"But My Teacher Said..."

I am one of those moms. The moms who side with the teacher.

My daughter made it all the way through elementary school without any problems.  She is an excellent student and she loves school.  Kindergarten through 5^th grade was a breeze; I became friends with every one of her teachers. We’re sushi buddies, Facebook friends and concert goers.  And then we entered 6^th grade.  Right away my daughter began enjoying her new teacher, and I wasn’t surprised because she’s liked every teacher she’s ever had.  If she was happy, I was happy.

Then one day she came home, looking somewhat confused.

“Mama, my teacher said that the story of Jonah and the whale is impossible.”

I was thankful that she waited until after I swallowed my iced tea because it would’ve come shooting out of my mouth.  I asked how the topic came up in the classroom, and she told me, “we’re learning about mythology.”

“What else did your teacher say about it?”

“Well, he also said that we weren’t created by some God, but that we were made from one molecule and we evolved. He said that God is a part of mythology.”

Whoa whoa whoa….someone get the principal on the phone.  I was so angry at the teacher for saying something like this to his entire classroom of 11 year old kids.

I had two options:

1)     Get angry and let my daughter know I'm angry.

2)     See this an opportunity to discover her own convictions.

Although the first option was the natural and most appealing at the time, I knew it wasn't the right choice. By getting angry I would only be teaching my daughter that we should get angry with anyone who doesn't agree with our beliefs. Talk about setting her up for severe disappointment because the truth is that she will encounter people like her teacher throughout her lifetime.

So I began our conversation with this: "what do you think to be true?" She bravely gave me an honest answer, "well, some of the stuff in the bible does seem to be, uh, a little farfetched." ("Farfetched," huh? That was definitely a new word from my 11 year old's mouth...wonder where it came from?)

I felt myself beginning to pray before I even realized what I was doing. I needed wisdom and I needed God to use His words because I was pretty sure I would mess it up with words of my own. My daughter and I spent the next hour dissecting God's word and talking about her convictions, not mine.

Here's some practicals for when this happens:

1)     don't get angry. All throughout our lives our faith will be challenged. I'm sure you can think of many instances in which you've encountered a similar situation and there you are, left to come up with answers and defend your beliefs. Anger never helps. It merely translates that if the other person disagrees, we are prepared to enter battle. And that is not something we want to teach our children.

2)     Ask for an honest answer, and be loving when you receive it. My daughter was very honest with me as she shared with me some areas of the bible that were difficult for her to grasp. If we're being honest, there's been a time or two when I've read something and thought, "really?" We all know whose whispers those are in our ears. Doubt = the enemy. He wants us to doubt the validity of God's word. But the truth is that when we have questions, it means that our hearts and our minds are trying to understand God's word and that is never a bad thing! Questions create curiosity and curiosity creates seeking answers, which leads us to deeper studies in God's word. So, amen! Bring on the questions!

3)     When have you seen God work? This was my favorite part of our conversation. I asked my daughter about the times she knew that God was working in her life. "How have you seen God?" Oh man, she came up with an astounding list. Even down to the night her hamster escaped from its cage (sneaky little thing); it had been missing all day long - nobody could find this Houdini of rodents. When I tucked her in that night, we prayed that the hamster would make its way home. Wouldn't you know it - not even 2 seconds after praying, that hamster was just sitting out in the middle of the hallway! Just sitting there like, "oh hey, I've been here the whole time." To my daughter, that was proof of God listening to our prayers. When your child comes to you with doubt, have him/her recall all the ways they have seen God work in their lives or the lives of others.

4)     Pray. God's wisdom is incredible. And He will gladly pour it onto you. All we have to do is ask for it. Don't enter into a conversation like this with your child (or any person seeking answers) without first going to God in prayer.

By the end of our conversation, my daughter realized that her convictions about God were hers. Not mine, not our pastor's, not her friends. Hers. And now she is ready to encounter more people like her teacher because she knows that all she needs to do is go back to God.

I ended our conversation with this little bitty for her to think about..."it takes more faith to believe in nothing than to believe in something." She smiled and said, "he doesn't even realize how faithful he really is."

xoxo

(This article was originally written by Jennifer Osler and featured on GirlfriendsPray.org)

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Broken but Untouched

Today I was broken.  It was just one of those days when I felt about as worthy as gum stuck to my shoe. I felt emotionally challenged and spiritually disconnected.  It was just not a good day.

Over a year ago I walked through an art fair. I had never been to one and it was a day when I was feeling exactly this way: emotionally drained and spiritually exhausted.  The very first booth that I walked by was the booth of a photographer whose work featured old barns, cornfields, and other country sights I just don’t get to see here in southern California. As I was skimming through some of his prints, I was falling in love with all the various colors in each photo.  The photographer approached me and asked if I was enjoying my time at the fair.  I answered that I had never been to an art fair before and that his booth was my first stop.  He began to tell me that he loves to travel across the country, looking for things like these battered barns, and photographing them.  He said, “these old things are run down because nobody needs them anymore, but there is still so much beauty in each one.”  Then he pulled out a photo that had been tucked away in a pile.  He said, “I was driving down the road when I saw this red barn.  I could tell that it had been abandoned for a while. I walked all around it, shooting pictures from various angles and I noticed this! Inside the window is a picture of Jesus. You can see in the picture that someone, kids I’m assuming, was using the barn as target practice, but that painting of Jesus was totally intact. Not a single hole in that painting.  Look! Even the window was part of target practice. But that painting was perfect. I had to photograph it.”  

I held that picture in my hand and before I knew it, I was asking him how much he was asking in price for his work.  I could hear his smile as he said, “That’s the one, huh?”  I didn’t even look up at him, I stared at the photo and said, “this is the one.”  I paid the photographer, I left his booth and looked towards the rest of the booths lined up for the street fair, then I walked to my car and went home.

I found what I was supposed to get.

I will never forget that day because I remember feeling completely broken.  There were many factors that led up to this feeling, but to sum it up: I was broken, and spiritually disconnected. 

I felt like the old barn.  Worn down, abandoned, still standing, but pierced with injury. But inside the heart of the old barn was Jesus. Untouched, still standing, and perfect.  Sometimes it’s so easy to forget who is in the heart of my soul. On the days that I am feeling worn down, abandoned and pierced with injury, there is a perfect love within me.

We all have those days.  Nothing particular needs to happen to cause days when we feel like the old barn.  Sometimes we just feel that way.  Other times there is a specific cause behind our emotional challenge or spiritual disconnect.  No matter the cause, we all have felt those days. Everyone, regardless of sex, age or lifestyle, experiences these days.  Bad days are not prejudice, everyone has them. But not everyone has a perfect love within them to get them through the bad days.

You do.  I do.

As a Christian, we know the go-to scriptures when we’re having a bad day:

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13

“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

And many more go-to scriptures that we easily hand out when someone is having a bad day, including ourselves.  They are all incredible scriptures and I am so thankful for each and every one.  I love knowing that God wanted to make sure we knew and understood that He is here for us on our bad days.

But sometimes, those go-to scriptures aren’t enough.  Whether it’s because we know them so well or because it’s the 834th time we’ve heard them, sometimes we read it or say it with the “yeah yeah yeah” kind of attitude.  I know I’m guilty of that.  

That is when we desperately need to talk to God.  When His word is not enough to satisfy our soul, we need to go directly to the author.

The day that I went to the fair was preceded by days when I simply refused to go to God. I couldn’t form words, I couldn’t gather prayer, I just couldn’t go there.  But the beautiful thing about God is that He doesn’t need us to speak.  He knows our hearts so intimately that when the words are difficult to form, He shapes them for us.  God knew what I needed that day.  He knew that I need the visual reminder that He is within me.

And He knows exactly what you need, too.

Like that painting inside the worn, abandoned and injured barn, Jesus is perfect in you. He is untouched, unharmed and standing firm. You and I may be worn on the outside, but His perfect love remains unharmed inside of our hearts.  

Don’t get discouraged when you are feeling emotionally drained and spiritually challenged…you have a perfect painting of love, strength and grace that is standing firm for you.  And even if you can't find the words, He is sitting so close to you, that He hears each thought behind every beat of your heart.  

You need only to be still and listen...

xoxo

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We Have a Winner!

A winner has been selected!!

Using RandomPicker.com, each subscriber's email address was manually entered (by me, of course), and a winner was chosen by random draw.

I have emailed the winner:

Me***********o@*****.com

So if you received an email from me,

CONGRATULATIONS!

I love having giveaways and it may be something we do more often!

New blog posts are coming - have you been checking out GirlfriendsPray.org?

I am a regular contributor for their website, and I have a heartfelt blog post coming up...

It will be published on their site on October 19th.

Make sure to check it out!

Congratulations, again, to our winner!

And thank you, each of you, for your continued love and support!

Xoxo

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Giveaway!

This is so exciting and it's something just for my email subscribers!  I have done a couple of giveaways on my Facebook page and it has been very fun - I love being able to give gifts to you because I am so appreciative and grateful for your support and encouragement!

So, if you are reading this blog post in your email - you are already entered in the giveaway!  If you'd like to share my blog with your friends and tell them about the giveaway, here are the simple rules:

1) Subscribe to my blog (subscription box is on the right side of the blog page. Make sure you and your friends confirm your subscription to the blog!)

2) Wait to find out who will be the lucky winner!

For this giveaway, I am sending a copy of one of my favorite books, "Open My Eyes, Lord" by Erica Kim, a journal and a Starbucks gift card!  It's perfect material for some quality "you" time.  

I am going to randomly select a winner on Saturday, October 17th and will announce the winner on the blog - so make sure to check your emails and the blog! 

Thank you so much for your support - without you, I couldn't keep going and pushing through - your encouragement is what inspires me!

xoxo

(and now for the small print: Winner will be selected at random via RandomPicker.com. Contest is open to US residents only. Blogger.com, Starbucks, and the author/publisher of "Open My Eyes, Lord" are not affiliated with this giveaway.  If the winner does not contact me within 48 hours of announcement, a new winner will be selected at random)

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Who is Lord?

I remember the day of my baptism 14 years ago, how can anyone forget a day like that?  I remember confessing for all to hear that Jesus is Lord.  I said those words with a deep conviction that nothing would come before the Lord.  I knew in my heart that I would never place a job, a person, a hobby or anything else above Jesus because he was the Lord of my life.  And then life happened.

“Lord” is a word that we use so frequently that sometimes the power behind its meaning is lost.  It’s so easy to talk about the Lord.  But why do we call him “Lord?”

Lord: someone or something having power, authority or influence.

Well, I would definitely agree that our Lord is exactly that. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Creator, and the King.  He is LORD.  Everything we do should be centered around Him.  That’s what it means to make Him the Lord of our lives.  Our God should have the power, authority and influence on every aspect of our lives.

Is he the Lord of your life?

Or is something or someone else holding lordship?

What or who influences your decision making?

Ok, let me ask you this: do you think your husband is Lord? 

I’m confident that you answered that question just like I did: no way.

And then I had to re-evaluate my answer.  Without realizing it, I made my husband Lord of my life.  

“That’s not a bad thing, girl!” Is that what you’re thinking?  Because that’s what I would be thinking.

God is our Lord.  We proclaimed that, we confessed that and we believe that.

Our husbands come next…after our Lord.

But here is what I noticed happening in my life:  I started declining church events. I would save my time with God for later if my husband wanted me to make breakfast. My moods were based on my husband’s moods. My joy was dependent on my husband. My confidence was lacking because I needed validation from my husband. My quiet time with God was rushed because my husband wanted to go for a walk. 

Notice a pattern?

My husband had power, authority and influence over my decision making.  Maybe he realized it, maybe he didn’t.  But one thing is for sure: he became the Lord of my life.

This is where it’s tough, especially for spiritually single women.  Where is the boundary between honoring our husbands and making him Lord? 

Every time I would allow my husband to influence my spiritual decision making, I justified it like this: “but I’m being a respectful wife, I am respecting my husband and his needs,” which was absolutely true and not necessarily bad.  But at what cost?  

Who is my Lord?

Jesus tells us: “…seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:33-34

Let me place emphasis on the first two words of that scripture: seek first.  What are we supposed to seek first? His kingdom and his righteousness.  And God will take care of the rest.  But we have to seek Him first and wholeheartedly.  

Know what held me back from seeking first God’s kingdom and his righteousness?  Fear.  I was afraid to tell my husband that I was going to a bible study.  I was afraid to tell my husband that the first Saturday of every month is our women’s bible talk.  I was afraid to tell my husband that I would love to make breakfast for him after my time with God. I was afraid to tell my husband that I’d rather go to church on a Tuesday night than out to dinner with him.  Fear is what made my husband Lord of my life.

The refreshing thing about this is God’s promise immediately after asking us to seek Him first: “do not worry.”  God blesses our lives when our decisions are based on Him.  I remember when I made the decision to tell my husband that I was going to our women’s bible talk, regardless of the fact that he had been working the last 4 days away from home and he would be coming home that morning. I was so scared, I knew an argument was coming, but I trusted that God would bless my decision to seek his kingdom first.  And wouldn’t you know it, not only was my husband okay with me going, but now he knows that women’s bible talk is just something that I do each month.  It’s no longer something I need to fear.  God delivered me because I kept Him as the Lord of my life when I made that decision.

There is a fine boundary between respecting the needs of our husbands and making them the Lord of our lives. But by seeking first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, we are ultimately meeting the needs of our husbands because our husbands need God. Going after God first and allowing his presence and authority to influence our decisions make us better wives...and what man doesn’t want that? 

Go after God first. Seek him fiercely, seek him earnestly and seek him wholeheartedly.

Don’t give in to fear. You are a daughter before you are a wife. And your Father wants to give you the desires of your heart. Trust Him and allow Him to be the only Lord of your life.

Xoxo

(This article was originally written by Jennifer Osler and featured on GirlfriendsPray.org)

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