Wow . . . it's been a month! My last month of school has consisted of . . . End of Quarter testing, grading tests, SAGE Testing, more grading tests, Report Cards, Conferences and don't forget the regular day-to-day activities. I spent one too many Saturdays in January at school. And just when you're excited for a week without extra work . . . Valentine's Day Party and School Forest field trip all in one day! Today was a blast with my students though. It is great to see the joy on their faces as they walk around the room saying thank you to their classmates as they open their sticker sealed Valentine's cards. I've never seen children get so excited about Tootsie Rolls either.
On top of life at school my husband and I have been busy too. We helped lead FCA at his alma mater for a couple weeks and we started a Young Adults bible study at our church.
We have been going through the study Act Normal by Scott Wilson. The study is based on Acts and what the church looked like during life just after Jesus' resurrection. Why doesn't church look the same now as it did then? Should it look the same now as it did then? There are so many things I could say about this study but one hit me the hardest. I am extremely goal oriented. I like to make plans, execute plans and then rejoice in the completion of the plans. Unfortunately, I sometimes forget to let God tell me the plan . . . can you relate to that?
For example, I'll bring you back to the time when I was planning for college. I found one school I wanted to go to, applied, got accepted, and I was going to that school. After a few things changed I discovered in May that I would no longer be able to attend the only school I had looked at. Hmm . . . problem? So . . . I reluctantly found a new school, dragging my feet along the way. It didn't take long to figure out God clearly wanted me at his choice instead of my choice. I was just about to finish school, student teach, live with my dad, find a job and save up for my first house or townhome. Then I met my husband; more plans I had made and God quickly changed.
Well . . . then I got married and created new goals in life. Get a job, pay off school, save money, replace our "college/highschool cars," save more money, buy a house and have children somewhere in there. So, I was thinking - we're doing pretty well! I had some long term subbing positions (almost a "real" job), paid off my school, replaced Matt's car, Matt graduated and got a job, paid off Matt's school, I finally got a job, now we're saving for the house . . .
That brings us to Sunday morning. Our Pastor said, "Let's figure out the real difference between the people in Acts and us." He had a timeline of a person's life: birth all the way to retirement and of course a grave at the end. He went over events that come up in our lives and put up pictures to represent each one: school, high school youth group, graduation, first car, college/first job, marriage, new car, first house, kids, bigger house, another kid, bigger car . . . And we're all just trying to make enough money so we can retire and enjoy life. We want our lives to be comfortable. God is supposed to bless his people . . . so bless me God . . . make my life wonderful because I deserve it and I try really hard. WHOA!
Then Pastor took a spool of string. He put a small dot on the end and gave it to the Youth Pastor to hold. The dot represents our lives on earth and the string represents eternity. He then walked around the entire church body unraveling the string. "The difference between us and Paul is . . . Paul was living for eternity and we're living for the dot. Paul knew that his dot affected eternity." He knew he ONLY had that dot TO affect eternity. While it is fine to have value for things on this earth we can not let value become ultimate value. As Scott Wilson wrote, "God is the only ultimate value in life."
Lord . . . challenge me and inspire me to love you with all my heart . . . and to sacrifice anything and everything in joyful service to You the One who has proven love for me!
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