I have been reminded lately that God wants us to walk in joy and in victory, despite the circumstances of this life and that this life can sometimes be difficult. A few weeks back I was feeling a little down. I think a number of things contributed to this including being sick and then not being able to exercise which left me unable to relieve stress. I was feeling overwhelmed with work. A culmination of many things really. And yet, in it all, I knew I needed to recenter myself through my quiet time and devotions and prayer to help me have the right mindset and heart attitude. I knew I needed to remind myself that God has the big picture in mind and I was only focusing on a small part of that picture. Life is not intended to be easy and each day we will face issues that will frustrate us and leave us disappointed, perhaps weary and we will struggle. However, that isn't the end but can be just a beginning as we reflect and grow.
I can choose joy and focus on what is true or I can choose frustration and let small untruths seep into my thoughts. There are lies of the enemy all around us and those lies will push us to believe that we are unworthy and unloved. We will feel inadequate if we believe these lies and therefore need to make it a priority to be grounded in our faith so that we can stand strong when times like these face us. Spending time in the word helps me to be reminded of the promises of God and speaks hope and love over my life.
Often I find when I get overwhelmed with work and allow work to consume my time, I am not able to live in joy. Don't get me wrong, I love my job and the opportunity to work alongside my staff and interact with students each day. But when that consumes all my time, then other areas of my life begin to suffer and the joy I have for my job begins to wane. One day last week, I was walking down the hall, on my way to a meeting and a student in Grade 4 genuinely asked me if I was okay. I responded that I was and he questioned me on it because he said, "You don't seem as happy as you usually do Mrs. Lockhart." That statement hit me hard. I responded back to him that I was sorry that he didn't think I was as happy as I normally am and that I did have a migraine which was probably part of the cause. I left that conversation being blown away by how perceptive this boy was and how proud I was of him. I made sure to let his mom know later that day just how thoughtful and genuine her son is and how he made a difference in my day. And just like that, this little 10 year old boy helped to turn my attitude around as he reminded me to chose joy.
Sometimes negative influences can contribute to our attitude - and I don't mean in a good way. Sometimes these negative influences are temporary situations, problems that come up and sometimes they come in the form of toxic people who can drag you down. Surrounding yourself with friends who will uplift you is important. I am blessed with many of these friends who are a constant encouragement to me and for that, I am truly grateful. And in that, I need to remember to take the time to spend with them and schedule it in to make it happen.
A recent devotion reminded me that victory and joy in life don't come when we live in the past. Whether we are carrying a sense of guilt due to that past or carrying unforgiveness in our heart that we refuse to let go of. In this life, we will make mistakes. In this life, we will have hurts. However, we need to learn to forgive ourselves and then learn to forgive others so that we are not left with bitterness in our lives. We need to let go allowing the freedom that Christ planned for us to resonate in our lives. It is only then that we can truly show grace and love to others; and often through our own experience of pain and how we overcame and found joy. A few weeks ago, our Grade 6 students were talking about this exact thing and it was sweet to hear them open up about the difficulties they have faced in life already and how God helped them find joy in their pain.
I was working with a student last week who really struggles with having any positive thoughts about himself. And as we spent time together, I read him the Max Lucado book You Are Special. We then focused on a couple of Bible verses and I gave him some homework. It was simple. Wake up each morning and Thank God for the blessing of today. Then I told him he was to come up with 2-3 things he was grateful for. It was sad to see how he struggled in this. But I told him I would be checking in each day and that my prayer for him was by the end of the year to see a genuine smile that radiates joy. And he is working on it - each day. And each day, I get the blessing of being able to pray with him, and other students. What a great job I have! How many people get this opportunity in their vocation. I feel truly blessed.
I attended an admin conference in Banff a couple of days after spending time with the student above. And one of the keynote speakers, Dan Egeler, spoke of the two important characteristics of building up a faith community. One was hospitality and the other that he felt was more important than the first was living a life of gratitude. As he spoke about this, I felt reaffirmed in the gratitude I chose each day but also in how I was trying to instill gratitude in this boy to help him build him up as I reminded him that his identity is in Christ. I once heard a quote about how feeling gratitude and not sharing it is like wrapping a present and not sharing it. So as long as I have opportunity to speak gratitude into students through helping to disciple them, I will help them unwrap that gift.
And then, I get to come home at the end of each day and spend time pouring into my kids. And some days, I am exhausted and pouring into them seems harder to do than other days, especially when I am feeling stretched thin. Last week, was so busy with work and many late nights. To top it off, Terry has been away and Jaret was sick. I was grateful that my mom could be here to help me out and spend time with her grandchildren. But most days, I get to come home and talk to both of my kids about how their day at school was - the highlights and the lowlights. And I am able to help them problem solve through issues that they share. I am grateful that I can help them on their homework, even if at times, it means I don't get to everything I have on my to do list. And I am blessed that I can pray with and for them as I tuck them into bed each night. And I can remind them how much they are loved by their Heavenly Father and by me as I kiss them good night and give them an extra cuddle or two. I cherish these moments as a mom, knowing that they won't last forever.
And each day I choose joy. I choose to be victorious because I know that I serve a God who is bigger and it is He who gives me strength. I choose forgiveness. I choose to accept His love and mercy each day.
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." ~James 1:2-3
"Gratitude makes sense of your past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." ~Melody Beattie
It feels like Christmas with the ambiance of the house decorated...
A new centrepiece and wreath
Faith, Hope, Love...
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