We Have One Task

We have one task: to love each other well.

But so many of us fail because we forget to extend grace when it's not deserved but desperately needed.

Let's Become An Unrushed People

I was driving through the pouring rain, perturbed because I had to slow down to accommodate for the rivers of water rushing down the road. Oklahoma weather is always unpredictable that way. One moment sunshine and warmth filled the plains I call home; one moment later a storm unleashed its fury on our small town.

But isn't that how life is sometimes? It changes direction and we have to scramble to prepare for the latest storm we find clanging overhead.

There was something--deep down inside--that told me to sit out the storm. "Just let it pass," I heard a quiet voice say. But I ignored it. Because I've become a person who is always busy.

If I'm being honest, being busy makes me feel important. It makes me feel worthy. The world has brainwashed me into thinking that if my days are not filled with constant motion, then I'm lazy and I don't like to work.

But those are all lies. They're lies that we begin believing when we allow the world's opinion of us to trump our Creator's.

So, when that car hit me and put a stop to every plan I had for the day, I simply thanked God.

Yes, thanked God.

I stood in the pouring rain as my high heels and dress soaked through while talking to the police officer and thanked God for those 20 minutes of complete stillness.

It was cleansing.

It was refreshing.

And I wanted to cry because I hadn't been still in months. I hadn't slowed down long enough to thank God for anything. I had simply been in 'rush mode'.

Rush here.

Rush there.

Rush to the store.

Rush to work.

Rush to church.

Rush to lunch.

Rush to help this person, then that person.

Rush, rush, rush.

But while the red and blue lights flashed in my rear view mirror through a curtain of rain, I sat perfectly still and realized that sometimes God will stop us completely to remind us that in this life we have one true calling: be a servant of Christ. No where in the Bible does it say we have to rush anywhere.

So, let's become an unrushed people. Who accept that we will arrive places (yes, even church) late. Who accept that this life is to be enjoyed. Our motto should never be "live to work", but rather "work to live."

May we become a people who love moments when we are rushed and God stops us in our tracks to get our attention.

May we become a people who enjoy slowing down and enjoying the scenery.

May we become a people who love to sit a while at Jesus' feet and rest a while.

--Jessica

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The Ugly Truth About the Demanding Woman

It's one of my favorite ways to spend a Friday night with my husband. We drove up to the city and were doing some much-needed shopping at stores we don't frequent often. Everything was going great. We made our monthly stop at Sam's Club to stock up on some bulk items.

As we were checking out, I told my husband to go get something to eat at the food court because he was starving. Once I was finished taking care of the groceries, I headed over to the food court. The scene displayed before me was horrifying.

My sweet husband was standing patiently in line as three women--all different walks of life--were shouting at the two employees attempting to get pizzas made and hot dogs handed out. As I stood silently by, I watched the scene continue to unfold.

Several other people in the food court stood by and watched with me as we witnessed the ugly truth about three demanding women.

One angry woman was carrying on about the two pizzas she had just ordered five minutes ago. One was ready and one was on its way out. But the two men running the food court weren't moving fast enough for her. Another woman interjected and said she had been waiting longer and wanted her two hot dogs immediately. And the third woman cut both women in line and demanded her cup be refilled with sweet tea since the machine was out.

It was at this point that my husband abandoned the cash register and hurried toward me. "I can't believe how rude these women are being. I can't stand in line one second longer. We're leaving."

As we headed out the door, I looked back to see all three women--two with food in their arms--continuing with their tirade. And I shook my head.

Here's what God showed me as I watched these women demand what they felt they deserved:

1. Their beauty was distorted.
I mean this as kindly as I can: women, when you are shouting and carrying on, especially in a public space, you immediately lose your beauty. These were beautiful who appeared to be well-taken care of. But once they began to open their mouths and spew demands and threats, their beauty was gone. And they projected arrogance and a rotten spirit.

2. Their behavior repelled people. 
The food court cleared out fairly quickly. Many families enjoying an inexpensive meal began to pick up their things and head towards the exit. They could not get away from these women fast enough. The kind of behavior they were exhibiting was far from pleasing to the rest of us out enjoying a quiet evening.

I know it's easy to fall into the trap of demands and threats. As women, we sometimes have a problem holding out tongues. But I can tell you with much experience that there is nothing in this world worth berating anyone over. Not the people working an honest job to serve you. Not our children. Not our husbands. No one.

When we begin demanding things and using our behavior to show disapproval, we destroy the environment we're in and we destroy the emotions of the people around us.

As my mother always said to me growing up, "Honey, you can catch a whole lot more bees with honey than you can with vinegar."

Choose your attitude and your words wisely. Or you may just end up becoming one of those women Solomon speaks so lowly of in the Bible five different times in Proverbs:

"...a quarrelsome wife is like the constant dripping of a leaky roof." Proverbs 19:13
"Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife." Proverbs 21:9
"Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife." Proverbs 21:19
"Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife." Proverbs 25:24
"A quarrelsome wife is like the dripping of a leaky roof in the rainstorm..." Proverbs 27:15

Some Good Advice For Pre-School Sunday School Teachers

I haven't been a Sunday School teacher for very long, but in the short few months I've managed to teach my kids about David, Joseph and Zacchaeus, I've been blessed with a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It's probably because it's one of the most rewarding age groups to teach. We have the ability to start teaching children good habits from the moment they walk into the door. And they stick because they're young and untouched by the world.

We have a loosely-based routine in my class that begins with listening to our Sunday School music and making a huge (plastic) breakfast before we start story time. During our breakfast preparation we always say a cheer.

Me: Whose army are we in?
Kids: JESUS'!
Me: And who is our adversary? (Yeah, my 2-5 year-olds understand that adversary = bad guy.)
Kids: SATAN!

We say it a few times and they yell louder and louder with each cheer. Sometimes, we even abandon our entire lesson plan to make pipe cleaner swords and just talk about Jesus. Because I want my kids to know that they are called to be the light and salt of the earth. We talk about defeating the bad things of the world by doing good. We talk about loving people well starting with our parents and our siblings. And when I pull out the treasure box full of plastic bugs and bouncy balls, we talk about the treasures we need to build up in Heaven.

Honestly, sometimes I feel they're really the ones teaching me because their faith is pure and unbiased. They can tell me 26 different things about their Jesus as they color their coloring sheets. They can memorize scripture in less than two minutes. They can recall stories from several weeks ago and even act them out. I'm just amazed that the minds of these little ones can retain so much information. They're not bogged down by the worries of this world. And when they say their prayers, they're never complicated and always straight to the point.

Listen, I feel my faith is constantly inferior to theirs. But that's probably why I love being around them so much. They inspire me. They encourage me. They grow me up in the Lord. And they don't even try to. They're real and I hope that their realness never wears off. Because the world would be much less of a place if it does.

While I'm sitting in my classroom every Sunday morning being encouraged and laughing hysterically, I realize that there may be some Pre-School Teachers who aren't having the same experience I am. And maybe their experience is really terrible.

So, I decided to share some of my laid-back advice about teaching this age group.

Here's some good advice for you, Pre-School Sunday School Teachers:

1. When their bodies emit strange noises and smells, just laugh it off. Really. I watched one kid fall out of his chair onto the floor after his brother 'let one loose'. He laughed until tears ran down his cheeks. And instead of getting angry, I started laughing along because it was perfectly timed right at the most dramatic part of the story when that little boy emitted a large noise. These kids should never be yelled at or embarrassed when you're trying to teach them about bodily functions. It's just a weird topic. Even with a two year-old. So, after we got our giggles out, I simply asked, "Does anybody need to go to the bathroom?" The kids started laughing again. But once they calmed down, I gently explained that we save those noises and smells for the bathroom. We haven't had an incident since. Don't get angry; use their mess-ups as opportunities to share and mold.

2. When the unexpected happens, just roll with it. I had one kid who peed down his legs, into his sandals, and then onto the carpet. I grabbed a roll of paper towels, yanked 20 sheets off the roll, laid it on top of the wet zone and told the kids to stay out of the "Danger Zone" until I got back. We had the kid cleaned up in less than 2 minutes (sandals washed in the sink and drying on the window sill) and we moved forward. I don't let the unexpected happenings get to me. I'm not there to be a drill sergeant, I'm there to love them. And they're going to have accidents from time-to-time.

3. When they fall down, lift them up. One kid fell face down onto the carpet as he was walking to his seat. I rushed over, set him on his feet and said, "You fell pretty hard, but look how fast you got back up! You're so brave!" I had everybody give him a round of applause for getting back onto his feet so quickly. The kid walked a little taller to his seat and repeatedly told the other kids he was "really brave." Every moment is a teaching moment. He wanted to cry and carry on like he had the week before when he tripped and fell, so I decided we were going to lift him up instead. We were going to give him encouragement and we were going to love on him. Some of these kids don't get a whole lot of encouragement and love at home when they stumble, so I make it my mission every Sunday to build them up--not to get through everything on my list. Lesson plans can be altered; their confidence is of the utmost importance.

4. Remove the list of endless rules. We have one rule in our class: Obey Miss Jessi. That's it. They don't have to worry about breaking a rule so long as they listen and obey. Do you know what happens when you remove a list of dos and don'ts? You start resembling Jesus. God doesn't have a long list of dos and don'ts. The Ten Commandments can be summed up in the two greatest ones: love God and each other. If we are obedient to what God is asking of us, then He will keep us from trouble. My kids have the same rule. And my hope is that my one rule will teach them to obey God and let Him lead them where they need to go. Every moment is a teaching moment!

5. Have fun! Don't get bogged down with deadlines or a tight schedule. In the beginning, I was trying to do everything the other teachers were doing. Crafts. Verse memorization. Story time. Songs. Take home work. And a list of other things I can't remember. But after week two, I was burnt out. And to be honest with you, the other teachers are burnt out, too. So, I abandoned the work load and picked three things: story time, songs, and verses. We don't always get all 3 things done each week because I make sure we have play time where the kids can build friendships and learn to share with each other. But I try my hardest. The kids work best with a loose schedule--not a demanding one. As long as the kids are happy, that's all that matters to me. And when they ask me if they--instead of me--can pray before story time, I know I must be doing something right.

Happy Teaching!
Jessica

When the World Sucks You In

I was sitting in the parking lot of a busy Best Buy when bad news reached me. I looked down at the text message and clutched my Starbucks coffee tightly. I wanted to cry, but I had already been crying for days, weeks. I couldn't bring myself to cry one more tear.

I knew the news was coming. I've always had this gift--sometimes a curse--to discern when things are getting ready to fall apart. And like a train about to crash, the news hit my heart like a ton of bricks even though I was prepared for the hit.

We make our lives day in and day out. We prune them. We grow them. We stunt them. We. We make our lives by our every day choices. That's how we build a life.

So, there I sat in the middle of a busy city I love to visit from time-to-time with a life stunted by my choices. I watched as cars passed and life moved quickly by. My world was tearing in two, but the outside world kept moving forward. And I realized that I had let the world suck me into its twisted lies. Lies that make me believe it cares deeply for me. Lies that began to crack as the truth seeped through.

I got sucked in. I was sucked into the allure of something more but was only met with pain. I was sucked into the merry-go-round that never ends. My heart felt as though it had been put through the ringer. I had abandoned my Jesus in order to cling to something temporary--something that would never last.

Then bad news hit. 

And in the middle of a busy parking lot, I watched the sun begin to descend in the distance. Jesus started calling to me. Your eyes aren't focused on me. Your heart isn't reaching for me. You've stopped pursing me. But I am still in pursuit of your heart. I'm still here. Like you, I was once human and I know that the world will lure you in every once in a while. But take heart, my arms are always ready to give you rest. 

So, I surrendered. I sat there and let the world pass by. I let the world leave me behind. Because I knew that only my Jesus could restore and revive that which was lost.

And in the middle of a terrible storm, Jesus was my peace.

The bottom line is this: When the world sucks you in, Jesus still cares for you. He still longs to be your most loyal friend and redeemer. We will make mistakes because we're human. We will pull away from Him, looking for a solid foundation we can touch with our hands, but it will crumble and disintegrate. When our worlds crumble, Heaven still stands. Heaven still stands. And this is the truth that we must write on our hearts and minds. Because at the end of our days, if we aren't building a life around Jesus, we're not building a life at all.

Nothing Is Wasted

Whatever you've been through, whatever you are presently going through, and whatever will find you next, is just a part of your journey.

Our trials, our sufferings and our dark moments define who we are. They sharpen us into the people we were always intended to be.

Don't regret or fret over the past. Don't remain anchored to the things that were. Instead, take from your trials the lessons and move forward.

QOTD: Your Worth

"Your worth."  

Those two words have really been on my mind a lot lately. Because the world has a lot of ideas about my worth. And their opinion is generally a negative one.

Here's the thing: if we focus on the world's view--and not God's--we're going to set ourselves up for failure. Instead, let God define your worth. Need a good verse to reference? 

Try Luke 12:6-7:

"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."