Raise Your Hand to Walk or Talk

As a first grade teacher, I feel like I spend most of the day repeating directions. I am constantly saying, 'stay in your seat' and 'raise your hand.' The rules of the classroom are 'raise your hand to walk or talk.' Seems like after 100 or more days of school, one would think the students would start to get into the routine. But, at the ages of 6 and 7, some children are not quite ready to accept this responsibility. Most kids point the finger and get 'someone else' in trouble instead of dealing with themselves. It is a daily, more like hourly, battle to follow instructions and listen to the teacher. This results in disciplinary action, with the hope that students learn to follow the rules.

The more I ponder this quandary regarding the first graders, the more I think of the spiritual illustration in this scenario. For a teacher, the goal is to help students learn and grow to become independent responsible reading, writing, mathematical individuals. I can only imagine the frustration of a Holy God. At times, we behave like an irresponsible, intolerant, self-centered 6 year old! This can be expected from young children, they have to be taught. As a new Christian, I was similar to an infant learning to drink milk from a bottle and crawl. But, as an adult, we should be learning and growing by praying, reading God's Word, and becoming involved in a Bible study. As we mature in our relationship with God, we are learning to drink from a cup, eat with a fork and walk, so to speak. Eventually, with maturity comes serving, teaching and discipling others to grow in their relationship with God as well.

As you can imagine, students raise their hand and wave it in the air, trying not to make any noise, but letting out squeals and anxious noises, still trying their best to get the attention of the teacher any way they can. Impatiently, they wait and wiggle.

Can you see it? We do the same. We moan and groan, crying out to God, begging for His attention. What results, if we do not wait for Him, can be messy consequences.

God, the Teacher, has the ultimate patience with us. Raise your hand to walk or talk seems obvious to me now. We should be raising our hands and asking for Him to be in our every move. He is the One who knows what the future holds, the ultimate keeper of the classroom of life.

Even though it seems as though your hand has been in the air forever and you're tired of holding it up; even propping it up by the elbow with your other hand, the Teacher sees you. You will have to exercise patience, but He will not leave your request unanswered.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NAS
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.


Keep reaching for the Teacher and be encouraged, His ways are good!
m

You are Worth It!

I read a story in a magazine that made me so sad. It told of a celebrity and how her downward spiral with drugs and a scarcely thin body had landed her in the hospital. One of her close friends reported that the thing that scared this celebrity the most as she aged was fear of not being worth loving. My heart grieves.

On the flip side, this week, I overheard 2 volunteers at school talking as they worked in the workroom. One was telling the other about her son and his academic achievements. She was proud to share about her son! She wasn't being overly braggadocios, simply telling how well he had done for the purpose of encouraging the other mom to hang in there. I thought to myself, everyone should have someone who is that proud of them. If only we all had a cheerleader, or a proud parent to lift us up and tell others about our talents, we would all be more confident and have more self-worth.

Good news!! God is the One. He is so proud of His children, that He stretched out His arms to show us how much. No matter what your human upbringing, whether churched or unchurched, Christlike family or not, lovingly adored or just tolerated as a kid, God loves you. No place is too far for you to be out of His reach. You may have had wonderfully godly parents who filled you with value and confidence. Maybe you struggle daily with valuing yourself because you did not receive that affirmation during your growing up years.

I am telling you today, no matter the road you have come, God sent His One and only Son to die on a cross for you. You are worth it! Your life has meaning and purpose. If you had been the only one on earth, Jesus would have come and died for you. Don't let those negative words or lack of affirmations be the fuel for a downward spiral. Be filled with God's love and find your worth in HIM! He wants to be the Heavenly Father saying, 'I'm so proud of you! You are worth it!'

Love the words of the song...'Someone Worth Dying For' by Mikeschair

'You might be the wife, waiting up at night
You might be the man, struggling to provide feeling like it's hopeless
Maybe you're the son who chose a broken road
Maybe you're the girl thinking you'll end up alone
Praying God can you hear me? Oh, God are you listening?
Am I more than flesh and bone?
Am I really something beautiful?
Yeah, I want to believe, I want to believe that
I'm not just some wandering soul
That you don't see and you don't know
Yeah, I want to believe, Jesus help me believe
That I am someone worth dying for

I know you've heard the truth that God has set you free
But you think you're the one that grace could never reach
So you just keep asking, Oh, what everybody's asking
You're worth it, you can't earn it
Yeah, the cross has proven,
That you're sacred and blameless.
Your life has purpose'

The Message 'This is how much God loved the world: He gave His Son, His One and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in Him , anyone can have a whole and lasting life.'

Amen.
Be encouraged, you are loved.

m