Luke 12:22-34

And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his[e] kingdom,and these things will be added to you.

 Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

This has to be one of my all-time favorite passages of Scripture. It's such a perfect picture of how our Father, Shepherd, and Creator loves on those who are His. My heart is DESPERATE for His comfort and peace. I cherish and treasure these words of my Savior spoken so long ago. They give me hope in the midst of hurt and loneliness. I can hold on to His promises always. They are always true.

I Am Not Alone

Sorry I haven't posted in a while...Last week I had Monday off for President's Day, then I had the WHOLE week off because of the cold and snow. So...I don't have any teaching stories or updates. I was able to have a nice little visit back in Elkhart last weekend. Then this week I caught up on some things, had an interview for a school in Columbus, and just kinda hung out. It was nice, but it's just been a long week/weekend. A good thing is since school was closed, I got to take a spontaneous trip to Indy. I spent some much-needed time with my family..including Millie. It's cool how the Lord provides just what we need, right when we need it. Lauren snapped this one of Mill and I at a basketball game last night. She's medicine for my soul. 

You know, the Lord is always good...always. However...He is also mysterious. Even though He's always good and trustworthy, that doesn't mean I understand Him. I could use some prayer this week. Between missing so much school and being weighed down by life, I don't feel very mentally prepared to teach this week. I guess it's good preparation for the future. 

"Hear my cry, O God,

    listen to my prayer;

2 

from the end of the earth I call to you

    when my heart is faint.

Lead me to the rock

    that is higher than I.."

Psalm 61:1-2

Days Go By

Well, I suppose it's time for me to write another post! This past week and weekend were so busy, but in the best way possible! A lot happened at school from experiencing what my class is like when there's a sub, to dancing with them in our jammies and socks for their reward party. I had some discouraging days with the kiddos, and other days that I was so encouraged I could have cried. I've already seen improvement in some of my students, and I tell you what, there are few things that warm my heart than seeing a student make progress and see them happy about it. Yesterday, I had a little boy asking me to give him more double digit addition problems because he loved it. Just a couple weeks ago, though, he cried TWICE in one day because he was so frustrated with math. All I could do was hug him and praise him for not giving up! I was able to explain to him that while I was happy he was getting the right answers, I was even more proud of him for not giving up and working hard. What a sweet moment. I'll never forget it!

This weekend was also a grrrrrreeeeat one! Sarah and Lexi Weldy, two girls from my church in Elkhart, came and stood in as my little sisters for Lil Sibs weekend that Cedarville has every year. We got to have some good conversations, go to Bob Evans with Hannah, get a little shopping in, go to a CU basketball game, etc. I had a lot of fun with them. I'm encouraged by how they are maturing and growing in Christ! It was fun, too, hearing about people and things in Elkhart. I haven't been home in a while! The girlies went home on Sunday, and without going into too much detail, I spent the rest of my day in some pretty great company....and I'll leave it at that :D

On a different note, have you ever felt like you're the only one who feels a certain way or has certain convictions about things? I've been feeling like that a lot this year. I know that there are a lot of gray areas, and things that Scripture doesn't explicitly address, but sometimes my heart gets so discouraged with things like that. I'm happy the Lord has laid a few issues so heavily on my heart that I'm unwavering in, but it can be a lonely place to be sometimes. I'm so glad I have my gracious Savior who is with me in all things, even when I'm standing alone.


Also...if you think of it, pray for my health! There have been many students out sick, the other two Cedarville people that I ride with have already gotten sick, and yesterday I started feeling bad, and unfortunately today is worse. I'll be fine, but I would rather stay healthy ;)

Well, I think that's all I have! I apologize for any spelling or grammatical errors in the post that I may have made...this is a mobile post and it's easier to miss things. That may not be important to any of you, but it is to me! ;)


Stand firm and take heart.

A Deeper Love

Well, this week seemed pretty much like a whirlwind. It started off with a two-hour delay, and ended with another one on Friday, which I didn't hate! Like I mentioned last time, I full-time taught this week. I picked up math and all the other little things. It's interesting how things go from day-to-day. Monday I came home from school on cloud nine because it was such a good day. My kiddos were pretty well-behaved and the lessons went great. Tuesday came around, however, and I realized that they were not where I thought they were with math.  I had to completely toss out the lessons I had written and come up with Plan B. That threw me! BUT, the Lord is good and gave me what I needed to redo and rethink things. Mrs. Meriweather really helped a lot as well. The next couple days after that we broke up into centers and the students who were struggling got extra help that was much needed!

These second graders have stolen my heart. Absolutely stolen it. My love and affection for them grow deeper every week. They are so cute and hilarious. The way children think it such a cool thing. They are such sweeties, even though sometimes I just get so frustrated I could bust.  I think that's a pretty common thing to feel when you're a teacher, though (phew!). I care so much about them-- how they perform in school,  how they treat each other, how they are treated at home, and how they are maturing. I'm so glad I still have three months with them...but saying goodbye is going to be such a sad thing. I just can't think about that now! I need to focus on this week and what's going to happen. Living in the now has been a struggle for me lately. I go back and forth with thinking about what's coming and what's happening now. I think that's pretty normal for where I'm at, too. On Friday, the kiddos were asking about how things work with Mrs. Meriweather and I working together. It was pretty funny. It's hard for them to understand that they have two teachers. I tried to explain it like I'm Mrs. Meriweather's sidekick, like Batman and Robin! They got a kick out of that one :) They ask the funniest and most awkward questions sometimes. One girl asked me why I wear a ring on my ring finger if I'm not married. Uhhh, how do you explain a purity ring to a second grader? I did my best :)

This year, I have been blown away by the grace of God in my life. It's so hard to explain. Growing up, I think I was always scared to take advantage of God's grace like I had seen  many people do, that I swung the other way. I got pretty caught up in MY actions--how I thought I could make others and the Lord approve of me and love me more. But...I can't make Him love me any more that He always has. I've always had His approval apart from anything I've done, am doing, or will do. His grace has shown up in many, many different ways. It's shown up in my relationships with my friends, in my student teaching, in my family, in my devotions, and how He is revealing Himself to me. He is just so cool. Even though sometimes I don't want to grow up, learning what He has been teaching me has been so sweet. I'm looking forward to learning even more! My love for Him grows deeper.


P.S. I know this is random, but I must include it. This past week, Millie Jane turned a year and half old. How is that possible?! Oh, how I miss that sweet baby girl!! I can't wait to see her and hold her again! Here are some pictures, because who doesn't love them? I sure do :)