Having Patience While Waiting: The Fruit of the Spirit Series

   “Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting” (Joyce Meyer).

   “Are we there yet?” “Is it almost time for dinner?” “When is it time for recess?” “When will Jesus come back?” What do all of these sayings have in common? They all have to do with waiting and patience. And, they all have to do with busyness. In our American culture people really have issues waiting or slowing down. Why is that? It is because we have difficulties being patient.

   To be patient one must “bear pains or trials calmly or without complaint” (Merriam-Webster). You may be saying, after reading that definition, I am pretty patient. I want you to think about the last time you were in a traffic jam. How patient were you then? I’m pretty sure you are saying that you were not that patient. See, patience has a lot to do with time. In our culture being on time is important. We only have so many hours in the day in order to get things done. We don’t want to make others wait.

   All of that can be good because we are respecting others. But, it is also bad at times because we start to get angry when things don’t go the way we planned. In order to have patience we need to lean on God. He has a perfect plan for our lives. There is a reason why you were stuck in that traffic jam. You may never know the reason, but you can rest easy knowing you are within God’s will. That’s why we can have a good attitude whenever something doesn’t go the way we planned. Think about it: will getting angry change the situation? Will getting upset change the situation? No, it probably will not. That is why we must learn to be patient and trust God’s will.

   So, are you going to change you attitude about things you cannot control? Will you trust that you are in God’s will? Will you work to be patient in all situations?

   Deuteronomy 31:6, Psalm 37:7-9, Galatians 6:9, Galatians 5:22-23

Peace During the Storm: The Fruit of the Spirit Series

   “Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart” (unknown).

   When you think of peace what pictures, things, or people come to mind ? You may think of Martin Luther King Junior, a calm ocean, a peace sign, or many other things. But, is that what peace really is?

   Peace is “a state of tranquility or quiet,” or, “freedom from civil disturbance” (Merriam-Webster). Can we all laugh now?  That seems like it would be a good definition for peace but I disagree.

   There is a story about a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. There were many submissions but the king narrowed them down to two. One picture was of a calm lake. Behind lake were mountains; and the sky was clear. The other picture had rugged and bare mountains. Rain fell from the sky and lightning was crashing. A foaming waterfall was down the side of the mountain. Behind the waterfall there was a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird built her nest and sat there in peace. The king chose the second picture (full story here).

   Peace is not being in “a state of tranquility or quiet.” Peace is to be in the midst of trouble and trials and still know everything will work out. Peace is learning to trust in God and his plan. Think about it. There are very few times in my life where bad things were not happening. When I stressed and worried about those things I was not helping anything; and I was just hurting myself. However, when I trusted God and had peace in my heart I felt a whole lot better. When bad things happen I know that there really is nothing I can do about them. I just need to trust God and follow him. Then I will have true peace.

   So, do you believe that peace is to have no trouble or to be in the midst of trouble and still be calm? Are you worried about everything that is going on in your life? Do you trust that God has a plan for you?

   John 16:33, 1 Peter 5:7, Psalm 4:8, Galatians 5:22-23

Showing Joy Through Trials: The Fruit of the Spirit Series

   “If you can’t find joy in the path you are on and what you are working toward now, how do you expect to find joy once you get there?” (Paulo Coelho).

   I walked into the women’s locker room at Lancaster Bible College and saw the girls getting ready for soccer. I began to get ready as well and then I saw one specific girl and I said “it’s Joy!” See, this girl’s name is Joy. As soon as I said it, it got her to smile. So, we continued to do that throughout the rest of the season. Why did I continue to do that? Well, one reason is because I like to be annoying :D. But, the main reason is because every time I said “it’s Joy,” She smiled and so did I. This little exchange made us both happy.

   But, that happiness was only temporary. We both eventually stopped smiling. Have you ever wondered why Paul says the fruit of the spirit is joy and not happiness? See, happiness is “a state of well-being and contentment” (Merriam-Webster). That means happiness is only temporary. I also believe that happiness is shown more outwardly. I can be smiling but on the inside I may not be happy.

   Now joy, joy is “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires” (Merriam-Webster). You may be saying “wait, what? That sounds a lot like happiness.” And, it does sound a lot like happiness. But, that is because the world uses happiness as a synonym of joy. Joy is different for Christians. Joy is on the inside. Christians can have joy because we have hope. We know that Christ died on the cross for our sins so that we could have eternal life; and that he is coming back. That is why we can have constant joy through the trials of life.

   But, it is not always easy to seem like we are joyful. How can we be joyful when bad things happen to us? We can be joyful by trusting in God and his plan for us. We know that bad things are going to happen. But, if we walk through life with God and lean on him we can continually be joyful through the trials in life. When we trust God and have joy on the inside we can then show joy and happiness on the outside, without wearing a mask.

   So, are you truly joyful because you have hope in Jesus? Do you trust that God has a plan for your life? Will you show your joy and happiness to others?

   1 Peter 4:13, Psalm 16:11, Isaiah 55:12, Galatians 5:22-23

The Fruit of the Spirit Series

   One subject that has been of interest to me ever since we did a Vacation Bible School on it at my church has been the Fruit of the Spirit. We went over these fruits of the spirit with the kids by talking about people in the Bible who exhibited these characteristics. But, looking back I wonder if I really knew what these characteristics mean. So many times we go through our lives using words that we cannot even define. Therefore, I decided to do a series on The Fruit of the Spirit.

   I will tell you it has definitely been a journey going through the Fruit of the Spirit. I have learned a lot about what I need to do more in my life in order to have these attributes. And, I hope you learn a lot too. Even if you do not learn too much, I hope that seeds are planted so that you would look in your own life and think about what attributes you may need to work on in order to grow in God. Thank you for going on this journey with me and for being a faithful reader of my blog.

   P.S. To get you in the spirit to learn about the fruits of the spirit here is a link to a Youtube video about the fruit of the spirit. I will warn you, it is a song for children. But, I was taught that teachers need to use an attention getter before the lesson begins in order to get students involved in the lesson 😉

   Galatians 5:22-23

Time to Slow Down

   Tick Tock, Tick Tock, Tick Tock. What was your first thought when you read that sentence? It was probably either clock or time. Time: it is a precious thing. Every day we have 24 hours to get things done. Every hour we have 60 minutes to fill with our busy lives. And, every minute we have 60 seconds to do something. But, have you ever stopped to think about how busy your life actually is?

   In America it seems like people are always on the go. We don’t have time to sit and talk. We don’t have time to wait in line. We don’t have patience. I admit that I too struggle with patience. I actually like to be busy and I know other people who like to as well. Why is that? Maybe it is because I want to make every moment count. Maybe it is because I know how little time I will actually spend on earth. Maybe it is because I know I need to provide for myself. Or, maybe it is because I am actually afraid of slowing down.

   I know that there have been times where I have just been sitting around doing nothing. Then I think to myself I could be doing so much right now. That’s when I remember an experiment one of my professors did. He walked in the room and said nothing. We all looked at the time finally and realized that class started five minutes ago. Everyone in the class got quiet. But, the professor still didn’t say anything; he just stood there and smiled. Some people started giggling, others asked what was going on, but I was silent. After ten minutes the professor said that he was quiet for ten minutes and everyone found that silence awkward. He asked us why is it that we found silence awkward? Then he said that it is probably because everything in our lives is so noisy and busy.

   The professor challenged us to go somewhere and just be silent. And, he wanted us to continue to find places where we could be silent and have solitude. It is a little strange at first; but it is in those times, when I slow down and just listen, that I find peace in the chaos. Yeah, my life is still busy but I am not as stressed as I used to be because I spend that extra time with God. It is important to work hard when we do work; but we shouldn’t spend all of our time working and no time with God. After all he is the one who gave everything we have, including our jobs, in the first place.

   So, this Labor Day I challenge you to slow down and spend some silent time with God; and, to think about how you can continue to slow down throughout the year. You just may be less stressed, be happier, and grow more in God.

   Matthew 6:6, Luke 6:12, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Times of Questioning

   The Devil lies. That's what I keep telling myself. I keep on having thoughts go through my head that say: "I'm not doing a good job," "I don't have a purpose for being where I am at in life," "I should give up and go back to the things or places I know."
   It is easy for me to ignore these lies when I am in times, or areas/places, where I am confident. When I was in school I knew my routine. I knew to get up, get ready for school, go to school, go to soccer, do my homework, and go to bed.
   Granted, in that time, unexpected episodes happened. I had friends come up to me to discuss problems, family issues, etc. But, I generally knew what to do in order to succeed in everything still. Therefore, anytime I heard the Devil say something to me that I knew wasn't true, I was able to dismiss it easily.
   Now I am in a time and area where I don't really know what I'm doing. I mean, I was trained for this but every school is different. Every soccer program is different. I'm still trying to find my footing in both of these areas in my life. I'm out of my comfort zone entirely, which is a scary place to be. On top of it is easier to listen to the Devil's lies. I keep hearing: "YOU are not doing a good job," YOU don't have a purpose for being here," YOU should give up."
   Here's the thing: these lies are poison. What happens when you get poisoned? You need someone to take care of the poison. You cannot really take care of yourself. When we are in times of Questioning, or in times of new places, we need a few things in order to succeed and stay sain.
   First you need a group of people to come around you and support you. Those people may be mentors, friends, or prayer warriors. But, if you don't have these people when the crazy kicks in you will have no one to go to when you are at times when you feel you should give up. I have a group of people who I have known for years supporting me, I have a new group of people at school and soccer surrounding me and teaching me, and I have all of these people praying for me. Knowing that these people are with me is helping me to keep moving forward.
   Second in your time of Questioning you need to have people who you can ask your questions to. Without these people you will probably go nuts thinking about all the little details you don't know. You need at least one specific person, in your new area, who you can go to to ask questions or just talk.
   Finally, you need to trust God. When I first got the call about soccer I wanted to do it, but I wasn't sure it was plausible with my career. However, it became clear that I was to take that role on. Then after I took that role I received a part time job teaching job that worked perfectly with my soccer schedule. God knew this would happen and made it clear that this is where I should be in my life.
   Am I scared sometimes? Oh yeah. Do I have mini freak out sessions? Every once in a while. But the most important question I have had to answer through this experience is: is this where God wants me to be? I believe the answer is yes. That is why I'm going to ignore the Devil and his lies. That is why I'm going to keep moving forward. That is why I am going to trust God.
   So, do you have a hard time ignoring the Devil's lies? Do you have a group of people surrounding you to help you in times of Questioning? Do you trust God that he has put you where you are for a purpose? 

   Proverbs 3:5-6, 2 Corinthians 11:3, Galatians 6:2