Tuesday, July 31, 2007

The wonderful duty of delight

Are you familiar with the 1 Thess. 5:16-18 where it says,
"Be joyful always; 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

So often I remember to do the praying and the giving thanks.

I'll be stuck in a situation, about to cop a bad attitude, and the Lord washes me with conviction and I will verbally say,
"gosh, I am so thankful for this."

But where is my heart?

Am I truly thankful?

Outward change is EASY.

I am SO good at going through the motions.

I can pretend ALL day.

But the Lord wants more than that!

He says, "out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks."

AND.

Philippians 4: Rejoice, in the Lord. I will say it AGAIN! Rejoice!!

So what he really wants to change is our hearts.

Hmm.

What attitudes and thoughts do I have that would keep me from being really thankful for this, and that my whole life would shout:

I am SUPER-Duper thankful!

What is keeping us from that?

This is the question we should ask ourselves.

So, I am here to say, that I have the 'be thankful' down, but I don't know if I am really thankful.

I have examined my life and questioned the Lord as to what is wrong with me?!?

I know I'm saved. Check.

And you know what He said?

Rejoice.

Enjoy me.

De-light!

Love me.

Adore me.

Put all things below me.

So, I asked myself, do I really do those things?

Am I enjoying the Lord?

Do I truly love His Word?

And if I love Him I will WANT to hang out with Him in my free time.

I will want to read the Word as soon as I get a spare second.

The mention of His name will bring a smile to my face.

I used to get all giddy when someone would mention a boy that I liked.

But the Lord is worth so much more than that.

So, I challenge you today.

Are you thankful because its a command, or becuase of the AMAZING things that the Lord has done in your life.

Becuase He has done them.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

He always provides




Ok, so I was anxious.

I was worrying that the Lord who had CLEARLY called me to College Station to live and grow amongst the MOST amazing body of believers EVER, would not also provide my need of a job.

What?

Yeah.

But, it gets better.

He kept telling me, you will reap what you sow.

I was so afraid of getting a job, that I knew that I had not sown what I needed in the form of an organized application.

The second I turned that puppy in, and emailed a principal for a job opening, she called me THAT evening.

Oh yes.

Is that quick?!?

So, Tuesday, email in the middle of the night.

Wednesday- they call me for an interview.

Thursday- I interview.

Friday- they offer me the job.

How amazing is the Lord's timing?!?

He knows how ADHD I am!!

Furthermore, the Lord had a place for me all along.

I cannot stress this enough.

If you know me, I am NOT organized, I probably need like 5 million mentors, and reminders, etc.

When it comes to Special Ed, my gifts are relating to the students, NOT the paperwork.

Well, just sit tight and listen!

Because thats exactly what happens in this job.

I am sharing a classroom with a teacher who has already taught this class and we will mostly tutor students in reading and math.

So, we will "share" students.

A built-in mentor.

And since it is SO late in the teaching game, I was kinda getting worried about setting up my classroom.
This lady has already taught a year.

No worries.
Done.

Ok, last AMAZING perk.

This is THE SCHOOL that the Lord had planned for me all along.

Guess where it is!?!

In the MIDDLE of the ghetto, a mile from Saturday church.

Oh yeah.

Not my first choice, but just think of the possibilities!!

These kids probably already go to Saturday church sometimes.

I cannot even begin to imagine what the Lord will do with this.

I have ALREADY started praying for their Salvation, which brings me to tears almost every time.

I am so thankful that this whole job thing is NOT about me.

What a relief!

I was getting so caught up in myself, and what I needed that I forgot that there are much BIGGER things at stake!!

The Lord is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO stinkin' jealous for His Glory and His Fame.

How could I forget that!?!

So get pumped and stay tuned because I get to be a teacher and
I get to hang out with some amazing ghetto-fabulous kiddos.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Thankful in the storm

I am back from Europe.. Yay!!!
More on that later... (I would love to make some posts about what the Lord taught me and how much fun I had later...)

But for now...

My name is Bekah, I have a Special Education degree from Texas A&M and I do not have a job... yet.

This may come as a shock to all of those who know what a sought after major Special Education happens to be.

It is shocking.

And even more pressing; school starts in 1 month.

One month people!!!

Why don't I have a job?

Hmmm... Very good question.

I was out of the country for prime job hunting time.
I am not organized.
I know that the Lord wants me to grow and serve in College Station one more year.
There are millions of jobs elsewhere.

Ok, ok, I am really unorganized, and I drug my feet, and I was terribly afraid of getting a job like my oh-so-not-desirable long-term sub position.

All sad excuses.

Well, now I am back, in the country, and have turned in my application for the singular job that I qualify for in Bryan ISD.

And still nothing.

So, I sit, I wait in Boerne.

This is hard.

This is especially hard being away from a body of believers.

I have SCOURED the Word for what I am supposed to be doing.

Did I mention that I have $.28 in my acount?

But, the Lord always keeps his promises.

My sweet future roommmate Amanda reminded me of Jeremiah 29:11-13 today, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity."

He does have plans for me.

They are WAYYYYY better than my plans. (see Isaiah 55)

Can I use way as an adjective?

He even says my plans are ROTTEN compared to his.

Rotten.

Hmm.

Okie.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,[a] who[b] have been called according to his purpose.

And the one that I KEEP reading is, "Wait on the Lord and Keep his way."

Ok, so waiting and keeping and Scouring.

What am I waiting for?

I feel so behind. Everbody else already has a job. They got their stuff together years ago, and have a cute classroom and a job.

But as I have been so lovingly reminded by Julie Faye (her new name since there are two of them!!):
What God has for you is not always the same as the rest of the world.

Its like in Her Hands when Heather taught us that we CANNOT have this list of our lives to check off.

College. check.
Married. check.
Babies. check.

So, in the midst of all of this, the ONE thing the Lord has put on my heart is to be Thankful!!

What a surprise!

And I am so amazed and thankful for this grateful attitude.

I am thankful for this storm.

I am thankful that I get to cart around my super cute 21-year-old brother was still loves Legos and Disney songs.

Have I mentioned how cute this kid is!?!

This is a blog in itself.




He always asks me,

Bekah! Guess what happens in Episode (1-9) to so-and-so when this blows-up?

And things like,

The insert random country's Navy deployed a new insert-obscure weapon name in 1933.

Neat.

You just can't get questions and facts like that anywhere else.

And he won't always be here to hang out with and be barraged with such trivia.

I am thankful that I am stuck here in Boerne, Texas with my relatives that are so close.

I can randomly stop by.
I can play the sports they love with them.
I can go over and hug them.

I am thankful that I have parents who care about me enough to not spoil me.

I am thankful that I have this growing season, that I am out of money and that I have to look to the Lord for everything.

Thats right.

I cannot trust in my own judgment, or my own ways, because I have none left.

The Lord has SO GRACIOUSLY taken everything that I LOVE to cling to and said simply,

Look at me.

And in the world's eyes, this is NOT very important.

It is HARD to tell people that.

Thank you for telling me about this really great job opportunity in ____, Texas, but I have been called to grow more in the Lord at my church.

But fortunately, I do not live according to the world's standard.
Yes, I said fortunately.
But its not always pretty.

Wait for the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it. (Psalm 37)

I am waiting.

If I do not get "the land" i.e. the world's idea of a good job, then that is ok.

Waiting for Him is always worth it.

If I have to wait for years and years and years, and the point of the entire thing is to see Him, then

It is worth it.