It has been a while since I have had the opportunity to write. My best friend of 13 years was here for the past 2 weeks, and we have had quite an exciting time exploring Europe. We even have the sunburn to prove it! ( I know, hard to imagine finding sun in Europe at this time of year) During one of our many long car trips the topic of fear came up.
As a military wife, fear is at our doorstep on a daily basis, especially when our spouse is deployed. Our spouses have dangerous jobs, no one can deny that. Yet, I live each day knowing that I have no reason to fear. Many question how this is possible. How, when there are so many variables that are out of our control, can I say without a doubt that I am not fearful? My answer is always God. My trust in the Lord is the only reason I can live a life free of fear.
When my husband and I started dating, he asked that I read a book by Chuck Holton titled "Bulletproof." It was not until I read this book that I fully understood a fear free life. I highly recommend this book to anyone struggling with fear in their life. The basic idea of the book can be summed up in a quote from Jim Elliot, the missionary to the Auca Indians killed in 1956. He wrote, "You are immortal until your work is finished." Basically, you and I, my husband, your spouse, your family, we are all bulletproof, immortal, until the day God declares our job finished, our mission complete. This also means that our job, our mission is a lifelong task, not to be completed in an instant, but to last a lifetime, however long that life may be.
Matthew 6:27 says, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Psalm 139:16 says, "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." No amount of worrying will help our situation, because we do not know our future, but God does. Only God can see what will happen in an hour or a day or 5, 10, 20 years from now. Fear only restricts us. It ties us down, disabling us from the many amazing, inspiring things we can do to brighten someone elses day.
Fear shuts us down, locks the doors, closes the windows, and if we let it, puts us in a straight jacket keeping us from living a full life. Don't let fear get you down. Trust the Lord, and make every day count!
(Shout out to my husband, thank you for the happiest 2 years of my life. Happy Anniversary!)
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Sometimes They Just Need a Hug & Communion: Unity of Believers
The past two days were a whirlwind of activity.
Saturday, I spent the day with my high school athletes at a track meet in Mannheim. It was a chilly, rainy day. On days like these its not common for an athlete to perform at their best. Many of my athletes, first-time track athletes at that, were easily frustrated at their inability to perform well. One athlete in particular was extremely hard on herself. As a Senior, she expects to always perform at a certain level, but this meet she couldn't even reach her performance from a year previous. My heart broke for her. As a former athlete, I have been in her shoes. She wants so badly to do well, and yet that day just wasn't her day. After her last event, I went to speak with her. I didn't push her to talk, but just waited to listen. After a minute or so she finally spilled. Everything, all her worries and fears, came rushing out in tears. I immediately gave her a hug. God gave me the exact words she needed to hear. Words of encouragement and reassurance. She started to perk up, and by the end of the meet was back to her normal self.
It gives me such joy to see joy in a child. I think this is the reason I enjoy working with these students so much. The moment that they learn something (especially when you have been teaching it over and over for weeks, anyone who is a teacher or a mother knows what i mean) that moment when it finally clicks, is worth every second it took to teach them. Even if they have some pain and trouble in the process, its worth it in the end. And lets all be honest, all of us have times when we just need a hug.
Today was Communion Sunday at the chapel service I attend. Our Chaplain discussed 1 Corinthians 11:17-29. One thing he said that I found especially interesting, was the definition of Communion: the act or instance of sharing. Our Chaplain described it not only as a time of remembrance, but as a time of sharing with fellow believers. The kind of sharing that unifies us and gives us fellowship. Communion is not only about getting right with God, its about fellowship with other believers on such a level that you feel like a stronger family because of it. Because you all know that you have a hope for the future, and that all of you have this one strengthening bond. The bond that says, " For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." (1 Corinthians 11: 26) He will return!
Saturday, I spent the day with my high school athletes at a track meet in Mannheim. It was a chilly, rainy day. On days like these its not common for an athlete to perform at their best. Many of my athletes, first-time track athletes at that, were easily frustrated at their inability to perform well. One athlete in particular was extremely hard on herself. As a Senior, she expects to always perform at a certain level, but this meet she couldn't even reach her performance from a year previous. My heart broke for her. As a former athlete, I have been in her shoes. She wants so badly to do well, and yet that day just wasn't her day. After her last event, I went to speak with her. I didn't push her to talk, but just waited to listen. After a minute or so she finally spilled. Everything, all her worries and fears, came rushing out in tears. I immediately gave her a hug. God gave me the exact words she needed to hear. Words of encouragement and reassurance. She started to perk up, and by the end of the meet was back to her normal self.
It gives me such joy to see joy in a child. I think this is the reason I enjoy working with these students so much. The moment that they learn something (especially when you have been teaching it over and over for weeks, anyone who is a teacher or a mother knows what i mean) that moment when it finally clicks, is worth every second it took to teach them. Even if they have some pain and trouble in the process, its worth it in the end. And lets all be honest, all of us have times when we just need a hug.
Today was Communion Sunday at the chapel service I attend. Our Chaplain discussed 1 Corinthians 11:17-29. One thing he said that I found especially interesting, was the definition of Communion: the act or instance of sharing. Our Chaplain described it not only as a time of remembrance, but as a time of sharing with fellow believers. The kind of sharing that unifies us and gives us fellowship. Communion is not only about getting right with God, its about fellowship with other believers on such a level that you feel like a stronger family because of it. Because you all know that you have a hope for the future, and that all of you have this one strengthening bond. The bond that says, " For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." (1 Corinthians 11: 26) He will return!
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