Thanks for all your prayers and support! They were felt and God gave me 11 things to blog about 🙂 Ready or not here are the first 5.
1. Be silly with a child. The Lord wants us to have child like faith, but I don’t remember much about how I was as a child. So I can see the faith the Lord wants me to have when I play with children. I go to an elementary school each day to teach English. We have one class then recess then two more classes. Although I enjoy teaching English I really really like recess. To play duck duck goose or reverse world with the kids is so much fun and brings a smile and joy to my spirit because their smile and joy is contagious. They may not remember much of the English we taught, but I hope they remember the love we poured out during recess. During recess each day I see more of the child like faith I am suppose to have.
2. Have fun at work. The joy of the Lord is our strength. We are suppose to be happy and have fun. Taking the joy of the Lord to work is important because it is our witness. At the school today when I was teaching English I felt like I was just going through a routine and realized there is more than this. So I smiled big and sent the students on a hunt for colors rather than just sitting in their seats. We all laughed as they learned.
3. Do something differently. People get tired of the same things over and over or at least I do. We had been singing head shoulders knees and toes with the students to learn body parts. They were enjoying it when all of a sudden I started singing really slowly and then really fast. It caught them off guard and they really had to think about the song, but they loved it. Sometimes I think God does things differently in our lives and it catches us off guard, it has happened a lot with the last year to me. If we take some time to remember the “words” or truths that God is good and faithful then we can rest with that blessed assurance that God is in control and everything will be ok.
4. Be intentional. I have been reading “First Response: Change Your World Through Acts Of Love” which was written by David Canther, a friend of my host. I have learned a lot by reading this book. One concept this book spells out is being intentional and creating relationships with people you meet. This is something God has been teaching me since I have been on the Race and is reinforcing with this book. I have always been able to strike up a conversation in the grocery store line, which is great to do. But God is wanting to take things a step further! Don’t just say hi, but pour life into the people you meet with encouraging words.
5. Riding in the back of a truck. I have been riding a lot in the back of a truck this month and really enjoy the wind in my hair, but I have realized that I need to look forward so I know if there is a bump or turn coming. Looking back makes me nervous and doesn’t give me anything to look forward to, which is like life. If I am looking at the past I do not have any hope of the future and I get nervous that things will never change. If I look forward to the future and the hope I have in the Lord then I know everything will be good no matter the bumps or turns ahead.
