Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

Today at work, a guest teacher approached me with a hug and a prayer.  This precious woman is always offering me encouraging words and when I sprained my ankle earlier this month, she prayed the prayer of faith right there in the principal's office.  I admire her boldness. Today she had a treat for me. She invited me to her house because she had a book that she wanted to give me. The book is called Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. It is a 365-day devotional with a Bible reading plan and some beautiful prayers. I must say that I have never really been into these kind of books because I'm not really into short little one-page devotionals- I like long stories.  Yet, I found myself really into this little book. The devotion for today really spoke to me as it reminded me to keep trusting in God for direction in my life.  Further, the story of the author brought such encouragement to me because her calling is similar to mine.  This book is going to be my new little friend. I encourage you to purchase it.  Here is a little excerpt from the book. Enjoy! 

Softy I Announce My Presence

Shimmering hues of radiance tap gently at your consciousness, seeking entrance. Though I have all Power in heaven and on earth, I am infinitely tender with you. The weaker you are, the more gently I approach you. Let your weakness be a door to My Presence.Whenever you feel inadequate, remember that I am your ever-present Help. Hope in Me, and you will be protected from depression and self-pity. Hope is like a golden cord connecting you to heaven. The more you cling to this cord, the more I bear the weight of your burdens; thus, you are lightened. Heaviness is not of My kingdom. Cling to hope, and My rays of Light will reach you through the darkness.

Psalm 46:1; Romans 12:12; Roman s 15:13

Water Springs in the Desert

"Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.  As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autums rains also cover it with pools.  They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion" (Psalm 84:5-6)

I'll be honest that the last couples of months of been a bit rough. It seems like one problem after another came my way and my family's way.  To be quite honest, in the midst of it all, I've been facing a bit of a dry spell spiritually.  Like I've said in previous posts, we go through different seasons that are meant to mold us and make us stronger. This is such a season. I was encouraged as I read the beautiful portion of scripture above this morning. My curiousity got the best of me and I did a little research on my lunch hour.  The Valley of Baca is known as the Valley of Lamentations or the Valley of Weeping. Its a desert area that was known for very little rainfall- or a dry valley. Sound familiar?   Spiritually, we all go through that dry valley in our lives. If you haven't yet, you eventually will. Yet there is no reason to fear or despair.  It is in this place of our lives where there are some of the greatest blessings. The scripture above shows that in the midst of a that dry place, God makes it a place of springs and allows the autumn rains to fall or cover it with pools of water. You see, as we walk through this place in our lives, sometimes our tears are all that we have.  I truly believe that God uses these tears to water the seeds of promise in our lives. It is these tears that cover this desert place or valley, empowering us with more of God's strength, as the scripture says, "they go from strength to strength."  Our tears are forming the water springs and rains that will be used to bless our lives.  Remember, God will always provide a spring of water in your desert. I recall the story of Hagar and Ishmael (Genesis 21:14-20).  Sarah had angrily sent Hagar away with her son into the Wilderness of Beersheba.  Hagar and her son eventually ran out of water.  The Bible says that Hagar stood afar off from her son and was prepared to watch him die from thirst. We read that God sent an Angel who told her that God had heard her son's cry. Then the Angel opened Hagar's eyes and she saw a well of water. She was able to give her son to drink which saved his life. God did it so that the promise over his life could be fulfilled.  Isn't it awesome that God provided a well in Hagar's desert? He cared what happened to her and her son even if no one else did.
God will always provide a spring or a well for us in the spiritual deserts of our lives. At the end of this desert, we end up knowing God in such a greater, powerful way. As I write this, I feel such an assurance that God is about to allow the rains of promise fall soon. He sees us and has not forgotten us.  I feel that God is about to do the same for you too. Let us wait in expectation as we watch God transform a spiritual desert into a place where we are saturated with Him and all of Him.  :) 

April

Sweetness to a Child's Lips

“Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

The above scripture has always been used as an encouragement for parents when it comes to their children. My own mother has always encouraged herself with this verse as she raised us four children on her own. I heard something this morning on the radio that really touched me and that I'd like to share regarding this verse. The word "train" in the Hebrew is hanak. It comes from the root meaning, "to put something into the mouth" or to "affect the taste." It refers to the process of a parent putting syrup or honey into the mouth of a newborn child to encourage sucking. In the context of the above scripture, we see that influencing a child takes more than preaching at them or even just taking them to church every Sunday. As parents, it's living in such a way that your children taste the sweetness of God through you--through your lifestyle, that it creates an urge or desire in them to serve God. In teaching, we call this modeling. We know that you can't just tell people how to do something, but you must show them. You can't just tell your kids to serve God, but through your righteous living, you can create a desire in them to want to taste the Lord for themselves. Although I am not a parent myself, I have seen this first-hand in my life through my own mother and my grandmother. Something precious that I will always keep with me about my own mom is those many nights when we were younger and how she would pace our home praying over every single one of us. She was a single-mom and she always tells me that when my dad walked out on us, the Lord walked in. She depended on Him daily to meet our family's needs. Was she perfect? Absolutely not (oh wait, she's reading this, so she was absolutely perfect lol). Yet, she allowed me to see through her own life how blessed and favored by God someone could be if they put their complete trust in Him. The taste is still in my mouth and its sweetness continues to draw me closer to a beautiful and wonderful Savior.

Letting Others See Jesus in Me

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."  II Corinthians 4:7

I can't help but chuckle at a story my mom was telling me this morning.  We were discussing the church she used to congregate at during her teen years. She is from a small town called Oceano.  She remembers that the Pastor of the small church at the time used to visit every single one of his congregants each day for a couple of minutes to see how they were doing.  One of families of the church was full of young boys and the story goes that whenever Pastor Pete, as he was known, would come around to this house and the boys would see him from the window, one of them would yell to his mother, "Mom, JESUS is coming!  JESUS is coming!" I can't help but chuckle at the sweetness of this little boy.  In his mind, he associated the Pastor with Jesus.  I began to think about this a little more. For us Christians, what would happen if people saw Jesus  instead of seeing us? Instead of seeing bickering, hate, anger, hypocrisy, lies, and a lot of other things most people associate with modern day Christians, what if they instead saw only in us the life of a humble man that loved them enough to die for their sins?  My prayer is that when I walk down the street, walk into a room, walk into church, people will see Jesus and not me.   Like I always say, I may not be there yet, but I'm a work in progress and God's not done with me yet. Blessings.

The song below says it all for me. Enjoy!

Surviving Outside of the Nest

As a little girl, I remember so often wishing that I was a grown-up.  I wanted to control my own life, have my own money, my own car and cute little apartment or cottage, and be able to make adult decisions. Well, I grew up. I have all those things now, but sometimes, it's easy to feel alone and like the world is on my shoulders. I've traded in care-free days laying in my mama's arms and not having any worries for juggling a career, monthly bills, having to maintain relationships, facing the wonderful world of "people issues," and the responsibility of taking care of me.  I'll admit that sometimes I feel a little overwhelmed. Sometimes I wish I could be a little girl again and not have any responsibilities, but unfortunately, we can't turn back time.  I just keep pushing forward, knowing that God is with me and He is my ultimate provider and the one that truly takes care of me.   As I thought about this yesterday, I asked God, did you ever feel this way during your time here on earth? My mind was immediately taken to a portion of scripture that I have read very often, "And Jesus said...“Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”  When I read this, I get the sense that Jesus Christ sought rest for His soul in the midst of a hectic world. As a man, he got tired. Wouldn't you if you were constantly serving people, casting out devils, and doing signs, wonders and miracles?  He didn't have the luxury of relying on his parents anymore. He simply had to rely on God.  Often times, we too look for a place of rest in this crazy world, but the only place we will find it is in Jesus Christ. Looking elsewhere will leave us empty. Friends will come and go and family relationships will evolve with seasons, but the one true constant is Him. Don't get me wrong, we will always have people in our lives that we can turn to (ie. parents, siblings, friends), but they are not responsible for us. There comes a point where we must take responsiblity for ourselves. Even if you're married and have children, you will still feel that sense of responsiblity, and at times, weight on your shoulders. My sister who is married with two children under the age of five, is finishing up her masters degree,and works as a full-time teacher librarian says that sometimes she gets overwhelmed with all her responsiblities. She and I giggle as we remember our high-school years when our greatest worry was bringing home a bad grade. If you are single and on your own, you might feel that longing for a sense of home.  Here is my encouragement for you.  God is there there to give you that sense of "home" when you feel homesick.  He is there to give you that sense of family if you don't have one.  He is also there to give you that sense of wholeness when you feel lonely.  Jesus may have had no place to lay his head, but the good news for us is that because of His sacrifice, we have a place to lay our heads down.  We have a place of rest in Him.  Its simply up to us to find it.  May you and I always find it.  :)

He'll Finish What He Started

"...Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).

I still remember it like it was yesterday. It was the summer of 2009 and I had just been laid off of a short temporary teaching assignment. Four months earlier, I had just finished getting my single subject teaching credential in history which seemed like it took me forever.  My job outlook was bleak.  I had entered education at one of the worse times. I began putting in applications everywhere.  I must have submitted over 100 teaching applications and did not receive one call back during the summer.  Unemployment denied me due to a technical error so I was living off credit cards. My monthly bill was getting bigger and bigger.  I was desperate. I began to question whether or not I had done the right thing in quitting my stable job as an administrative assistant to pursue a teaching career. Fear set in as September arrived and the school year began. This meant that most of the few teaching jobs available had already been filled. I reflected on the situation and made up my mind that I was going to trust in God.  He had never let me down in other areas of my life so he would come through for me again in this area. I decided to go on a 21-day Daniel Fast.  I placed three requests before God and sought Him each day for an answer. I will be honest.  It was incredibly hard to trust God those 21-days.  I was weak and I was fighting fear and doubt daily. I still kept trusting though. My prayers felt dry, almost like they were hitting the ceiling, but I kept going.  A lesson in itself, you won't always feel it, but you keep pushing on anyways.  We don't serve God by emotion, but by faith and trust. When those 21 days ended, I still had received no calls from prospective employers. I fought doubt even more than before.  Then out of nowhere, about four days later, I received a call from a district close by.  They wanted to interview me. I was so excited, yet nervous. I was nervous because this would be my first interview for a teaching position.  This might be the only interview I would get that year with the current state of education.  I interviewed on a late Friday afternoon.  I remember my heart dropping when I walked into the school office and seeing all the teachers interviewing for the same position, some of which had way more experience than me.  Then something got a hold of me.  A God-given confidence shifted my thinking.  This was my job.  This job was meant for me and I was going to walk into the interview like this job was already mine. I have to say that out of all of the interviews that I had ever experienced, I never felt such a peace like I did as I sat before those six people on the interview committee.  I spoke like I had been teaching for 25 years.  Where did this confidence come from?  Directly from God. I was certain He was with me.  I walked out of that room knowing that God was in control.  The following Monday morning, HR called me that I had the job!  I finally would have my own classroom and students.  The rest, as they say, is history.  It has been a wonderful three years at my current school.  I have found my purpose in life- working with kids. Everyday I get the opportunity to make a difference.  I get to be a light to kids who have had a hard life.  I get to hug them when they cry. I get to be a sense of consistency to those who don't have it at home.  I get to make kids laugh and sometimes cry (when I call home).   They know that I care.  As many of you know, I received a pink slip this year. The situation once again looks bleak in the natural realm, but my heart tells me, just like it did three years ago, that God is not done with me yet. I don't know what the future holds, but I know that I am perfectly in the will of a Sovereign God. I am saddened by the current state of education and for those who are being affected by it, but my encouragement is to trust God.  When He closes one door, he will most definitely open another.  Whether my lay-off is rescinded or something else awaits me, in this one thing I am confident- He who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  My friend, whatever you might be facing, know that God will do the same for you.  :)

Arise and Shine!

"Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee" (Isaiah 60:1-2).

There is a light inside every single one of us. It's a light so strong that no enemy, no opposition, no situation, no device, no critic, and no circumstance can put out.  Sometimes, we don't realize just how bright this light is.  Others see it and it attracts them to us.  They find themselves wanting to be around us more and more. They don't even know why. They are curious about what they see in us. This light is Jesus Christ.  It is amazing that the King of the Universe, the Saviour of this world would choose to abide in plain ol' us, but He does.  A couple of days ago, I sat in my car during my lunch break pondering over the verse above. It was a gray and cloudy day which was about to burst in rain.  As I sat there, the words almost popped out of the pages that the prophet Isaiah penned- Arise, shine, for thy light is come.  The glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. The more I read it, it seemed like the words were coming alive to me.  The verse is referring to Zion and the coming Messiah, but at that moment, God used them to speak to my life. They spoke so strongly to me that I got goosebumps. I realized what a treasure I have living inside of me.  Such a powerful yet tender and merciful God lives inside my heart.  What a privilege!  I read the words over and over again, soaking them in each time. All of a sudden, despite the gray blanket that covered the sky,suddenly a light broke through the clouds.  It came out of no where.  It shined right on me through my car windows.  It kept getting brighter and brighter to the point, that I could barely see around me. For the next five minutes  I was in awe. Despite the rain clouds and gray sky around me, this beautiful light broke through and took the time to rest on plain ol' me. God spoke to me right there and then and said, This is me inside of you.  No gray day can ever block my light in you.  No circumstance can ever keep me from shining in you. I can never be hidden in you. This experience is what I call a love note.  These are moments when God sends sweet little reminders that He is with me and that He loves me.  He says it over and over again, yet I never get tired of hearing it.  I got out of my car and went back to my students that day with the realization that there was something in me that this world needs.  They need the light!  They don't need me.  They need the light. And by-golly I'm going to let Him shine!