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Tried and True Words to Remember
Recent weeks have been a time of much reflection. Maybe it’s the winter days holed up in my home with a cozy blanket and a good book that inspire reflective thought. Perhaps it is also the fact that I have had some major decisions to make – ones that greatly impact my future. Have you ever been in a spot where you have so many things to consider you feel like your brain is going to blow up? It’s hard to gain perspective with so much bombarding us. Some days I wish God would just give me a straight answer. It is easy to get caught on the treadmill of…
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Gaining Empathy
I walked into the large gym with great trepidation. I didn’t know anyone. I didn’t know where to sit or what to do. I didn’t like feeling so lost, but that had been common in recent days. My quiet nature didn’t help either as it made it daunting to try to start conversations with staff I didn’t know. I had been thrust into a large public school after teaching for years in a small private Christian school where I knew everybody. Everything was overwhelming – the number of staff to get to know, all the new procedures, and many other new requirements. All I wanted to do was feel like…
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Pressing On in the Process
As I check my computer for recent medical test results, I am in shock. I look at the document and then look again, hoping that I am not seeing what I am seeing. I thought I was prepared. I have known for years that I have genetic risk factors from both my parents for conditions that are life changing. I also have known that there are things I could do to be preventative – or so I thought. Yet all my planning, prepping, and clean living have not been enough. Being diagnosed with both prediabetes and osteoporosis has shaken me right through the core. I watched both my parents suffer…
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God’s Amazing Plan
The Christmas story of the birth of Jesus Christ is no random sequence of events. Each intricate piece of this account was planned from the beginning of time. Our loving Heavenly Father set all things in motion, knowing from the start that we would need a Saviour from our sins. Every character in the Christmas story was carefully chosen to spread the wonderful Gospel message. This eclectic group of people came together, as Scripture foretold, to herald the birth of our Saviour. Firstly, there are Jesus’ earthly parents. Mary would have been a teenage girl at the time of Jesus’ birth but God chose her to carry His Son, knowing…
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Seeing is Believing
Some Scriptural accounts are just so humorous. I love that the Bible shows us real people living real lives. It is comforting to know that I’m not the only one who messes up or gets confused. One biblical account that makes me smile is that of Rhoda. She is a servant girl in the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark. She enters the historical picture at the time the apostle Peter is imprisoned by King Herod for preaching the good news of Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Members of the early church were praying for Peter’s release and many of them were doing so at the house…
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What It Means to Have a Shepherd
What do Abraham, Moses, and King David all have in common? At some point in their lives, they were shepherds. Before these highly respected men became great leaders, they honed some of their management skills in taking care of sheep. Sheep definitely need a guide. On their own they are easily lost or trapped in difficult situations. They are not good at recognizing and avoiding danger. Yet sheep are smart in one way – they know the voice of their shepherd. They know that in him they will find safety, shelter, and nourishment. In essence, it is a strong trust relationship. Describing us as sheep is very fitting as we…
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When You Want to Feel Significant
My students look at me and beam, proud of their work and excited that I notice. Many of these fragile young people are uncertain of themselves and their place in our classroom. They want to know they matter and that I see and hear them. They are delighted when I acknowledge them for who they are. We also want to be acknowledged and understood. The Psalmist feels the same way: “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.” (Psalm 139:1 NIV) The Psalmist understands these feelings. Like all of us, he is longing to be seen and heard. The desire to matter in our world is a strong…
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Untangling the Web of Worry and Fear
The roads are icy and the snow falls steadily. As I make my long commute to work in these difficult conditions, I am tense and worried. In my mind myriads of different scenarios play out – none of them good. Winter driving brings out my worst fears. I am not sure when the fearful mindset began, but I know it gains momentum with these kinds of stressful times. Often, I long for the carefree days of childhood where anxiousness seemed unreachable. Now, worry frequently is my close companion, even when I know it shouldn’t be. Worrisome thoughts tangle our brains, sending off messages that we need to be overly concerned…
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God Knows What We Need
It’s amazing how much God knows I need something, even when I am not quite sure of it myself. Our loving Heavenly Father often gently reminds me of what I require to nurture my faith. I can’t recount the number of times that I have come across a Scripture passage in an unusual place – like a sticky note tacked inside a notebook, in a hymn or song I listen to, or in a piece of Christian fiction I am reading – only to find it absolutely applicable to what I am facing today. Recently I came across this passage: “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity,…
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How the Past Can Help Shape Our Future
Have you ever had a memory haunt you? Some days it seems that out of the blue, something from my past comes back to intrude on my present. Unfortunately, it’s not usually the happy memories that intercede in my day. It’s those past moments, when life was troubled in some way, that come back to interfere with my thought processes for the day. Those memories often can deflate my day and get me dwelling on that which is not helpful for my well-being. Something that encourages me in times like these is a quote from Corrie ten Boom, someone who endured incredible atrocities in her life experiences: “This is what…
