Who You Spend Time With

    At the school I teach at we have begun to grow different plants. One time we were growing tomatoes. I could not believe how many tomatoes grew when we planted them! Then we picked them. Each child pointed to the one they wanted, and teachers helped them pull them off if they needed it. 

   One child saw a large tomato that was hidden within the tomato plants. It looked plump and big. I went to grab it but as I did another tomato came with it. On the opposite side of the large tomato, it was squishy and rotten because a tomato beside it was connected to it, and it was rotten. This large tomato that would have been good to eat was no longer good to eat because of the tomato next to it.

   Humans can act like those tomatoes. You can be a Christian who is following the Lord, but others can impact your walk with the Lord. If you spend time with someone who sins and encourages you to sin, then you can become rotten. You cease to bear good fruit. That's why we must be careful who we spend our time with. We need to have a body of believers who are encouraging us in our walk with God.

   Now, that is not to say that we should not spread the Gospel as the great commission calls us to. We should tell others about Jesus. We just should not allow others to influence us to sin. It is a fine balance. We must be confident in our Lord and trust in him so much that when temptation comes, we can overtake it. That is how we will bear good fruit.

   So, who do you spend your time with? Are you walking with the Lord? How can you spread the Gospel today?

   Psalm 119:105

Can You Repeat That?

    For those of you who know me, you know I am a teacher. I teach 3–5-year-olds every week. That in itself is a challenge. But I also have to repeat myself many more times than the average teacher because, if you have never worked with preschoolers then you would not know, they have a hard time listening.

   One day I was in my classroom in the morning. A mother was dropping her child off. The child ran through the door with the mother walking quickly behind her. The mother looked at her daughter, let’s call her Quail, and said, “Quail, you need to wait for mommy to go into the classroom with you.” I chuckled to myself because this is one of the children who likes to do things her own way.

   The mother shook her head and said to me, “how many times do you repeat yourself a day?” I stood there and began to think. I was actually going to try to give her an estimate. Then she said, “maybe I should change the question: how often when you ask a child to do something do you not need to repeat yourself?” I laughed and replied, “it is quite often that I do repeat myself.”

   This whole scenario reminded me of patience and how patient God is with us. How many times do you think God had to repeat himself to the Israelites? According to impactus.org, he says “I am The LORD your God” at least 150 times alone. How many times did God remind them that he was with them? The word “love” appears over 300 times in the Bible according to christianity.com. The Bible talks about loving others, how God is love, and that God loves us over and over. You would think we would remember this because of how many times it is repeated. Yet, like children, we forget.

   2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” God is willing to repeat himself because of his patient love. He created us and wants us to grow in him. Thus, while we are here, we are to show his love to others.

   So, are you showing patience with others? How can you remember God’s grace and patience each day?

He Doesn't Make Mistakes

    The movie Mom’s Night Out is one of my mom’s favorite movies. It does a nice job balancing comedy, family fun, and Christian messages. One of the most impactful scenes is when a biker named Bones is talking with Allyson, the main character, and a mom. You can find the clip at the end of this blog post.

   In this clip, Allyson is beating herself up. She does this for much of the movie. She seems to be a bit of a perfectionist. She thinks she isn’t enough. That she isn’t doing enough. I am sure some of you mothers may have felt that way before.

   Bones starts talking about his mother and the impact she made on him. He reminds Allyson about an undeniable fact: God loves you. God loves you no matter what you have done, what you think, what you say, etc. He loves you. It is amazing to think about.

   Then Bones goes on to remind Allyson of another fact: God doesn’t make mistakes. He says: “Let me tell you something, girl. I doubt the Good Lord made a mistake giving your kiddos the mama He did. So you just be you. He'll take care of the rest.” God put you in this place, in this time, in this moment for a reason. We may not always know what that reason is, but we cannot doubt that God is with us and that he doesn’t make mistakes.

   So, do you believe that God is with you and loves you? How can you remind yourself of those facts each day?

Clip: https://youtu.be/K_aY2M5hxyw 

Needing Light In the Darkness

   When I was younger I really, really liked glow in the dark things. Something that doesn't light up in the day but does when it's dark, how cool is that? In fact, I still have some glow in the dark stars in my room. I was looking at those stars as they glowed the other day and I thought about something.
   Those stars don't glow in the light. Yet, those stars need to be charged by light before they can glow in the dark. You may be saying, "that's kind of obvious. That's why they are called glow in the dark." Well, as always, I have a point.
   We also need light before we can glow in the darkness. No, we don't physically glow but we are in darkness. Our darkness is sin. We live in a fallen world. Sin is all around us. Sin is in us. Sin runs our lives until we choose to let Jesus take the wheel instead. Jesus is our light. If we don't walk with him and spend time with him we won't be "charged" enough to be a light in the darkness. Then we will not be an impact on the world like we are called to be. We are to be a light to the world.
   So, are you a light in the darkness? Have you been spending time with Jesus so you can be "charged" by him? What can you do to spread the light today?

   Matthew 5:14-16, John 8:12, and 1 Peter 2:9

   Image from here.

You Shall Not Pass

    I had a friend who worked at a pizza place a while ago. One day there was a fire at the shop. Much of it burned down and they were out of business for 2 years. As they were going through the wreckage, he found a Christmas sweater of his that said, "you shall not pass."

   If you are familiar with this quote, you know it is from the Lord of the Rings. Gandalf says it as he is facing the Balrog, a creature covered in flame. Gandalf knows that he must stop this creature if the fellowship is to continue with their journey. Stop it he does.

   My friend's sweater went through a fire and survived. Gandalf faced a fire and survived. We, too, face fires in our lives. The fire may look different at different times. Sometimes we face temptation, jealousy, hatred, and many other sins. During these times, we must say to the devil, "you shall not pass."

   1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." Temptation is common to us all. God is with us in the fires of temptation. He is there reminding you of his love and that he has given you a way out of the fire.

   We know we will face the fire. Yet, there are ways we can become more fireproof. As we grow in God, we learn more about him. We learn about his desires and love for us and all those in the world. We know he loves us, but we should not go on sinning. One of the reasons we are here is to learn about who God is and have a relationship with him. It is through a strong relationship with God, that we can better defend ourselves against the fires of temptation.

   So, what fires have you faced in your life? How can you defend yourself against temptation? How can you show God's love to others today?

Fear in My Heart

    One day I was going about my morning, and I began to wonder why my head felt like it was swimming. I shook my head and continued with my day. Then, a bit later, my heart felt like it was beating fast. I used my watch to see what my pulse was, and it was normal. So why did my heart feel like it was beating fast? That's when I remembered, I hadn't taken my anxiety medication that morning.

   Suddenly, it all made sense! I had felt off all morning. I hadn't been smiling or feeling like myself. Then I wondered if I should go home and take my meds or if I should try to tough it out. Was I showing distrust in the lord if I didn't finish my day without my meds? 

   I was going to try to tough it out. But it wasn't easy. My heart felt like it was being ripped out of my chest, I was almost frowning the whole day, and I felt like I needed to punch something and cry at the same time. 

   I stopped what I was doing and sat. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and cleared my mind. I asked God to help me find his peace. Feeling a bit better I went back to what I was doing. Then the anxiety began to come back. I didn't understand why it was happening, but it wasn't my job to understand why it was happening. It was my job to trust God.

   I had time to sit down, and I began to write how I was feeling. What did I write? What you are reading now. As I began to write I felt God's peace. I wasn't focused on my fear or problems. I was focused on the Lord and the talents he has given me. 

   Philippians 4:6-7 says: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." In this situation, I did what God asked me to do. I went to him. I trusted in him. Because of that, this blog was written.

   I don't know why God wanted this written. I don't know who this was written for. I don't know why God hasn't taken my anxiety away even though I've asked. What I do know is that God loves me. He cares for me and has a plan for me. Because of that I don't have to fear, even when anxiety comes into my heart. I know God is with me no matter what happens on this earth. Do you believe that? What battles are you facing right now? How can you grow closer in your walk with God?

Alone

   One day my co-teachers were mocking about how my definition of fun is different from theirs. I was okay with that because I do have fun but it's not the kind of fun they like to have. Then one said, "oh but remember, she's a different person now because she has a boyfriend." I was like, "I'm not different, I'm the same person." She replied, "yeah you are, I'd never thought I would see you with a boyfriend."

   To be honest I was a bit shocked. I asked, "why." She said because I never seemed interested in anyone. That's when I realized that my coworkers didn't know me as well as I thought they did.

   Now, I am a very open person. If someone asks me a question, I answer honestly. But I realized that I didn't share about how alone I felt at times. See, as Christians, we are to love others, reflect God's glory, and spread the good news. But it's not always easy to share your weaknesses. Especially when those weaknesses make others possibly question God.

   I know that I'm never alone. I know Joshua 1:9 says, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” I know that. But it's not always easy to feel that God is with you when you wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep.

   Usually I have found in those moments that I need to stop focusing on my worries or fear. Instead I need to focus on God. I read the Bible, pray, and change how I think. That made me not feel so alone.

   So, when you feel alone, what do you do? How often do you spend time with God?