A connection between Kindergarten and our lives!
As most of you know, my life is wonderfully consumed with Kindergarten. I love it. I’m reading this book on guidance and it’s talking about appropriate discipline in the classroom. It states that mistakes are developmentally appropriate for children. I’m sure most of you know what that means, but I’ll put it in simpler terms. As a teacher, you have to know and expect the kind of behavior that will be happening on a day to day basis. Older kids can sit longer than younger kids, so teachers plan accordingly. A teacher should not be shocked when a five year old begins to poke, kick, bite, take their shoes off, lay down, undress, or whatever they want to do when they’ve been sitting at the carpet for an hour! It’s no longer the kid’s fault, but the teacher’s when that happens. It’s just not appropriate for 5 year olds to sit all day! Kindergarten days are active. Developmentally you cannot expect them to sit at desks for hours upon hours. It aint happen’n!
So, as a teacher I know that one important factor that will be happening every day of the school year is MISTAKES! Kindergarten students will be experiencing a lot of social problems that they have never experienced (fighting over paint brushes, sharing a book, cutting in line, etc). If I expect there to be no mistakes in my class, I’m in for a big suprise. As a matter of fact, Kindergarten is all about making mistakes and it being ok! Students should feel safe in making mistakes. It’s perfectly ok that my student draws a horse that can fly with pink and purple polka dots or spell words wrong. My job is to guide them to do it differently next time, not to make them feel like they are a failure.
I can’t help but think God has a similar perspective when looking at us here on earth. I think he would say that mistakes are developmentally appropriate for us. It’s going to happen! Life is just like a kindergarten classroom - a safe place to make mistakes. But, if our view of authority and of God is not right, we will be shame based and feel as if we are a disappointment to God and others. But, if we view life as a "safe place to make mistakes," we know that when we make a mistake, we won’t have to sit in God’s time out corner, put our nose in a circle on the heavenly chalk board, or write our bible scriptures ten times perfectly! God’s job, just like a good teacher, is to guide us to do it differently next time, not to make us feel like a failure. Just like students, some of us will catch on the first time we make a mistake, others will make the same mistake several times before we learn there is a better way of doing it. The truth is, mistakes are a big part of our life - probaby one of the most important parts of our life! Knowing that, I can sure handle my own life better and be a whole lot patient with others!
Therefore, my new motto is "MISTAKES ARE DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE!!!"
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
When We Have Nothing We Have Him
Psalms 146:4-9 "Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them- the Lord, who remains faithful forever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow.
This reading gives us such insite into who Jesus is and what He does. It gives us insite into what He is interested in and WHO is interested in.
It speaks of who He is interested in (I don’t think this is a complete list, but it gives us a good picture of the heart of God): the oppressed, the hungry, prisoners, the blind, the bowed down, the alien (outcast), fatherless, and widow. Jesus was drawn to these kinds of people when He was on the earth. He looked for the people that didn’t have...the people that were missing something in their life...the people that others overlooked...the one that thought they had been forgotten. These were the ones Jesus noticed. He noticed them when no one else did.
It describes what Jesus does. It describes what ministry that comes from Jesus looks like. Awe...and it’s beautiful. It wasn’t enough that he found these types of people, he actually acted on the compassion He felt in His heart. This is what He does: he upholds, he gives food, he sets free, he gives sight, he lifts up, he watches over, and he sustains.
If you’re missing something in your life, can’t see your future, don’t understand your circumstances, feel alone, feel like an outcast, or feel like a prisoner then you are just the one that God longs to love. Often in these times we feel as though he has abandoned us. It’s in these times that He is with us the most. Think of what it must feel like to be a widow. You’ve lost the person you have loved the most. There must be a feeling of emptiness and loneliness in the heart of a widow. Yet, Jesus promises to sustain. He promises to watch over them. The fatherless and motherless of the earth...they hold such a place in the heart of the Father. Yet, the child must feel alone and abandoned. My point is, Jesus never promised we would have everything we wanted, or even need on this earth. Every kind of person that is listed is someone who is struggling in relationships or circumstances. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been in both situations several times. He did promise one thing though...
It says, He "remains faithful forever." To the widow He remains faithful. To the outcast He remains faithful. To the oppressed and prisoner He remains faithful. There are seasons where we can’t see it or feel it. Believe me, I know how difficult those seasons can be and I’m sure you do to. But, His promise is that He is faithful. It’s not about us feeling strong or feeling like we have control of our lives, or us knowing our future. It’s all about His strength and His love for us. His faithfulness and love does not change like shifting shadows. Think about shadows...they are always shifting because the sun is constantly in a different spot causing shadows to move. Yet, His faithfulness and love for us is unmovable. Circumstance or situations can never change His mind or heart. As long as we have a heart that turns towards Him, He promises His love and faithfulness. He doesn’t require us to be strong. He just requires a heart that turns toward Him in difficulty. In this particular scripture His promise is especially to those that are without, uncertain, confused, unloved, oppressed, the widow and the fatherless.
In every person there is a God given desire to be loved. As you know by now, more times than we want we may feel unloved and rejected. We were made for strong, healthy and loving relationships. Our hearts weren’t formed for rejection. It isn’t supposed to happen. Yet, it happens. Relationships change. And it sucks. And it hurts. Yet for every lonely person, for every disappointment and injustice, for every person that has been left behind by the one they thought loved them most, there is one that understands. There is one ready to love, comfort, uphold, sustain, and watch over. We don’t have to have it all together. We just have to have a heart that turns towards Him. For the weak person there is hope - He remains faithful forever. That’s really the only sure hope we have in the world.
I’m so glad He has loved me like this. There are times in my life that I have been around a ton of people, yet I feel so alone. There’s been times where I’ve wanted to give up...does anyone understand what I’m feeling? Not only that, but does anyone really care? There’s been times when I have not understood one bit what the Lord was doing in my life. There’s been times when I’ve been weighed down by lifes disappointments. It’s in these times the Lord has shown up. I’ve encountered Him as a friend, Father, and the love of my heart. But it has not been during "easy" seasons. It’s been in the middle of difficulty. He has proved His love to me and I write these words as someone who has been touched by the love of Jesus. Not because of my goodness, but because of my lack. I’m so serious when I say we don’t have to have it all together. I used to think we do. It’s through the process of bringing brokeness and humility in my life that the Lord has taught me about His love, tenderness, and faithfulness. I know when I see His face it’s not going to be all the great things I’ve done for Him that gets me into His Kingdom. It’s only going to be because of His goodness, kindness, and mercy He has poured out on me. He doesn’t treat us as we deserve, yet He delights in showing mercy and love to those that need it. He is the safe place we are longing for. We can rest in His embrace. Receive His love for you today...it’s a free gift! I’m SO thankful for Jesus! I would be such a mess without Him!
This reading gives us such insite into who Jesus is and what He does. It gives us insite into what He is interested in and WHO is interested in.
It speaks of who He is interested in (I don’t think this is a complete list, but it gives us a good picture of the heart of God): the oppressed, the hungry, prisoners, the blind, the bowed down, the alien (outcast), fatherless, and widow. Jesus was drawn to these kinds of people when He was on the earth. He looked for the people that didn’t have...the people that were missing something in their life...the people that others overlooked...the one that thought they had been forgotten. These were the ones Jesus noticed. He noticed them when no one else did.
It describes what Jesus does. It describes what ministry that comes from Jesus looks like. Awe...and it’s beautiful. It wasn’t enough that he found these types of people, he actually acted on the compassion He felt in His heart. This is what He does: he upholds, he gives food, he sets free, he gives sight, he lifts up, he watches over, and he sustains.
If you’re missing something in your life, can’t see your future, don’t understand your circumstances, feel alone, feel like an outcast, or feel like a prisoner then you are just the one that God longs to love. Often in these times we feel as though he has abandoned us. It’s in these times that He is with us the most. Think of what it must feel like to be a widow. You’ve lost the person you have loved the most. There must be a feeling of emptiness and loneliness in the heart of a widow. Yet, Jesus promises to sustain. He promises to watch over them. The fatherless and motherless of the earth...they hold such a place in the heart of the Father. Yet, the child must feel alone and abandoned. My point is, Jesus never promised we would have everything we wanted, or even need on this earth. Every kind of person that is listed is someone who is struggling in relationships or circumstances. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been in both situations several times. He did promise one thing though...
It says, He "remains faithful forever." To the widow He remains faithful. To the outcast He remains faithful. To the oppressed and prisoner He remains faithful. There are seasons where we can’t see it or feel it. Believe me, I know how difficult those seasons can be and I’m sure you do to. But, His promise is that He is faithful. It’s not about us feeling strong or feeling like we have control of our lives, or us knowing our future. It’s all about His strength and His love for us. His faithfulness and love does not change like shifting shadows. Think about shadows...they are always shifting because the sun is constantly in a different spot causing shadows to move. Yet, His faithfulness and love for us is unmovable. Circumstance or situations can never change His mind or heart. As long as we have a heart that turns towards Him, He promises His love and faithfulness. He doesn’t require us to be strong. He just requires a heart that turns toward Him in difficulty. In this particular scripture His promise is especially to those that are without, uncertain, confused, unloved, oppressed, the widow and the fatherless.
In every person there is a God given desire to be loved. As you know by now, more times than we want we may feel unloved and rejected. We were made for strong, healthy and loving relationships. Our hearts weren’t formed for rejection. It isn’t supposed to happen. Yet, it happens. Relationships change. And it sucks. And it hurts. Yet for every lonely person, for every disappointment and injustice, for every person that has been left behind by the one they thought loved them most, there is one that understands. There is one ready to love, comfort, uphold, sustain, and watch over. We don’t have to have it all together. We just have to have a heart that turns towards Him. For the weak person there is hope - He remains faithful forever. That’s really the only sure hope we have in the world.
I’m so glad He has loved me like this. There are times in my life that I have been around a ton of people, yet I feel so alone. There’s been times where I’ve wanted to give up...does anyone understand what I’m feeling? Not only that, but does anyone really care? There’s been times when I have not understood one bit what the Lord was doing in my life. There’s been times when I’ve been weighed down by lifes disappointments. It’s in these times the Lord has shown up. I’ve encountered Him as a friend, Father, and the love of my heart. But it has not been during "easy" seasons. It’s been in the middle of difficulty. He has proved His love to me and I write these words as someone who has been touched by the love of Jesus. Not because of my goodness, but because of my lack. I’m so serious when I say we don’t have to have it all together. I used to think we do. It’s through the process of bringing brokeness and humility in my life that the Lord has taught me about His love, tenderness, and faithfulness. I know when I see His face it’s not going to be all the great things I’ve done for Him that gets me into His Kingdom. It’s only going to be because of His goodness, kindness, and mercy He has poured out on me. He doesn’t treat us as we deserve, yet He delights in showing mercy and love to those that need it. He is the safe place we are longing for. We can rest in His embrace. Receive His love for you today...it’s a free gift! I’m SO thankful for Jesus! I would be such a mess without Him!
He is Not Ashamed of Us!
The longer I serve the Lord the more I realize something... I'm definately a broken human being. For me it has been a journey of grace. Maturity for me has not been becoming more perfect, but instead it has been the ability to accept the love of God in the midst of my brokeness. Someone who is immature in the love and grace of God will run from God when they sin. They'll beat themselves up over it. Someone who knows a little about the grace of God will not run from God when they sin. Instead, they have an understanding of His grace and acceptance and an understanding of their own sinful nature. Someone who does not have an understanding of the grace of God but does have an understanding that they are broken will live in condemnation and fear. In other words, they are perfectly aware that they are broken, but they have trouble receiving His love when they sin. Someone who doesn't have an understanding of either God's grace or their own brokeness will condemn easily, judge easily, and will not understand why people do the sinful things they do. Self righteousness comes from being blinded about ourselves and our own brokeness. The thing we must realize is that we don't know the fullness of our sinful nature. Have you ever had a situation arise where you realize a new part of yourself that you didn't know was there? You just found a part of your sinful nature that has never risen up before? Where the heck did that come from? Well, it's no suprise to God. He knows how dark and sinful we are. That's why my definition of maturity is having an understanding of both our sinful nature and the grace of God. One without the other seems to bring an unbalance to our lives.
In Hebrews it speaks about Jesus as our high priest - the one who is able to cleanse us from our sin. It gives a description of who a high priest is - there are very clear descriptions that paint a picture of who Jesus is towards us. I love Hebrews! In chapter 5 it gives the following requirements for the priests before Jesus came: 1) Must be selected from among men, 2) He represents others by offering gifts and sacrifices for sins 3) He deals gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray because he himself is subject to weakness. It was important for the priest to undersand the weakness of the people he was representing. In the same way, Jesus can be our priest and cleanse our sin because he too became weak just like you and I. The only difference is He did not sin. It was necessary that He not only represented us, but understood humanity fully. He is glad to represent us before the Father. I love 1 John 2:1,2 "I write this to you so you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." I am blown away by the truth of this verse. Jesus actually DEFENDS us! Imagine what He tells the Father concerning you... It may sound something like this, "I know she screwed up, but look at her heart, she really loves you. I know who she is going to be in eternity and it looks much different. Her identity before me is not in her sin - it's in the fact that she will love me fully and completely and perfectly on day," or "I know he is struggling with that sin, but Father - my love covers a multitude of sin and I am perfectly able to keep him in my grace until he sees me face to face." Do you see Jesus like this? As the one who really defends you? Is that not amazing!!! (This is why it's so important we agree with the heart of Jesus about one another and not be the voice of accusation that comes from the enemy) He understands broken people and He realizes we are weak. He became one of us so He could fulfill these priestly responsibilities. This is why He deals gently with us - because He understands us in our weakness. This is why we should deal gently with one another. One who has encountered the love of God will always deal gently with others. When we encounter God's gentle heart, it seems to become a part of us as well. I love the gentleness of the heart of God and I'm so glad He deals with us gently, and not in ways we really deserve.
Hebrews 2:11 says, "...Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers." It's talking about you and I - and all of humanity. Jesus is not ashamed of us. I wonder what the angels see and think when they see Jesus freely choosing to love broken people. He could have chosen to love the angels more than us. They are glorious. They are always worshipping. They are never distracted. Yet, Jesus freely chooses to love us in our brokeness. This is the heart of God - He loves to show mercy to those who don't deserve it. He loves to treat us in ways that we don't deserve. He is not hanging His head in disappointment about the human race. His heart is satisfied because He sees something much more than we see. Where we only see brokeness He has the ability to see beauty. Where we think our sin weighs more than our "good" things, He sees a small part in our heart that we sincerely love Him and to Him that outweighs all of the sin. He doesn't only see our love for Him, but next to our sin, our love for Him outweighs our sin. Jesus is not ashamed of us!!! He's not disappointed in us!!! HOORAY!!! He does not see you as you are right now. He sees you as you will be in eternity. This is how you are defined. We need to renew our minds in the love and nature of God so we can live in the freedom of His grace and acceptance. His love covers a multitude of sins! I'm so glad mine are covered! He loves us so much - more than we will ever know! I believe we will spend eternity learning about the depths of love that He has for us in His heart. Not only that, but we will bring much satisfaction to Him becasue we get to love Him in return. The love we will have in heaven will be something none of us have ever even began to touch or experience here on earth. That's why He is so moved by someone who chooses to love Him on the earth. We can't see Him, yet we love Him! ..and we don't have to wait until heaven...it begins now!
In Hebrews it speaks about Jesus as our high priest - the one who is able to cleanse us from our sin. It gives a description of who a high priest is - there are very clear descriptions that paint a picture of who Jesus is towards us. I love Hebrews! In chapter 5 it gives the following requirements for the priests before Jesus came: 1) Must be selected from among men, 2) He represents others by offering gifts and sacrifices for sins 3) He deals gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray because he himself is subject to weakness. It was important for the priest to undersand the weakness of the people he was representing. In the same way, Jesus can be our priest and cleanse our sin because he too became weak just like you and I. The only difference is He did not sin. It was necessary that He not only represented us, but understood humanity fully. He is glad to represent us before the Father. I love 1 John 2:1,2 "I write this to you so you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." I am blown away by the truth of this verse. Jesus actually DEFENDS us! Imagine what He tells the Father concerning you... It may sound something like this, "I know she screwed up, but look at her heart, she really loves you. I know who she is going to be in eternity and it looks much different. Her identity before me is not in her sin - it's in the fact that she will love me fully and completely and perfectly on day," or "I know he is struggling with that sin, but Father - my love covers a multitude of sin and I am perfectly able to keep him in my grace until he sees me face to face." Do you see Jesus like this? As the one who really defends you? Is that not amazing!!! (This is why it's so important we agree with the heart of Jesus about one another and not be the voice of accusation that comes from the enemy) He understands broken people and He realizes we are weak. He became one of us so He could fulfill these priestly responsibilities. This is why He deals gently with us - because He understands us in our weakness. This is why we should deal gently with one another. One who has encountered the love of God will always deal gently with others. When we encounter God's gentle heart, it seems to become a part of us as well. I love the gentleness of the heart of God and I'm so glad He deals with us gently, and not in ways we really deserve.
Hebrews 2:11 says, "...Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers." It's talking about you and I - and all of humanity. Jesus is not ashamed of us. I wonder what the angels see and think when they see Jesus freely choosing to love broken people. He could have chosen to love the angels more than us. They are glorious. They are always worshipping. They are never distracted. Yet, Jesus freely chooses to love us in our brokeness. This is the heart of God - He loves to show mercy to those who don't deserve it. He loves to treat us in ways that we don't deserve. He is not hanging His head in disappointment about the human race. His heart is satisfied because He sees something much more than we see. Where we only see brokeness He has the ability to see beauty. Where we think our sin weighs more than our "good" things, He sees a small part in our heart that we sincerely love Him and to Him that outweighs all of the sin. He doesn't only see our love for Him, but next to our sin, our love for Him outweighs our sin. Jesus is not ashamed of us!!! He's not disappointed in us!!! HOORAY!!! He does not see you as you are right now. He sees you as you will be in eternity. This is how you are defined. We need to renew our minds in the love and nature of God so we can live in the freedom of His grace and acceptance. His love covers a multitude of sins! I'm so glad mine are covered! He loves us so much - more than we will ever know! I believe we will spend eternity learning about the depths of love that He has for us in His heart. Not only that, but we will bring much satisfaction to Him becasue we get to love Him in return. The love we will have in heaven will be something none of us have ever even began to touch or experience here on earth. That's why He is so moved by someone who chooses to love Him on the earth. We can't see Him, yet we love Him! ..and we don't have to wait until heaven...it begins now!
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