Making Mistakes

   One day I was out watching my students at recess. I saw one child playing on a piece of playground equipment. This child is very strong and outgoing. He had gotten himself up on top of a pole. He then grabbed another pole and was trying to get across to this other pole to the point where his body was horizontal across these two poles.
   Now, with today's standards many parents would probably be saying "you need to stop him, that is dangerous." I thought about stopping him but I knew he would learn a lesson no matter what happened. He did make it across to the other pole and then he celebrated. He worked hard to get where he wanted to go and was rewarded because he made it.
   I know there are parents out there who want to protect their kids. I'm not saying that some protection is wrong. What I am saying is what I say to my students, "you need to try. If you try your best and you mess up will Miss Scheuing be upset?" The students always say, "no." My students know that they learn by making mistakes.
   I think that we have forgotten that in this day and age. We are so afraid to mess up that we stay inside our comfort zone. We end up missing opportunities because we choose to not do new things. My students would not be rewarded with the ability to read if they did not try something new. My players would not have the skills they have today if they did not join a new team or try a new drill. I would not be rewarded with all the gifts and opportunities God has given me if I stopped trying new things.
   Making mistakes is okay. It may not be fun, but if you make a mistake you are more likely to try something new next time. Above all else, when you make a mistake remember, "there was only one perfect man and he walked on water. Can you do that?"
   So will you choose to step outside your comfort zone to gain new opportunities and grow? Will you guide and encourage others to step outside their comfort zones? How can you step outside your comfort zone today?

   Joshua 1:9, 2 Peter 3:18, Romans 5:2-6

   Image found here.

Where Do You Find Hope?

   Almost any of us who know the Easter story know that one of the main themes is hope. But that is only one story that has the theme of hope. Think about any of the stories you know where hope is a theme. Some may have happy endings, while others may have sad endings. Everyone has hoped for one thing or another in their lives. But, are we hoping for the right thing?

   We all have our own story here on earth. There are ups and downs in our stories. And, there are times we may not have hope. There is only one story that gives us true hope. And, it starts with God creating the world. Then man fell into sin. There was little hope in the world, except for a promise that God would send a perfect lamb to be sacrificed on our behalf. God sent His only son to die on the cross for us. The true story of hope is found in the Bible.

   But, there is one other great thing about this story of hope found in the Bible: it’s not over yet. God gives us a chance to be a part of the story. He gives us our hope in Christ because we know he is coming back. It is our job to make sure that others have the chance to know about this hope in Jesus. But, Jesus coming back isn’t even the end of the story either. When he comes back we will get to live with him forever. See the true story of hope never ends. It’s amazing to think about isn’t it? Hope you all have a happy Easter.

   Mark 8:31, Luke 24:6-7, Revelation 21:4

Looking through Your Worldview Lense

   I attended Lancaster Bible College for 4 and 1/2 years. While there, there was one topic that was always talked about. During Freshman year I don't think that I was in a single class that did not mention at least one part of this idea of a Worldview.
   Every person has their own Worldview whether they know it or not. Your Worldview is based off of people you know, your life experience, and so much more. You may not know all of the parts of your Worldview but let me give you an example of a situation where your Worldview would come into play.
   Imagine you just had a long day at work/school and you knew you had another meeting where you had to go back to work/school. You knew you needed a break before your meeting so you went out to grab a bite to eat and your favorite beverage. You come back to work/school fairly refreshed from your food but you had some of your beverage left over. You go down the stairs and open the door to work/school and pick up your beverage but your drink falls and spills all over the floor. One of your fellow employees/school chums sees that there is a mess. The employee/school chum helps you clean up the mess.
Now, you may be asking how in the world that situation has to do with your worldview. I'm glad you asked. There are different parts of your Worldview that would impact how you view this situation.
   1. Your view of God-in this situation you could be thinking God hates me because this happened even though I'm in a hurry to get to my meeting. Or, you could be thinking thank you God for sending my fellow employee/school chum to help me clean up my mess. Who knows, maybe because of that spill something good happened. You could have impacted that person, you could have made a new friend, you could influence that person to come to Christ, or you could have avoided another disaster that would happen in the future.
   2. Your view of the world-you could be thinking the world is a horrible place because you lost your drink, you have this meeting, and it just isn't fair that everything happens to you. Or, you could be thinking the world is such a great place because it could have been much worse. I could have fallen down the steps with this drink and gotten hurt, the drink could have gotten all over me, etc.
   3. Your view of people-you could think that you wish another person would come to help. You could also think that you can handle cleaning this up yourself because you don't want to owe this person. Or, you could think that person was so nice to help me clean this up. You could say thank you to that person and strike up a conversation in order to make a new friend.
   How you view God, the world, and people impacts how you act every day. Thus this also goes as far as to say that how people treat you says what their Worldview is like.
   This is what I want you to think about: there is power in perspective. Getting to know others and their Worldview helps you to walk in their shoes. It helps you see who they are and why they do what they do. P.S. worldviews are always changing because we change with experience.
   So, do you know what your Worldview is? Are you trying to understand others through their Worldview?
   John 13:34 and Ecclesiastes 3

Are You Certain?

     There is a company called Rocket Mortgage who has a series of commercials out. The commercials go pretty much the same way. People are pretty sure that something is okay. For example, maybe they say, "I'm pretty sure this expired milk is okay to drink." Then they proceed to pour out the milk so you could see how gross it looked. The emphasis of the commercials is that certain is better.

   My question for you is based off these commercials. Are you pretty sure you will go to heaven when you die or are you certain? A follow up question is how do you know where you are going?

   If you are pretty sure you are going to heaven, I encourage you to read Romans 10:9 "Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." That verse tells us that we must confess Jesus is Lord. If you don't you can be certain you will not go to heaven. There isn't more than one way to get to heaven. John 14:6 says: "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" Jesus is THE ONLY way to heaven. 

   So, are you pretty sure you will be going to heaven or are you certain? How can you spread the Gospel today so that others can be certain of where they are going after death?

 

Are Lucky People Happy?

   Have you ever met someone who just seems to have it all together? That person who doesn't seem to have anything bad happen to them. Or maybe the person just seems to have blessing after blessing poured on them. We may think of celebrities who are rich and famous. We may think of a CEO of a popular company. We would call these people lucky.
   I would be very interested to hear these lucky people's answer to this question: are you happy? Some of them may say yes. Others may say no. I wonder if they stay up at night worrying about their finances. I wonder if they worry about their relationships. I wonder if they question what the meaning of life is. The very people who we may consider lucky have problems too. Many of them may even try to hide their problems. They may even question why they are here or what happens after they die.
   Matthew 16:26-27 says, "What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done." Sometimes the people who we think are lucky worked hard to get where they are. Others may have done things that hurt others. They may have done things they are not proud of. If they did that, they may be happy now, or feel lucky now, but they will not feel happy in the end. 
   God calls us to live our lives for him. He doesn't promise us happiness or being lucky on this earth. He does promise that he will be with us, love us, care for us, and save us from our sin. No matter if you feel lucky now or not, I encourage you to trust in God. Trust in Jesus Christ as your savior. That is the most important part of our lives on earth. Not that we feel lucky or happy, but that we know Christ as our personal savior. Then we share that good news with others. 
   So, are you focused on the things of this world or on Christ? Have you chosen to trust in Jesus as your savior? Are you following the Great Commission?
   Image from here.

They Are Circling

     One time I was riding with my family. We drove past a church and above the church I saw 10 vultures circling around it. It was a bit of a disturbing sight. I've seen vultures before. However, normally I see only one or two attacking roadkill. I do not typically see them circling their prey, let alone circling a church!

   This sight got me thinking about all the things I do not typically, or cannot, see. Like, what if those vultures were demons? We cannot see demons. We do not see angels. We do not know the spiritual warfare that goes on each day. However, we do know those wars are going on. 

   1 Peter 5:8 says: "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." The devil is real. He is waiting, and watching, for someone to attack. He doesn't want you to learn about God. He doesn't want you to have a relationship with God. He wants you to be separated from God. Satan doesn't want you to do work to further the kingdom.

   What can we do about this? Are we to worry? Are we to stop living our lives? No! We are to follow the words of James 4:7 "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." We need to submit to God. We are to be in relationship with him each day by praying and reading the Bible. 

   See, Satan cannot stand to know that we belong to God. He hates that we have a relationship like we do with the Lord. He tries to break that relationship in many ways. Satan has a toolbox to break believers. The key is for us to know how to combat him. We need to know the Word of God. We need to use that word against the devil when he comes against us. We need to lean into God.

   So, how is your relationship with God? Are you submitting yourself to God?

Pulled 100 Different Directions

    I really wish I could start this blog by telling you I am just whelmed right now, as my sister would put it. Whelmed meaning I am just calm, normal, peaceful etc. I don't know about you but lately I have been a bit overwhelmed lately. At this point I am a preschool/pre-k teacher (which encompasses many more jobs in and of itself), a soccer coach, and have other family responsibilities. It's a lot and I'm sure you have felt this way as well. 

   This feeling reminds me a lot of a song from a Disney movie. The song is called "I Just Wanna Be With You" and the lyrics go like this: "We're being pulled a hundred different directions" (High School Musical 3). Have you felt like you are pulled a hundred different directions? You accomplish one task just to be given a new one. It is incredibly whelming.

   Now even though this song is a love song between a boy and a girl the next lyric can relate to us as well. The song goes like this: "We're being pulled a hundred different directions But whatever happens I know I've got you." We may be pulled a hundred different directions, but we have God. 

   Psalms 94:19 says: "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy." This verse showed up on my Bible app when I was feeling quite overwhelmed. Even though we may be stressed and being pulled many directions God is with us. He never gives us more than we can handle with him. Did you catch that last part? We cannot walk though these times on our own. God walks with us, carries us, and encourages us in our times where we feel whelmed. 

   So, who are you trusting when you feel overwhelmed? How can you remember to lean on God when you feel pulled 100 different directions?