied in what He has revealed to us. He has spoken to us in His word. Let us drink deeply at the well of the word of life.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for warmer weather. It was about 70 degrees yesterday and high 60’s and windy today. We’re expecting rain tonight, but I’m sooooooo thankful it is not snow.

I’m thankful for the good time my son and daughter and I had walking around the neighborhood yesterday as my boy was trying to sell candy bars for a fundraiser.

I’m thankful for the neighbors who were kind when they chose to open their door to this kid selling candy bars and were nice to him. It’s sure I’ve bought my fair share of neighbor kids’ fundraiser items in my time.

I’m thankful for sidewalk chalk. What fun.

I’m thankful for the lively imagination of my little 4-year-old daughter. She makes life sparkle around here. Actually all three of our kids make our life sparkle in some way.

I’m thankful my son was able to spell all of his spelling words when I quizzed him today. You have no idea......

I’m thankful for Philippians 2:5-11. Read it, you’ll see why.

I’m thankful my husband got home safely from last weekend’s business trip, and I’m thankful for Thursday evening....the first evening of the week when no one in the family has anything we have to do in the evening.

I'm thankful for my husband, who loves me in spite of my faults. He demonstrates unconditional love toward me, and I am blessed to be his wife.

I’m thankful for the healing that time brings. I accidentally walked down the baby aisle at the grocery store one day over the weekend and had a small little twinge when it suddenly occurred to me what was happening during this weekend last year, but God’s grace has brought peace and acceptance and, yes, even joy and that little walk down the baby aisle resulted in a time to thank God for His blessings, of which there are so very, very many.

I’m thankful to be able to put dinner on the table for the family for whom I am also thankful. Chicken quesadillas and fiesta rice tonight. Must go get it onto that table right now.

Thankful Thursday on a Friday

There’s no time that isn’t a good time to be thankful, and I’m thankful for that. I forgot all about Thankful Thursday yesterday. I even got around to writing a rather lame blog post yesterday, blog posts of any sort being a fairly rare occurrence anymore it seems, but I forgot about Thursday and thankfulness going together in a blog post. So, I figure I’ll be thankful today.

I’m thankful for good books, new and old.

I’m thankful for strawberries, one of the few things I find to really like about February, this most wintery and drear of months. Good thing it’s the shortest month. But, oh, how I love those first strawberries of the season, and how excited I am when they appear at the grocery store.

I’m thankful for Psalm 116:15: “Precious in the eyes of the LORD is the death of His saints.” A sweet lady from our church family went home to be with Jesus this week. Mrs. ‘Lib’ was a precious lady and I will miss her sweet smile and welcoming hugs. She and her husband brought us a plate of cookies the day the moving van arrived at our new house here to welcome us to the neighborhood and the church. I feel I didn't get to know her long enough, but I'm thankful for the privilege of knowing her a little bit for a little while. She will be missed, and though tears fall as I type this, I’m glad to know her voice is joining with the great Hallelujah Chorus of Heaven now, and she is whole and healed in the presence of her Lord.

I’m thankful for Lamentations 3:22-24: “Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. ‘The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I hope in Him!’” And for 2 Corinthians 12:9: “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” And for Philippians 1:6: “And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” And for James 1:5: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

The reason I am thankful for all of those verses is that today I am having one of those days when I realize I am failing in some areas as a parent. But I am thankful that though I am failing, my Savior will never fail me or my kids and He will give me the wisdom to know how to do this mom thing well and for His glory. I am thankful for the mercy of His allowing me to recognize failings and take steps to correct them. I'm also realizing the need to sleep on emotional posts before posting them as this is now the edited and toned down version of the previous post which because of lack of context and details presented a more dire picture than I intended.

I’m thankful for the privilege of prayer. And I’m going to end this post now and go get on my knees and petition the throne for the wisdom to parent well and for His glory right now.

Thankful Thursday

I really need to get back to blogging again. Here it is Thursday and I haven't written anything in a week. Life's been a little.....busy....lately. More on that later, hopefully.

Today I'm thankful for snowplows. And for neighbors who have them. I just realized that the person who was plowing out our street the other day was the neighbor up the street. I don't know if this is a side job for him or if he's just the proud owner of a plow and chose to share the joy with his neighbors, but either way, I'm thankful.

I'm also thankful for my boys and how they have demonstrated several times during my jury duty stint how trustworthy they are when I've unfortunately had to put them in the position of being temporary latch key kids a couple of times. They have handled it so well. I'm proud of them and their showing of responsibility.

I'm thankful my boys do not have to be latch key kids every day, but only because of a temporary and unusual circumstance.

I'm thankful for my husband and will be glad to have him home again after a business trip that's had him gone since Sunday. I've missed him.

I'm thankful for the pondering the Lord has allowed me to be doing for a couple of weeks now based on Philippians 1:9-11. I have got to get that blog post written. Short part of it being that I have begun praying earnestly for myself and for other people in my sphere of influence that our "love may abound more and more with knowledge and all discernment," so that we may approve what is excellent and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. I've been pondering a lot about what it means to approve what is excellent, and that the righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ is to His glory. Very much need to get that post written.

How about you? For what are you thankful today?

Thankful Thursday

Seeing as the blog has been rather quiet lately, I think I’ll join with other bloggers and try to start posting Thankful Thursday posts. At least I’ll do one today and hope to remember to continue on as weeks progress. It is always a good thing to practice thankfulness.

Today I am thankful:

That I get to be a stay-at-home mom, especially when the school calls at 5:50 AM and announces that we are having yet another snow day, though we had yet to see the first snowflake until just a minute or so ago, and even now it’s just lightly ‘drizzling’. Supposed to have more this afternoon, though.

For a friend who came to play with my oldest boy today - glad he’s making nice friends here.

This will sound a little weird, but I’m even thankful for jury duty. Not so much for the fact that having lived in the great state we now live in for only 6 months and at the express and compulsory invitation of my county that I have to serve on jury duty, exactly, but more that I’m thankful for the opportunity to see God’s grace and mercy as He has worked in the situation and provided a new friend who is willing and able to watch my little girl on the days I have to go in and in granting me His peace as I look to Him when anxiety threatens. Also, I’m thankful for the opportunities serving on the grand jury affords to see a side of life I am very sheltered from normally and to be given the opportunity to grow in my thankfulness for that sheltered aspect of my life and for the heightened awareness of the need to pray specifically for my community. I’m also thankful for the things it has alerted me to be more aware about in my community and for the talking points it’s given me with my kids. All in all, it is not a completely bad experience, and I’ve got a blog post percolating that maybe, just maybe I’ll be able to share once it’s over.

For my church family. So very much good stuff I could say here, but I’ll have to save it and ponder it more when I can write coherently.

For the Partnering to Remember Philippians project. Again, I need to get a blog post written - didn’t get to it last week, but there is something very, very special about working to memorize a long passage of scripture, where the context of the text becomes alive as I ponder on it throughout the week.

For winter.....well, I’m trying. I’ve been complaining about it on Facebook, but I know there must be things about winter for which to be thankful, so, I’m trying. In the midst of it, I’m thankful for a warm house and lots of blankets. I am richly blessed, and I’m grateful.

How about you? For what are you thankful today?