I overheard a conversation this morning that keeps chewing on me, so that usually means I better get this off my chest.
Apparently today was "See you at the Pole," the annual event that draws students to gather around the flagpoles of their schools to pray in the morning before school starts. As usual, my family missed it. Actually, I didn't even know it was happening today, and somehow, we seem to miss it every year.
You know what? I'm okay with that. But the woman I overheard this morning obviously was not. She was bashing her teenaged son for not getting out the door early enough to go. By this time, he was already at school and she was bad-mouthing him to someone else.
Now, I don't know this family's story, so I want to be careful to not pass judgement on them. I got the impression, however, at least from the mom, that these kinds of public displays of their faith are very important to them, and she was obviously quite displeased with her "slacker" son.
I wonder, what kind of impression was her attitude making on the one she was speaking to? I wonder how she would feel about me and my family if she were to read this post and see that I'm okay with my kids missing See You at the Pole. Would it be a good thing for them to go? Sure! But does it mean they are lazy slackers and poor witnesses to their faith if they miss it? I would certainly hope not!
One of the things I love so much about God is that he doesn't expect us to adhere to a set of man-made rules in order to follow him. That's called legalism and it can be ugly and hurtful. Jesus set us free from all that. He wants us to love him and love our neighbors, and he leads us to do that in all kinds of ways that are individual to each of us. Some may feel very much called to attend an event such as See You at the Pole on any given day. For someone else, maybe God didn't prompt them to go because he knew they would need the extra sleep in order to serve him in some other way. Who are we to judge what we can't possibly know?
I don't mean to sound like I'm criticizing See You at the Pole. I think it's a great event and serves an important purpose. But another concern I do have is when people use things like that as a platform for "putting God back in schools." That's another thing I love about God. He is so big, how can we possibly be so arrogant as to think that we can remove him from anywhere, or for that matter, put him anywhere? God has not left the schools. If there is even one Christian in the building, he is there, because the Holy Spirit resides in that person's heart. I pray every day that my daughters have the courage and conviction to live out their faith in school and out, no matter where they are. All that's required for that to happen is a love for the Lord, not a once a year gathering around a flagpole.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Friday, August 16, 2013
A Burger With a Side of Tears
It was supposed to be a quick trip to the grocery store, an easy grab and go. Instead, I wasted a full five minutes just standing in the meat department, pretending to peruse packages of ground beef. I must have looked like quite the comparison shopper, but anyone who ventured close would have seen that I was really blubbering like a complete fool and trying to hide my face from public view.
Two days earlier we had moved our eldest daughter into her freshman dorm at college nearly six hours away. It was difficult for all of us, but I managed the fewest amount of tears and had kept my emotions fairly well under control since returning home. That is, until I tried to buy the blasted meat.
Normally if we're grilling burgers, I like to buy the ground beef and season and form the patties myself. But this time I was in a hurry, so I thought I would just pick up a package of pre-formed patties. Big mistake. The patties came in packages of four. We are a family of four, but with one at college there are only three of us at home. And just like that, I was overcome with an avalanche of tears I had been fighting back for days. Right there in Kroger. In the meat department. With hamburger patties in my hand.
It took a few minutes for me to collect myself and make it to the front of the store, red face and all, to check out. Of course my neighbor would be there, and of course knowing we had just taken Kaelie to school very sweetly asked how we were adjusting to life as a family of three. Life really is all about timing, isn't it? More tears, and I know I mumbled something and tried to smile, then high-tailed it out of there with my four-pack of burgers before I could run into anyone else.
Another week has passed, and all in all I think we're doing pretty well. My daughter is having a great time and settling in well at school and just completed her first week of classes. It's hard to be sad when I see how excited she is to be starting this next phase of her life journey. But more importantly, I know, I KNOW, that she is going to soar.
The best reassurance about that I could have ever received came in the gift she gave me for my birthday last month. It's a canvas wall-hanging with verses from 1 Corinthians 13, known as the "love chapter" in the Bible.
The wall-hanging reads "Love is patient, Love is kind. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."
It's a beautiful passage of Scripture, and I, like many others, had it read it my wedding. But here's the best part about this birthday gift. Kaelie told me she remembered it because one time a few years ago when she and her sister were fighting I made them get out their Bibles, look up and read this passage and think about how they were treating one another.
Honestly, I have no recollection of doing that. Ever. But the fact that she remembers and it obviously had an impact is all that matters. The fact that she would later give me these words on my birthday just a few weeks before leaving for college spoke volumes to me. Through this one simple gift and this lovely passage of Scripture, God reminded me that she is well-prepared. Our daughter is going out into the world wrapped in the love of her family, her church, and her God, and His love, especially, will never fail her.
To my friends who will be taking their "babies" off to college in the coming days, a word of advice. Stick to salad, it's healthier than a burger anyway. Better yet, feast on the Word of God. There's really no better comfort food!
Two days earlier we had moved our eldest daughter into her freshman dorm at college nearly six hours away. It was difficult for all of us, but I managed the fewest amount of tears and had kept my emotions fairly well under control since returning home. That is, until I tried to buy the blasted meat.
Normally if we're grilling burgers, I like to buy the ground beef and season and form the patties myself. But this time I was in a hurry, so I thought I would just pick up a package of pre-formed patties. Big mistake. The patties came in packages of four. We are a family of four, but with one at college there are only three of us at home. And just like that, I was overcome with an avalanche of tears I had been fighting back for days. Right there in Kroger. In the meat department. With hamburger patties in my hand.
It took a few minutes for me to collect myself and make it to the front of the store, red face and all, to check out. Of course my neighbor would be there, and of course knowing we had just taken Kaelie to school very sweetly asked how we were adjusting to life as a family of three. Life really is all about timing, isn't it? More tears, and I know I mumbled something and tried to smile, then high-tailed it out of there with my four-pack of burgers before I could run into anyone else.
Another week has passed, and all in all I think we're doing pretty well. My daughter is having a great time and settling in well at school and just completed her first week of classes. It's hard to be sad when I see how excited she is to be starting this next phase of her life journey. But more importantly, I know, I KNOW, that she is going to soar.
The best reassurance about that I could have ever received came in the gift she gave me for my birthday last month. It's a canvas wall-hanging with verses from 1 Corinthians 13, known as the "love chapter" in the Bible.
The wall-hanging reads "Love is patient, Love is kind. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."
It's a beautiful passage of Scripture, and I, like many others, had it read it my wedding. But here's the best part about this birthday gift. Kaelie told me she remembered it because one time a few years ago when she and her sister were fighting I made them get out their Bibles, look up and read this passage and think about how they were treating one another.
Honestly, I have no recollection of doing that. Ever. But the fact that she remembers and it obviously had an impact is all that matters. The fact that she would later give me these words on my birthday just a few weeks before leaving for college spoke volumes to me. Through this one simple gift and this lovely passage of Scripture, God reminded me that she is well-prepared. Our daughter is going out into the world wrapped in the love of her family, her church, and her God, and His love, especially, will never fail her.
To my friends who will be taking their "babies" off to college in the coming days, a word of advice. Stick to salad, it's healthier than a burger anyway. Better yet, feast on the Word of God. There's really no better comfort food!
Thursday, February 21, 2013
I'm in Boot Camp and God is in the Bathroom
Bitter frustration. That's all I felt as I made a quick exit to the restroom to dry my tears. I had wanted so badly to see an improvement in my timed mile run, but thanks to painful shin splints I developed last week, I was just lucky to be able to finish it at all. With each step, it felt like daggers in my shins, and tears of anger and frustration blurred my eyes to the finish.
I know it sounds ridiculous that this would be something to cry over. But you have to understand that signing up for this 6-week Boot Camp Challenge was a huge leap of faith for me. I have let myself get so far out of shape that getting back into an exercise program of any sort meant swallowing a boatload of pride and fear. There is a lot of emotional junk that gets all tangled up with being overweight and out of shape. I realized, though, that if my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 16:19-20), then I have to do something about the terribly shabby living conditions I'm giving Him. So, I prayed for help with that, and it came in the form of Boot Camp!
Today was the last day of my first 6-week session and we were doing the same assessments we did on the first day.
"Why," I reasoned, "would God allow shin splints to hinder me? Didn't he understand how important these assessments were to me today? How else can I measure my progress?"
As I stood there in the rest room drying my tears and complaining to the Lord, He graciously whispered back to my spirit. "You're using human standards to measure your progress."
Who says God doesn't give immediate responses to prayer? He spoke to me in the bathroom, in direct response to my frustrated cries! I understood immediately, and it was all I needed to hear.
My loving Savior was reminding me that he blesses obedience. In getting all worked up over whether or not I was improving my time, I was allowing myself to slip back to my old ways of thinking that this exercise program was all about me. What happened to improving the living conditions for Him?
At least for today, that gentle whisper was all it took to adjust my attitude so that I could soldier on. Through the next assessments, I meditated on Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through him who gives me strength." And guess what? I was able to do five more push-ups than I did at the beginning, and 21 additional crunches!
The other day I was allowing the shin splints to cause me to question whether I should continue with Boot Camp. But this soldier has re-upped for the next six weeks and I am sticking with it! As for the shin splints, ice, Biofreeze, ibuprofen, and shin-strengthening exercises on the stairs will hopefully bring them under control. Until then, I will run with perseverance the race marked out for me, fixing my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith. (Heb. 12:1-2)
I know it sounds ridiculous that this would be something to cry over. But you have to understand that signing up for this 6-week Boot Camp Challenge was a huge leap of faith for me. I have let myself get so far out of shape that getting back into an exercise program of any sort meant swallowing a boatload of pride and fear. There is a lot of emotional junk that gets all tangled up with being overweight and out of shape. I realized, though, that if my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 16:19-20), then I have to do something about the terribly shabby living conditions I'm giving Him. So, I prayed for help with that, and it came in the form of Boot Camp!
Today was the last day of my first 6-week session and we were doing the same assessments we did on the first day.
"Why," I reasoned, "would God allow shin splints to hinder me? Didn't he understand how important these assessments were to me today? How else can I measure my progress?"
As I stood there in the rest room drying my tears and complaining to the Lord, He graciously whispered back to my spirit. "You're using human standards to measure your progress."
Who says God doesn't give immediate responses to prayer? He spoke to me in the bathroom, in direct response to my frustrated cries! I understood immediately, and it was all I needed to hear.
My loving Savior was reminding me that he blesses obedience. In getting all worked up over whether or not I was improving my time, I was allowing myself to slip back to my old ways of thinking that this exercise program was all about me. What happened to improving the living conditions for Him?
At least for today, that gentle whisper was all it took to adjust my attitude so that I could soldier on. Through the next assessments, I meditated on Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through him who gives me strength." And guess what? I was able to do five more push-ups than I did at the beginning, and 21 additional crunches!
The other day I was allowing the shin splints to cause me to question whether I should continue with Boot Camp. But this soldier has re-upped for the next six weeks and I am sticking with it! As for the shin splints, ice, Biofreeze, ibuprofen, and shin-strengthening exercises on the stairs will hopefully bring them under control. Until then, I will run with perseverance the race marked out for me, fixing my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith. (Heb. 12:1-2)
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