National Day of Prayer

Today is the National Day of Prayer...

Let us not just take time out of our busy lives to concentrate on prayer...  Let us make today a new start to a praying relationship.  Let us turn our prayers into continual conversations.  Let us make our conversation with our Lord as common to our lives as breathing.

^"What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?"  Deuteronomy 4 v 7

"... if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."  2 Chronicles 7 v 14

"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."  Matthew 5 v 44-45

"One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
 ^{He said to them, “When you pray, say:}

^{“‘Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.And lead us not into temptation. ’”}    Luke 11 v 1-4

 

^"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God."  Romans 8 v 26-27

 

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.  Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."  Ephesians 6 v 18-20

 

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4 v 4-7

 

Being Aware of Bullying

Disclaimer- the following account is VERY hard for me to share.  It's an admission of the very worst period of my life, the very lowest point of my Faith, when I felt most assured I was all alone and no one cared.  I hope and pray that my own admission helps someone face the truth of bullying and how harmful it really is.

As a 3rd grader moving to a new school in the middle of the year, I had no idea what to expect.  I quickly learned that acceptance by classmates was hard to come by, and in my case, if that acceptance didn't come, bullying soon took its place.

My memories of elementary school from the latter part of the 3rd grade to the end of the 6th grade, are sad, ugly, and full of regret.  I was the victim of bullying from a group of girls who at first had been friends.  I do not know why I was targeted, but I was not alone at the receiving end of the ugliness.  The fourth and fifth grades were the worst.  There was name calling, there was shoving, there was just a lot of ugliness.  Maybe it was because I did so well in school.  Maybe it was because I was "poor" and lived in a trailer ("trailer trash" being a common name they threw at me.)  Maybe because they could see the effects their ugliness had on me- I often had to leave the room or recess or PE to cry in the girls room.

I felt a lot of fear.  I felt a lot of anger.  I felt tons of frustration, helplessness, weakness, and confusion.  As a fifth grader, I started contemplating suicide.  Fifth grade!  I felt like no one cared.  Certainly, none of those girls cared.  My parents refused to get involved despite the fact I came home crying nearly every day.  I had a single teacher show me any kind of courtesy after she witnessed the one and only physical fight I got into with one of the girls, and she called my parents to come pick me up as I was too shaken to stay in school the rest of the day.  Other than that, the principle never addressed it, the teachers left it alone, and my friends ducked their heads and didn't speak of it, didn't help, just didn't do anything (maybe to keep off the group's radar.)

As a result of those YEARS of bullying, I entered Junior High with ZERO self-esteem.  I always walked against the wall.  If I was standing in a group of other "rejects," I chose to stand in such a way as to not have to make eye contact with anyone, and if I could with my back against the wall.  I loved school as far as learning went, and hated it because I disliked the way I felt about myself when I was around girls my own age.  I had few real friendships, none of which have lasted, even though I do stay in contact with some of the girls from Junior High who I respected, because they had not known me in elementary school, and so they were always kind, but distant.

By the time I entered Junior High, as other life changing events took place in my personal life, suicide became a daily thought.  I had several different plans, and ideal times to rid myself of the sad life I was living.  I then would get angry with myself for being too chicken to go through with it.  I would cry myself to sleep, hating myself, hating the past, and having no hope for the future.

To be honest, there were four things that kept me alive.

Psalms 46:1 "The Lord is my refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble."

I found the verse one night while I was desperately seeking His guidance during a time when He felt so distant and uncaring.  I clung to that verse like I was drowning... 

That verse opened my eyes to a second thought and a reason for living.  My sister.  I had to stay for my sister.  (The reasons are too complex to explain, but she would understand.)  Psalm 46:1 became my mantra. 

I still struggled with suicidal thoughts.  Those thoughts still drove me to tears and nightmares and depression.  But I would repeat it over and over and over like a never ending praying.  I had to live.

About that time, I met a dear friend from my Church Youth Group.  She was a little bit younger than me, but in my mind she was beautiful, smart, and we shared a lot of the same interests.  I grabbed onto that friendship with both hands and clung for dear life. 

Not long after becoming friends with her, I moved from public school to attend High School at a local Christian school.  There I made my second life-saving friendship with a gorgeous girl in my class whose personality was so bubbly and joyous I couldn't help but be drawn in by her.  Her friendship became another literal life line.

I still struggled to develop a self-esteem.  Kids at the new school could be harsh, but I was no longer the butt of the joke.  The kids who became friends with me also challenged me to believe in myself and to become a better person. 

From there, I also grew in my Faith.  I found true Hope and Peace, though it wasn't until many years later that I gained enough confidence in myself to be alone, and find that I was okay alone.  It wasn't until I became an adult that I discovered that I am a beautifully unique person and have value. 

The reason I share this very horrible scar with you is due to a video that was recently shared of bullying occurring in one of our local schools.  People are acting so shocked!  Like things like this didn't happen when they were kids.  Like things like this are not happening in EVERY school in EVERY corner of the world.  Bullying is a fact of life!

Do not pretend it doesn't happen.  Do not pretend your child could not be the bully or the victim.  Do not pretend that children who are the victims of bullying need to "suck it up."  Talk to your children.  Be aware of the class dynamics.  Make sure your child knows you care about the part they play when they witness bullying.  Make sure your child knows you care about them.  Make sure they know that they are not alone. 

One thing I know for a fact, most bullying behavior starts at home.  If you, as a parent, think you are better than someone else, your child will pick up on it, and WILL express that to their classmates.  If you, as a parent, speak ugly to your child or spouse or of someone else, your child WILL express that among his/her peers.  Our children are mirrors of what they see and hear at home.

So what will YOU do about bullying? 
How will YOU help prevent your child from becoming a bully? 
How will YOU help prevent your child from becoming a victim? 

This is NOT the school's responsibility... This lies flat at your feet Mom and Dad!  So what will you do?

I have included the video from the local school happening, as well as one of a young victim who has succeeded in handling bullying without lashing out.

Be aware- these are very hard to watch!  Especially the first one.

 

Promises Fulfilled

People say not to count your chicks before they are hatched. 

Typically, I try not to, because while I always have hope that something great and new is on the horizon, I also realize that whatever it is on the horizon may not fit "my" idea of great and new.

In Jeremiah 29, Jeremiah sent a letter to those who were still exiled in Babylon.  His letter was one of promise and of hope, that the Lord Himself promised to intervene and return His people to their home!  After such a long time, no doubt the Lord's people had to have felt forgotten.  How they must have worried!  How they must have grieved!  I have no doubts that they were still faithful in their beliefs, but they must have been despairing, or the Lord would not have inspired Jeremiah to sent this letter!

Today, many of us know the following verse:
"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."  Jeremiah 29 v 11

We use this verse as a daily mantra.  We add it to our prayers.  Preachers use this as a foundation for so many sermons.  Musicians sing songs based on it!  This verse stands alone quite well as a promise of hope!

I grew up having this verse committed to memory.  Granted, now, as I struggle day to day to remember the simplest things, I have to look this verse up to read it because I no longer remember it word for word.  (Thank goodness for the Bible app on my phone!)

This morning, as I was contemplating how quickly the Lord answers prayer, this verse came to mind.  You see, after I finished writing "In the Light" on Tuesday, He answered my struggle and my effort with legitimate job offers that I had only ever dreamed I would get!  Plus, two of the four projects are from fellow Christians, asking for me to work from that frame of mind!  I was and am completely blown away and humbled by HIS faithfulness to ME!   I have been in reflection ever since- thankful on one hand, hopeful on the other, and trying not to pay attention to our "wise" adage about counting our chicks.

Its in light of counting those chicks that I dove into Jeremiah 29 this morning. 

I am not an advocate for most "promise" preaching.  I think many "promise preachers" have gone over board causing men and women to believe that God WILL grant us treasures and wealth while we are here on earth, during our earthly life.  While I DO believe He does this for SOME people, and that He DOES fulfill small promises in for EVERY person at different points in their lives, I do not think that the promises He gave us were meant for this life so much as for the next- otherwise the value of Christ's sacrifice is diminished- for what need have we of treasures in Heaven when we have already been given them here?  So, I think "promise preaching" can be very misleading, planting false hope, and distracting us from our purpose in His will. 

Whew--- sorry about the tangent there--- please keep in mind, the above is just my opinion.

Anyway, I dove into Jeremiah 29, because while I do not believe He promises to just GIVE us everything we dream for during this life, He does promise "hope and a future."  What's interesting is if you continue on through the next two verses, He also tells us when we see His plan in action, it will cause us to turn even more to Him!

So let's look at these verses together:
^"11 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 on 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." Jeremiah 29 v 11-13

How true this is for me since Tuesday!  I am like anyone else... I tend to pray harder and more sincerely when I am hurting or needful in some way.  I am a pray-er in that I never cease praying.  A valuable lesson from my Mom- I pray with every breathe I take, so conversations with God are very real to me.  Yet, I still note that I pray harder and more sincerely when I am in need.  Granted, there is nothing wrong with this, because turning to Him when we truly need help is RIGHT!  Yet, as I look over my praying conversations, I feel a little guilty.  No matter how hard I try to be thankful first, and needy last, my prayers are riddled more with "please" than they are with "thank you."

But since Tuesday, when He answered the promise of Jeremiah 29 v 11 so quickly and so obviously, I found that verses 12 and 13 became immediate truth as I hit my knees in awe and thankfulness for His interference on my behalf!

No, I am not going to become a millionaire with the opportunities He has given me.  I will be amply blessed to make enough from these projects to be able to pay my car payment.  But what more do I need?  He KNOWS how much my family needs to LIVE.  He KNOWS how much He has already given us, and how much more responsibility we can handle.  Yet, He still gives, and He gives KNOWING the plan He has for me, for my family, and for our future.  He gives perfectly according to His promise.

And I praise Him!!!  Who cares about those chicks when I have a loving and faithful God?