Hand Written

Have you ever had your handwriting analyzed? I haven't but I am aware that there are people that have studied this science and can tell a lot about you by the way you write. While looking through holiday recipes the other day, I ran across a card in my mother's handwriting. It hit me hard because of her recent passing. There will be no more recipes passed down in her handwriting. I have what I have.

Then it hit me. I am familiar with how she wrote her letters. I could identify her words if you scrambled them up with someone else's. Don't you wonder how that happens? There are 26 letters but everyone writes them down in their own peculiar way. I was thinking about how Scripture was written. These are the most important words we'll ever read and they, too, can be recognized and identified as belonging to a specific Author. What we do with these Words is up to us. I know I love to read letters hand written by a friend or family member. I read and reread them and they warm my heart. God wrote, hand wrote, letters, lessons, and stories for us and they are bound together for us to read and reread. These words should guide us and prompt us to share what's in them and follow the messages.

As we give thanks in this season, I'm thankful the Lord has chosen to write to me; to send me a letter personally and to love me through His Words. Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored.
Barb

Not Meant to Be Like This

I found this quote by Timothy Keller. It says: "Our Christian hope is that we're going to live with Christ in a new earth, where there is not only no more death, but where life is what it was always meant to be." It was an "a-ha" moment for me when I read it. Our lives are not what they were supposed to be.  As teachers, we aren't supposed to have children from broken homes. Homes weren't intended to be broken. We aren't supposed to have children with multiple disorders and diagnoses where learning becomes an insurmountable challenge. Disorders weren't supposed to happen. Poverty, abuses, addictions...none of these household words were supposed to happen. They weren't part of God's original plan.

But we live with them. They are part of our lives and our classrooms are the showrooms of the society we're in; broken, poor, neglected, challenged, hungry, unloved, and the list goes on. These words only begin to describe what you might face at work. Your work is a mission field. It's the real world; a microcosm of a world created by a perfect God but occupied by sin. Don't let that sin get in your way or come between you and the children in your care. They are the product of a sinful world and you may be the only light they see all day. It's your job to embrace the reality of "what really wasn't supposed to be." Not supposed to be, but really is. We certainly can't overlook or dismiss all the challenges in our classrooms but I believe it is our responsibility to love unconditionally whoever comes to us. That's how Jesus lived and I think He wants us to do the same.

Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored,
Barb

Jesus at the Door

I have shared this story with several schools during a devotion time but it bears repeating. It may help one of you one day. A couple years ago I was teaching a particularly difficult class and I had to remind myself often during the day to quiet my words and hold my frustration and anger. One thing that helped me during really stressful days was to visualize a parent at the door of my classroom. I knew that if Mom was watching, I would choose my words carefully and probably be more effective in my disciplining.

While talking to one of my more challenging students, it appeared that one of us needed to get under control and it wasn't going to be me! I'm not proud of the level of my voice or what I might have said but my young student had pushed my last button. Sometime during, "I know I have repeated these directions a hundred times," and "You owe me some recess time!" I turned to see his Mom standing in the doorway; watching.  I quietly walked over to her and began to defend my actions. I explained her son had disrupted the class all morning, had not followed directions, and yes, I had lost my temper. I was caught and there was no reason to deny what was happening. To my surprise, she walked toward me, reached out her arms, gave me a big hug, and said, "You go, Mrs. Quist. You do what you gotta do." The relief was overwhelming. I felt as if I had been redeemed and set free!

I pass this story on, not because I'm proud of my teaching techniques, but because picturing a parent at the door might be worth trying. I soon realized I couldn't always picture a Mom in the door that belonged to whomever I was talking to. So I began picturing Jesus at the door. If Jesus was watching me, how would I react? What words would I choose? Then I thought, if Jesus was at the door He probably wouldn't stay there. He would join me, right at my side. He would calm me, guide me, even give me words to use. What a wonderful thought! So put a parent at the door if you want to, but for real support and the strength you need, put Jesus there. What a help He would be!

Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored,
Barb