Failure is Not an Option

   It’s happened to all of us at one point or another. We have failed. Failure leads to many different emotions depending on how deep the failure was or what the situation was. But, there is one specific instance that many people think of when they hear the word fail: TESTS. (I mean, come on, you have to expect this considering I’m studying to be a teacher). Tests and grades have been a major subject in my education classes. The main subject, lately, has been re-tests.

   Giving re-tests is a difficult choice for some teachers. They believe that it isn’t fair to the students that tried hard the first time if the students who didn’t try get a second chance. To this my professors typically say that fair isn’t always equal. Which means we need to differentiate our classroom, or responding to the needs of different students. While there are many opinions on re-tests in the world, I’d like to point out one opinion: God’s.

   God gives us re-tests over and over again. We fail to follow Him and He gives us another chance. We sin and He gives us another chance. We lose faith in Him and he gives us another chance. He will give us a re-do, but we need to ask for it. This may bring into question whether or not we are reaching up to God or if He is reaching down to us. Unlike other religions, God first reached down to us. He sent his Son to die for our sins, so that we could have life. In the same way, teachers should let students know that re-tests are an option; but the students need to ask for the re-tests and for help. This again, leads back to the whole argument of how is it fair to the students who did well on the test. Well, let’s go to the ultimate authority on everything: the Bible.

   Luke 15:11-32 tells the story of the Prodigal Son. The younger son failed to help the family farm. He also failed the family entirely because he left them and lost all his money. He was a reject in society. So he decided to go back to his father’s house. When the father saw him coming he ran to him; and threw a celebration because his son had come home. The father accepted his son back into his family, and helped his son get back on his feet. Meanwhile, the older son was upset that his father accepted the younger son back into the family. The older son did his work to the best of his ability but he wasn’t praised. He didn’t get a celebration. How was that fair? The father came out and said to his oldest son that the son will be rewarded eventually, with the inheritance from his father. But, for now the oldest son should rejoice because his brother was lost and is now found.

   The way I see it, this is a perfect example of re-testing. The younger son is the student that fails the test the first time. They come back and want a second chance. The father is the teacher. The teacher sees that the student who fails has a need and the teacher wants to fulfill that need. Who is the teacher to stop a student from succeeding, even if they did not succeed the first time? The older son is the student who passes the test the first time, and always works hard. Some of these students may say that it’s not fair that the students who didn’t pass get a redo; but the teacher can say that we can all be happy for our fellow students because they learned the material.

   Failure is a difficult subject. Most of us don’t like failing. But failure can be a good thing. We learn from failures. We grow into better people because we learn lessons when we fail. So the next time you fail, remember that it's not the end of the world. Because, you have an amazing God who is willing to give you a re-test.

Dealing with Loss: A Tribute to Miriam Watto

Loss: it’s something we all go through. Sometimes the pain of losing someone or something hurts so much that we feel like we cannot bear to go on. This past week my church lost a very important member of our congregation: Miriam Watto.

Miriam was so much more to our congregation than just a member. She was an example, not just for the older people, but also for the younger people as well. You could not get through a Sunday without Miriam asking how someone was or checking up on someone in your family. But there was so much more to Miriam than that.

Miriam was a prayer warrior. You knew that if she said that she would pray for you she would actually do it. She would not just do it in the mornings, she would do it whenever. Honestly I have met very few people who I know prayed like Miriam. She would take our prayer journal home and pray over all the requests. That was just one way that she showed that she cared.

Miriam was also a great example to everyone in the church. She was an amazing wife to Jim. She cared for him, and he cared for her. Miriam was faithful in raising money for missions and every Christmas and Birthday you could expect a card from her. She used to care for the children, including me, when they were younger in the nursery. That’s where we learned to call her Grandma Watto; though, I guess that made sense because we are all a part of God’s family. Anyhow, she did not stop caring when we grew up. She supported the youth in whatever they were doing whether it be girl scouts, soccer, school, or hunting (it’s a big deal at our church). Miriam also cared for the older people in the church. She did whatever she could for whoever she could.

Miriam totally embodied the verses describing a virtuous woman (Proverbs  31:10-31). She will be sorely missed in our church.

Maybe you are going through a loss right now as well, whether it is a person, job, or something else. While it may be difficult, I encourage you to turn to God. Ask Him to help you through this hard time. He will give you the strength. Also try to find someone to talk about how you are feeling with. God created us to be in community and to love one another. Finally, try to focus on the positive. It may be difficult, but pain is temporary. Eventually we will be in heaven with our Everlasting Father and we will never have to deal with loss again. Isn’t that amazing?

Thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Miriam Watto and anyone who is going through a time of loss.

Miriam Watto/Mim/Grandma Watto (1928-2015)

Back In My Day...

               We all have them. People who love us, always make sure we are warm, ask us how our days are, bring us presents, and they are there for us no matter what (usually). Who am I talking about? Grandparents! They are these awesome people who tell us stories about when they were young. Then, when we were younger at least, we used to listen intently to their wisdom and neat stories. Except for one specific story I’m pretty sure many of you have heard: "When I was younger I used to walk uphill both ways two miles or more through the snow."

                Honestly I cannot count how many times I heard that story and each time my siblings and I would look at one another and start repeating the story word for word. It used to be annoying and funny at the same time. But, if you think about it, there is a good lesson in this story.

                This winter has been one of the coldest I can remember. During this winter I have heard more complaints than I can even count about the cold. I’m not blaming anyone because I have complained a little too. Though, do we have a right to complain? 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” What happens when we complain about events or about the weather (which we have no control over by the way)? Does anything change about the circumstances we are in? No, not usually. And what does complaining do for us anyhow? Does it get us what we want? Does it help us spread the good news of the gospel?

                When we complain, we are doubting God. He has a plan for us and everything that goes on in the world. We may not like our circumstances or the cold now but these things are happening for a reason. We may know what we want, but God knows what we need. He will take care of us. We just need to trust him.

                So the next time you think about how cold you are remember what your grandparents used to do every day. They walked uphill both ways without complaining. You know, until they complain to us about having to walk uphill when we complain about how hard our life is. Also remember that God has a plan for you. You may not like the circumstances now, but just remember to have hope… and that spring is just around the corner. Don’t let the cold get you down.

What is Love?

Around Valentine’s Day a word we hear a lot is love. However, it’s a typical word we hear almost every day. “I love my mom,” “I love this cheeseburger,” “I would love to go to Paris” and so on. We use the word love pretty much every day, but what is love? When asked what the definition of love is people usually do not know the answer. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes love as “a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person (noun);” and “to feel great affection for someone (verb).” These definitions seem alright; but, no offense to the dictionary, I see love differently. 
The Bible is just filled with verses about love. One specific verse is Matthew 22:37 and 39 which says “Jesus replied: ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Of course I could quote more verses, but I want to focus on this one. The greatest commandment is to love God and love others. Most Christians know this but have you ever thought about why? Let’s look back at the beginning of the Bible. 
Why did God create humans? He created us out of his love for us. He loved us even before he create us. That’s pretty awesome to think about. God loves us; therefore, it’s pretty easy to show Him affection. So what about others who don’t love us back? How can we show affection to them? If we use the definition of “strong affection” this is very difficult to do. But looking in the Bible we can see that love is a choice. We sin against God all the time, but He still chooses to love us. God is very compassionate toward us, he respects us, and he is kind to us no matter how we treat him. This is love. Love is a choice. We may not like someone or agree with their actions; but God still tells us to love them. Have you been showing others that you love them lately? I encourage you to let your light shine through the love that God has given to you. After all love is why we are here in the first place. Happy Valentine's Day!
Romans 12:9, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, Ephesians 4:2, 1 John 3:16-18, 1 John 4:8