I'm sure, as teachers, we have all had days when we say, "1-2-3-eyes on me," or we flash the lights, or we clap our hands or raise our hands (hoping students will see us) and the whole point of whatever we do is to get everyone to be quiet. If they would just listen! Then there are those times of the day when we allow the noise and in fact, hope that the noise and movement will transform students into better, quieter learners later.
Believe it or not, there are times for us, as adults, where we should not be silenced; where we are free to make some noise and offer celebration. One of those times is now, at Easter. Now is when we should be shouting our loudest and lifting our hands the highest. I love the account in Luke 19 where Jesus is riding into Jerusalem on the donkey and people around him are yelling, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" They are making so much noise, it is making the Pharisees nervous and they ask Jesus to keep his people quiet. Jesus' reply is, "I tell you...if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." v. 40. It's as if this message of praise, Jesus' impending sacrificial death, His gift to us, this act that would save all who choose to believe, is so magnificent, so miraculous, that it cannot be squelched. It must come out! It cannot be held in.
This Easter weekend we celebrate the greatest gift of all. But we can make noise about it all year through. Share your joy with someone and make some noise about your Redeemer, Creator, and Risen Lord.
Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored,
Barb
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Friday, March 8, 2013
Focus
What is your focus? And if I knew the plural of "focus," I could ask you about many of your "foci"? As teachers and staff in school buildings, we probably feel inundated with stimuli all day long and what we thought was going to be a focus, becomes just one little part of our day; maybe not even a very important one.
How does this happen? I remember the speed at which I had to think on my feet and change direction by the minute sometimes. Kids demanding attention, my lesson demanding some attention, hopefully, and then there's those that I answered to as a staff member and employee. The list goes on. And it could be different every day.
But what does the Lord say about my focus? Do you think He doesn't care about our daily responsibilities and distractions? He tells us plainly in Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things."
So where do you see things in your day that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy? On any given day you most certainly can and do witness these kinds of things, but on other days, doesn't it seem impossible to find?
I don't have an answer as to how you keep your focus on the above command. But I do think that by knowing that that's where the Lord wants our thoughts and by watching for them or modeling them, we will increase our chances of experiencing the kind of focus that's good for our hearts and glorifying to God.
Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored,
Barb
How does this happen? I remember the speed at which I had to think on my feet and change direction by the minute sometimes. Kids demanding attention, my lesson demanding some attention, hopefully, and then there's those that I answered to as a staff member and employee. The list goes on. And it could be different every day.
But what does the Lord say about my focus? Do you think He doesn't care about our daily responsibilities and distractions? He tells us plainly in Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things."
So where do you see things in your day that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy? On any given day you most certainly can and do witness these kinds of things, but on other days, doesn't it seem impossible to find?
I don't have an answer as to how you keep your focus on the above command. But I do think that by knowing that that's where the Lord wants our thoughts and by watching for them or modeling them, we will increase our chances of experiencing the kind of focus that's good for our hearts and glorifying to God.
Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored,
Barb
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