I have recently had to go to the dentist a lot.  I have not had the best year when it comes to getting cavities, so it has not necessarily been the highlight of the year.  I don’t particularly like going and getting numb, having a bad taste in my mouth (literally), and people stuffing my face with appliances.  I don’t know a lot of people who necessarily love this sensation. Sometimes it would be easier to think about not going to the dentist and just ignoring my cavities, or leave it for a longer amount of time.  

However, there is a really important reason for why we need to go to the dentist.  We can get really ill if we leave the cavities in our mouths.  It is decay and infection in our mouth that eventually can lead to large amounts of pain as well as decay going to other parts of our body.  So therefore, I went to the dentist, received a shot of numbing solution, continuous drilling on my tooth, and had a new filling put in.  Now I don’t have that decay in my body, and my teeth will no longer hurt.  Even though going to the dentist isn’t necessarily fun, I now am significantly healthier than I was before.  

This made me realize a few things.  Sometimes we have to have something taken out of our lives.  There are some things that are toxic and not good for our overall health, whether this health be emotional, physical, or of course our relational health with God and others.  This could be a sin, a shame that we are trying to hide or even another relationship that is taking us farther away from God.  This could be something we are putting in place of God as a god in our lives.  None of these items are good, and yet sometimes they creep into our lives and become so a part of them, that we don’t want to let them go.  

Going to the dentist can be painful and invasive.  Your teeth are strong and hard (which is a good thing, so we can use them to eat food), so to have to take out something in those teeth, we need to have a tool drilling and grinding out the toxics on something incredibly hard.  Before people become Chrisitans, we have a hard heart filled with a lot of sin and hatred from the world.  But God goes in and starts to work on that hard heart.  Sometimes this is through hard realizations.  Some of these hard realizations are that we are imperfect, we have been born with sin, and we can not depend on ourselves to get to heaven.  That is hard to hear and to comprehend.  There are positives coming up that I am going to mention, but this is similar to the pain of drilling on teeth at the dentist.  

The good news is that there is a numbing solution.  Now, I don’t particularly like getting numb.  I don’t like that it feels tingly for hours on end after I leave the dentist.  I don’t like eating the first full meal while my mouth still is partially numb.  It always feels a bit strange.  However, I would not prefer going through the drilling on bone in my mouth without being numbed.  Can you imagine?  That would be so much worse. Even though I don’t like being numbed, I would much rather have that over anything else.  This reminds me that God helps us when it comes to removing these sins and toxins in our lives.  It is not that he will allow no pain because we will have pain in this world, but he will always be present.  He will be the numbing component to whatever trial or tribulation we are experiencing.  The Lord, unlike any human person, never leaves our sides.  He is a God of peace, a God of grace, and a God of love.  All of these items are items that he will provide to us throughout any circumstance.  

Then there is the filling.  God replaces whatever was taken out with something even better.  Ephesians 36:26 says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”  When we become Christians, we get a whole heart.  This heart is not hard, but it is filled with grace and everlasting love.  Again, I will not say that there is no pain in having a heart taken out of your body, but it is worth so much more than leaving the hardened heart.  When we have that brand new heart, sealed with God’s love put in, we will feel brand new.  

This shows that God can use any experience to remind you of his love.  Because sin entered the world, there is a worldly heart each one of us was created with.  Through his love and his sacrifice on the cross, we can be given a new heart that is lighter and even more Christ-like.  This can be hard and painful, but the Lord will be with his people every step of the way.  This is just like a dentist drilling out the decay in our teeth, replacing it with a filling that is clean and durable, all the while being numbed from the excruciating pain of a drill.  The world is full of God’s love.  My challenge for you this week is to, like me, find an ordinary experience and see how you can see God’s love shown through it. 

I just recently finished the book, “Good Boundaries and Goodbyes,” by Lysa Terkeurst.  I loved this book.  I had never thought much about boundaries being something holy and good, but Lysa through the help of her Christian counselor discussed ways that we can even look at boundaries as a holy and good thing for ourselves and others.   This blog post will showcase a few of the lessons I learned from this book.  I recommend this book for any readers or for those who have ever felt and struggled with the idea of setting boundaries.  

Relationships are hard.  Everyone in the world has had some moments throughout various relationships where they can be tricky, hard, and hurtful.  However, those same relationships can also be filled with joy, fun, and love.  It is important to realize when those relationships swing a bit more to the negative, than for the positive.  When those relationships are starting to impact our mental or even physical health, then we may need to reflect on our certain boundaries that we have in those relationships.  There also may be times when we do need to walk away from a relationship.  God never approves of violence and abuse within a relationship, so it is best to walk away when that is present.  

Setting boundaries with those in our lives have always been something I have struggled with.  I never like to say no, and I don’t like conflict.  Setting boundaries is sometimes both of those things.  When setting boundaries, a person will often have to say no, and that may upset others who then will want to start a conflict.  I also didn’t know there was a way to set boundaries in a Christian manner.  Setting boundaries sounds as though it would be selfish.  However, when there are people in our lives that are affecting our mental health and maybe even our walk with Jesus, then we need to set boundaries.  This also can help the other person too.  If they become reliant on you, they are not looking to God as a main source.  Setting boundaries with them is a way to make them reflective on their own actions, (if they choose to look at it that way).  

The moment that I enjoyed the most when it came to this book was when we were asked what exactly we were afraid of when it came to setting boundaries.  We can be afraid of disappointing others or making them think differently of us.  This comes back to a huge desire to people-please. “People pleasing isn’t just about keeping others happy.  It’s about getting from them what we think we must have in order to feel okay in the world.” (“Good Boundaries and Goodbyes, Lysa Terkeurst, page 157) Why are we so afraid of losing a part of this relationship?  Sometimes we could be afraid of losing a friendship or any other kind of relationship because we receive a certain amount of validation from them.  Maybe there is a friend who depends on you for everything, and even if it is taking a lot out of you, you still enjoy the validation or the appreciation that comes from this arrangement.  You are looked upon as the Savior or the person who has such a kind, helpful heart.  

I personally struggle with this. I do love being a people pleaser.  I enjoy being the person others can depend on.  I enjoy that others can look at me and see a friend who can always help them, who is always thoughtful, and always encouraging.  I enjoy receiving validation and appreciation from my friends as that person.  This goes to the point that when I can’t help, because I am either gone or I’m too overwhelmed, I feel guilty.  Now, luckily, I don’t know many friends in my life currently who are pushing boundaries, and they are always understanding when I can’t do something.  However, it is still a good reflection for me to realize that I do often seek validation from others and that can open me up to relationships with those who will abuse their boundaries.  It is also important for me to realize that I should only seek validation from one source, and that is Jesus Christ.

Obviously, this is not just unhealthy for us as we are always looking to people who can be emotional and fickle for validation, but this can also be hard on others in this relationship.  Depending on another person for our validation isn’t fair to them.  They should not be responsible for the way that we see ourselves.  The main thing here is that we need people of Christ who want to be filled with grace, peace, and love in our lives, and to help each other reach that point.  We should not be each other’s saviors.  It is more important that we point others to Jesus.  

In general, I would highly recommend reading this new book by Lysa Terkeurst.  It is important to realize our own personal boundaries.  We are called to be loving and to be as Christ-like as we can.  However, sometimes that can get confused with allowing any bad behavior to happen to us.  We are not called to be condoning bad or inappropriate behavior.  We are not called to condone manipulation or abuse.  We are not called to be consistently hurt for the sake of a relationship, when this said relationship is not bringing us towards Christ.  We can set a boundary in a loving manner that still can point many others to Christ.   

A photo of the book cover:

I like to be busy, and I don’t always appreciate the silence. I am usually at work, at sporting events supporting my students, or enjoying time in hobbies.  I enjoy being with people and listening to them speak. Not to say that I don’t appreciate spending time by myself, but when I am by myself I am either reading, watching t.v. or listening to music.  I am hardly just sitting or lying down, not doing anything at all.  As I have gotten older, I have tried to appreciate the silence, especially in the presence of nature. I have become more and more aware of God’s nature being a way of growing closer to God. 

Verse John 1:3 captures this perfectly with “…through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”  While spending those moments quietly in nature, I have discovered that God is as powerful as the wind, as clear as the light shining through the sun, and as sustaining as nectar in the flowers. I am not consistent in this yet. I still grumble about the cold in the winter, and I still complain about the rain when it ruins my plans. However, if I can try to find something remarkable in God’s created nature once a day, I know that I will grow in joy despite any circumstances.  

It is enjoyable to be busy. It is incredible to check off items from our to-do list. However, we need to make sure to spend that quiet time Beholding God’s Greatness, Intaking God’s Holiness, and Reflecting God’s Beauty.  I gave myself a challenge a few summers ago, as well as others that were a part of my summer team. The challenge was to sit for fifteen minutes in complete silence. I did not allow myself to listen to music, read my book, or sit next to anyone. I stared out at the lake and thought. I engaged all my senses- seeing, hearing, smelling, and feeling all that was around me.  It was a humbling experience, and I instantly felt refreshed. 

The last couple of years have been stressful. We have had a pandemic, significant job losses, and political outrage. We are tired. The only way to really get over this fatigue is through spending time with God. This is through his word and through his creation. Sometimes spending time with God does not have to be reading a whole book in the Bible or meeting for an hour with your Bible Study girls. It can be spending 15 minutes in prayer while seeing, listening, and smelling God’s nature. I pray that we can all find something new and rmarkable about God’s heart through this nature today.  

*Note-This was a submission for the Encouragement for Today Devotional challenge. While I was not one of the 13 out of 400 selected, I have put this here for my personal blog. I always can appreciate the opportunity to submit my work, even when it is not chosen. I have grown as a writer through these competitions. I hope you all enjoy what I have written here and have found it encouraging. I also pray that you will find encouragement in the nature that is around us.

As a teacher, I often see many students who will shift blame to someone else, or even openly deny the wrongdoing.  I find this incredibly frustrating.  I imagine that many others who are either parents or work with a lot of children, can also find this incredibly frustrating and tiring.  (Or those who have adult relationships that shift blame to others.) I will usually tell my students that I would rather they do something wrong and own up to it, as opposed to lying or shifting blame.  I would be considerably less angry if they own up to the mistakes.  I will be much more willing to extend the gift of grace when they can admit what they did was wrong and apologize.  It is overall less cowardly and wrong.  

I was thinking about this, not because of a certain moment of teaching.  Although I could honestly pick many moments from my teaching experiences. But I started to process this while in church as we have been going through the beginning of Genesis, and today we learned about man’s fall and being caught by God.  The first man and woman created by God were not to eat from the tree of knowledge.  They disobeyed God and ate.  The man and woman, after eating from the fruit of knowledge, knew they were naked and were ashamed.  The man and woman hid, and God went looking for them.  Soon, God asked them how they knew they were naked, and the man and woman instantly started shifting the blame to others and to their situations. 

The first one is the man who blames the woman in Genesis 3:12, “The man said, ‘The woman you put here with me-she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.’”  The man, Adam, instantly blames the woman, Eve, as the one who first found the fruit, and then gave it to him.  He did admit that he ate the fruit but he gave many different reasons as opposed to taking ownership.  We can also see here that Adam blames God.  God is the one who gave this woman to him.  Adam takes the gift from God and turns it back on him as his main downfall. He never openly acknowledges what he has done wrong and he never openly apologizes.  (At least not in this scene).  

The woman, Eve, is not much better.  She doesn’t blame God, but she doesn’t openly acknowledge her open wrong doing either.  In the second part of Genesis 3:13, “The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.’”  Eve says that the only reason she ate was because of the serpent.  While this may be true, she still openly denied God’s command, and then she openly persuaded her husband to also fall.  Shifting of the blame would not stop the punishment.  Adam and Eve did not help their situation by denying their involvement, but an instant admission of guilt and ownership would have at least been them throwing themselves as imperfect before a Holy God, asking for forgiveness.  

I think there are many times, when we don’t want to admit, that we can shift the blame to others and situations.  I know that I certainly blame my impatience, for example, on lack of sleep or because of other situations that happened throughout the day.   It is important that I acknowledge I am not perfect, nor will I ever be, but I also shouldn’t shift the blame on other situations as the reason I can lose impatience with someone or be unkind.  That is just my inability to completely control my patience and my behavior.  

The Lord is completely aware that we are imperfect.  He is not surprised when we make mistakes.  He doesn’t want us to sin or get distracted from the good and holy things in life, but he is also going to openly forgive us when things do happen.  In fact from the moment sin first entered the world, we see God instantly start creating a way for man to still be with him, even if they were never going to be completely perfect or holy.  He does punish them, and there will be a physical death, but he still makes a place for them to stay, gives them clothing, and gives them an ability to continuously grow in number.  After that, he will introduce sacrifices for the people to make in order for sins to be forgiven.  Then of course, there was the ultimate sacrifice of giving his son to die on the cross for our sins.  

My challenge this week is to spend time thinking about times when we may want to blame others and/or our life situations when we should be owning our own mistakes.  The Lord loves when we willingly bow down to his feet and admit our wrongdoing.  He doesn’t want us to carry any of the guilt or the shame, but he wants us to admit our sins and grow in love and acceptance from him. 

Through my re-reading of the Bible, I am currently reading the book of Proverbs.  I love the book of Proverbs.  I love how simple the pieces of wisdom Proverbs gives readers.  I gain more and more knowledge and wisdom from every read of this book.  A verse that stood out to me recently was Proverbs 12:1, “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.”  This verse stuck out to me for a few reasons, and I will admit that this verse is very direct.  The using of the word stupid is harsh, but it does give a very good warning that taking correction is very important. 

I am a teacher, which is something that I mention often.  As a teacher, I have definitely had many moments with students who accept criticism and correction well.  Then I have had many examples and experiences of students who do not take correction well.  I always appreciate when my students listen to criticism and then make corrections. I appreciate their humility in knowing I am doing my best to teach them to be the best people and the best students they can possibly be.  

This is always good for me to sit back and to reflect on whether or not I am good at taking corrections.  I would love to say that I can listen to the best intentions of others and therefore listen to any constructive criticism or thoughts they would like to give me.  However, I know I often want to get defensive when I first hear something I should fix.  I don’t necessarily get angry or upset, but I am also not jumping up and down in order to fix those corrections either.  Sometimes after I spend a minute or two in thought, I can realize that the constructive and helpful criticism I am being offered was not made maliciously or even unkindly, but that it will actually help me benefit a lot in my life.  Then I seek to make the necessary changes.  Either that, or I will just completely ignore the advice and act as though it really doesn’t apply to me.  

As we continue to grow closer and closer to God, we are going to be blessed with more and more blessings which is his overall goodness and glory.  The more that we get to know about him, the more we should want to know.  In the New Testament of the Bible there is a metaphor that is used with this concept as being able to adapt to mature food, as opposed to baby food.  Hebrews 5: 13-14 says, “Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”  

The Lord offers great ways for us to take helpful and constructive criticism through living out his word.  He provides wonderful pieces of wisdom for his people.  There are, of course, the proverbs that are filled with knowledge, but then there are also examples of many people or Christian leaders and how they lived their lives.  The big thing is that we need to be willing to read his words.  There can be times when we can feel overwhelmed and too busy to even spend a bit of time in God’s word. It can help making the time as opposed to finding a time. I have found the best way for me to do this is to set aside a bit of time every morning.  For others, it may be listening to it audibly on the way to work.  Or, you may need to read it right before you go to bed with your family.  Whatever gets you in the word is good.  

Another valuable thing to do, and I bring this up often, is to create around yourself a good group of Christian believers who want to be there to support and help you grow closer to God.  It is highly important to not surround yourself with yes people.  These are people who are going to tell you that you are always doing amazing.  Yes, we need to have people around who are going to encourage us, and uplift us when we are feeling distraught.  But we also need those around us who are going to be willing to, kindly and lovingly, tell us the things that we need to work on.   These people want to see us thrive.  They don’t want us to be stuck in the places that are stunting our growth. 

One challenge for you this week is to be aware of corrections and criticisms from those who love you.  How do you respond?  Is your response going to help you grow or is it going to stunt your growth? There are going to be pieces of advice from others that are planning to be hurtful, but from those who really love you and want you to grow, I hope that you can hear their thoughts and their encouragement.   

I have started to look at a devotional book from the Daily Grace company about the different hymns that have been created and written to give praise to our great Savior, Jesus Christ.  The hymns, like many of the texts and the psalms, found in the Bible are speaking from the heart and are praise to our great Lord.  They are written by man, but they are written with the guidance and support from the Holy Spirit.  Because of this, there is a lot that can be learned, as well as provide us with guidance to our own praise.  

The very first hymn that I was given to look at was, “Oh what a Friend, we have in Jesus,” by Joseph M. Scriven. Some of the song lyrics are, “Oh, what a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear.  What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.”  One of my favorite things about friends is that I can go to them whenever I am upset or whenever I am hurt.  I love that they will be a listening ear and will give me advice for the different situations and different problems that arise in my life.  However, friends are people, and they will not be perfect.  There are going to be times when our friends will not be available or will not be able to help.  Even the absolute best friends are not able to fix everything or to be present at all times.  God, though, is completely perfect, so he will always be willing and available to listen or help us.  It is such a complete blessing that we can go to the Lord in prayer for everything. 

I will not lie when I say I have had some struggles in the past with friendships. I have had moments of being hurt by my friends, and I have felt defeated. However, then I read this hymn, and I can remember that while I love my friends, they are not where I should put my whole identity or where I should find complete comfort. In fact, I read this devotional on the very day I woke up to find myself hurt that others were hanging out without me. I felt a bit crushed and embarrassed. Then I read this devotional in the absolute perfect time. The Lord wanted me to remember that morning, that while having friends on this side of heaven is wonderful, they are not the main priority. He is. The best way to have good friendships is to focus on him first, and then people second, including our neighbors and friends.

Throughout looking at this hymn, we also looked at some verses that match well with the meaning of this hymn. One such verse was Psalm 25: 14 which says, “The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.” What I love about this verse is it shows God has a desire to have a relationship with us, his people. We are his creation, and he created us for his own enjoyment and his own joy. This shows that he doesn’t just want our friendship because he knows it will be for our benefit, but he wants us to come to him, so he can tell us about himself and so he can share his goodness.

The Bible actually has a lot of thought and a lot of verses with the focus of good friendship, discipleship, and fellowship.  The Lord wants his people to have other friends who are focused on growing in the overall friendship and love with Jesus.  Yes, God wants us to travel throughout the world, preaching God’s good news and being his missionaries, but he also wants to make sure that we have a solid friend basis to help us grow and become closer to God.  Again, this can only be done through God first.  We need to make sure we are seeking him first, and then we will be blessed with Godly friendships that will help us grow closer and closer to him.  

The Lord, through his example, also challenges us to be good friends.  Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”  God wants us to be his light to everyone, including our friends.  Our friends are going to go through tough times, and we are called to be the ones that are there for them.  We are called to be a guiding light for them to see their truest friend, Jesus.  It is important that in all ways, we are good friends-kind, loving, sacrificing, humble- and that we are leading them to the maker of the universe and their own personal saviors.  We are called to be as good of friends that we, as man, can be, but then through God they can receive so much more.  

Like in all things, God has blessed us with friendships. These are supposed to be used for our own good and to give him glory.  However, like in all things, we can start to focus more on the blessings rather than the giver of those blessings.  It is important to remember to focus on God being our number one best friend and learning multiple different lessons from his example of how to be a good friend.  I hope that this week you can find at least one person you want to be an extra good friend to.  I am going to end our time with a short prayer to our best friend.  I hope you all can feel these same thoughts in your heart. 

Dear Lord, 

Thank you for being my friend.  Thank you for being there for me in my highest highs and my lowest lows.  I love that you want to be my friend, a sinner and a piece of this earth.  You want to share your covenant and promises with me because you see me as a friend, and I wholeheartedly praise and thank you.  

Thank you for my friendships on earth. Thank you that I have many people to talk to and receive help/guidance from. I pray you will help me remember to not become too obsessed with what is happening with my friends but rather to focus on you. Please help me to not become overly concerned about the thoughts of my friends, but rather focus on your thoughts. I pray I can be a Godly example of a friend to all those around me.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

There are a lot of lessons that can be learned from the people of the Bible, especially the women in the Bible.  The Bible is filled with complex characters.  If you really want to learn how to write a character in a novel, turn to the Bible.  There is no shying away from the character’s flaws and good pieces of their character.  I was recently reading the book, “The Women of the Bible Speak,” by Shannon Bream.  I am reading this book with another woman, so we have the opportunity to discuss the lessons we have learned.  This week we read about Rachel and Leah, and Shannon has definitely given me great perspectives when it comes to this relationship with Leah and Rachel.  

Rachel and Leah did not have the best sister relationship.  There was a lot of hurt and jealousy between the two, at least when we encountered them in the Bible.  Rachel was considered the beautiful and popular one who could get any guy she wanted.  Leah was not described that way. She is described with weak eyes.  When Jacob arrives, he falls in love with Rachel, and he wants to marry her, no matter the price.  He even offers to work for her soon to be father in law for seven years in order to win her hand.  Then he ends up being tricked and marries Leah.  He still wants Rachel, so he makes a deal where he can have both of them as wives for another seven years of hard labor.  

When we read the beginning part, we can easily want to say that Rachel is the winner in this battle.  She is the apple of Jacob’s eye, and the one that he wanted to marry the most.  However, then Leah was able to become a mother, while Rachel struggled to conceive a child. Rachel was so hurt by this.  It is a classic story of “the grass is greener on the other side.”  Rachel was the one loved by her husband, but she was not able to conceive, while Leah was able to conceive but was the unwanted wife of her husband.  Rachel was so desperate to have a baby.  She whines to her husband and even starts to bargain her way to conceiving with God and with her husband.  The very first marital strife that we read about in the Bible had to do with an argument between Rachel and Jacob because she was not able to conceive.  

We can learn a lot from how the women name their babies in the Bible.  Leah put great thoughts into the names of her children.  Her first son was named Reuben which in Hebrew means, “Behold, a son,”  it was such a blessing that she had a son and that she was able to give this to her husband.  Her second son was named Simeon which meant that the Lord saw she was unloved, and the third son was Levi, and it was named for a hope that her husband would finally become attached to her.   All of these had a relation to her certain situation which was that she felt incredibly unloved and unwanted by her husband.  She knew her sister was the favorite, and she was the other wife that he became committed to.  Her fourth son, Judah was named in relation to praise to God.  She believed that now that she had provided her husband with three sons that she would have an attachment from him.  That doesn’t exactly happen, but she still found a way to give praise to God, regardless of the feelings of her husband.  

This can remind me that we are not always going to get the things that we ask for.  We are taught that God can answer our questions in one of three ways.  The three ways can be yes, no, or wait.  There is an option for no.  There are times that God will choose to say no.  He definitely knows best.  He knows that there are reasons we should not achieve or have a certain item.  He knows that it can either be harmful or filled with problems if we receive the certain things that we want, so there are moments, for our benefit and growth, he chooses to say no.  We may not always understand the reasons, but we can know they are there.  Leah may not have known all the reasons she was not chosen to be the favorite of the wives, but God did.  

It can be easy to want to bargain like Rachel.  It can be easy to want to blame everyone else for our problems or not receiving our desires.  However, sometimes there should just be an acceptance that life can be tricky and we don’t always get what we want.  Sometimes, we just need to lay aside our personal desires and speak praises to the Lord for the beautiful blessings he has given us.  The story gets better in regard to Leah.  Her son, the one that was named Judah that means praise is the son in direct lineage to Christ.  Even though Leah struggled amidst her marriage and her insecurity by her husband, she was blessed with having the Messiah, the Savior of the world be in her lineage and in her family legacy.  That is incredibly special.  This goes to show that not only does God pick those who are not necessarily the most popular or the biggest named to truly be used for His story, but it also shows that God has a plan that will work out for those who love Him and seek to give Him praise. 

The Bible often speaks of giving praise to the Lord.  It is a major theme throughout the book.  This is through the highs and the lows of the stories in the Bible. I want to end this blog with one more highlight verse from the book of Isaiah about praising God.  Isaiah 42:8 says, “I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.” The Lord is the one who should be praised, not the other items in this world such as awards, titles, or human relationships.  Those can all be lovely, and they can be gifts from the Lord above, but they should not receive praise over the Lord, the giver of all things.   My challenge for you this week is to give God one prayer of praise amidst struggles.  Even when you are in the midst of anger, frustration, or even pain, lift up a prayer up to the Lord.  

My life has certainly revolved around running these last few weeks.  I trained hard and completed my half marathon recently, and I have been in a heavy competition season with my cross country team.  We had the conference meet and recently districts.  I am a very happy and proud coach to say that the girls team made it to state.  We also had a boy individually qualify.  I am so excited to get the chance to cheer for them this upcoming Friday.  I am very pleased that the girls team’s dream of making it to state came true.  At the beginning of the season, if you would have told me that the whole girls team was going to make it to state, I don’t think any of us would have believed you.  No one knew the capability of the girls, until they started competing and winning against big schools, little schools, and improving their times consistently each meet.  

However, pressure started to come halfway through the season for the girls.  They didn’t want to think about the potential of having a bad race because then that would hurt our chances of winning or where we were ranked in the state. On the drives over, they started to look more and more at other team’s ranks and times, comparing it to their own.  As a coach, on the one hand, you love their drive and their competitiveness.  They were checking out their competition and were getting ready to seize their race.  On the other hand, though, you were noticing that they were starting to feel the pressure of doing well.  They had a growing concern they would let everyone down if they did not live up to their desired expectation or potential.  

This was incredibly noticeable before the district meet race.  This was it.  This was the race to decide whether or not an individual, or hopefully, a team could make it to state.  This was the race for all the marbles.  All of the other accolades and medals were wonderful, but this was the desired prize.  This was the moment they would find out if one of their dreams was going to come true, and the girls were nervous.  (So was I!) I wanted this for them so badly, and I was nervous there was going to be another team that was going to seize the opportunity away from them with their own skill and competitive nature.  I wanted their dream to come true, and I wanted them to have the opportunity to run at the state meet.  I knew this would be a highlight from their high school career, one they would share with people in their futures.  

However, in the end, I needed them to run their own race. The only way they were going to make it to the state meet was if they did their personal best, not focused on what other teams around them were doing.  I talked to them and I reminded them to run like it was that first meet of the season, when they didn’t have any pressure or didn’t know what they were completely capable of.  They just went out and ran and did their best, and then all of a sudden they were rewarded.  Think back to the time where they didn’t know they were ranked or had many eyes looking at them.  Think back to the time when it was just them and a cross country course, a finish line, and a personal best for that particular race.  

I think we can often in life get the same way.  We can start out on our course, but then all of a sudden, we are looking beside us and are seeing someone else out ahead.  We try to console ourselves by trying to find others who are farther behind, but it just doesn’t feel the same as it did when we focused solely on where we are in life and where we are in our personal race. We can start comparing ourselves, until suddenly we are not as happy with ourselves or with our lives as we were before.  

Galatians 6:4 describes how we should run our own race and live our own life, “Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else.” Everyone in the world has a different path from one another.  There will be some who will be called to work in a big business, making huge decisions, and there will be some who will be called to work on a mission field in a country far, far away, and everything in between.  While it is fine to be inspired by others and their stories, it is important that one doesn’t start desiring they had one another’s life and comparing the life stories.  This will not help to make one’s life better. 

I know Friday will come, and it will be a hard race.  There will be a lot of fast girls in the race.  My hope for my team is they enjoy the experience, and they do their absolute best.  I pray they will run their own race, not be wishing for someone else who seemingly is running it better.  My challenge for you all this week is to spend time in thought and possibly even journaling about where your race and your life is taking you.  Spend time thinking about your personal journey that God is blessing you with, not where God is taking others.  Then I challenge you to pray to God with praise and a thankful heart for the journey he is taking you on that is completely your own. 

I work with the cross country team at my school, and this has been an exciting season.  We are having a lot of success.  I love cross country, even when we are not having the most successful season.  However, it has been really good because we are a very small school, and we often do not have full teams.  We didn’t have a full girls team last year, but we have competed with a full girl’s team consistently this year.  It has been exciting for the girls’ team, having a great and impactful season.  I think they are encouraged by their abilities and their potential. I don’t know if they completely understood what they were capable of, at the beginning of the year as they are now.  

Something I do really love about the girl’s cross country team that I get to help coach is how humble they are.  They are really hungry about being competitive.  They are desiring to have a good team and to do their absolute best.  However, they have never been too arrogant or full of themselves even amidst their success.  They are really taking to heart 1 Peter 5:6.  This verse says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” 

They are excited for their success, but they are even more excited for one another’s successes or achievements.  They know there is no “I in team”.  The team remembers that they need to work hard at the next race.  Even if they have beaten a team before, or even if they are ranked, they know that a race is not won on paper.  A race is new every time you go there, and it is trying your best.  They do not get cocky, even amidst their accolades.   They know that this takes every single individual running a good race, so every time a team member sets a new personal record, there is great joy coming from amidst the team. 

They follow this through their compassion and support of each other.  They care about being good teammates. They spend time together outside of cross country watching movies and conversing with each other.  It fills my heart with joy that they care about being friends outside of the sport they are competing in.  Because of this, they are interested in each other’s well- being and supporting one another.  They lift each other up with encouraging words and listening ears.  I know this as the person who drives the van for them.  They are talking non-stop to each other and listening to their life stories.  It is always an interesting ride to and from the meets.  

Recently, I was asked to join in their prayer circle at one cross country meet.  I didn’t know that while they were in their huddle, they were actually spending time in prayer.  I love that so much, I can’t even describe it.  They were so bold in their faith.  They didn’t care that they were at a school event where others could see. Some would be ashamed to pray or even ask to pray together at a school event in front of so many people.  They weren’t though.  They were willing to be bold in their faith and willing to ask the Lord to achieve what they know they can’t on their own.  This is having complete boldness and humility.  

The heart of their prayers was awesome.  It was not a cry or an ask to win.  They prayed to do their best, and they prayed for a safe run, yes.  But their main prayer was that they are running for more than themselves. There was an emphasis on living and running for God.  They know their main motivation and their main success is only possible through God, and they want their running to be a part of their testimony to God, not a separate entity.  

Hebrews 11 is considered the Faith chapter.  Not only does this chapter provide a definition of the word faith, being “confidence in what we hope for, and assurance in what we do not see.” (11.1) This chapter also dives deep into many heroic stories of those in the Bible who conquered their fears through their faith in God and through God’s help.  This includes Abraham, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses.  Faith is their common denominator, and it is what made them all heroes of the Bible.  

One verse from Hebrews 11 that really stood out to me was verse 6 which says, “And without faith, it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to Him, must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”  My girls were showing faith in going to Him before the cross-country meet.  They are speaking their faith amongst their teammates and in front of many other athletes.  I have been inspired by my cross-country girls, and this is a good reminder for me to be continuously bold in my faith as well as humbly coming before God with any of my concerns. 

I love to run.  I love to put my headphones in my ears and enjoy the atmosphere around me.  I love when the weather is temperate and I can feel the fresh air.  I don’t just love the feeling of running after I finish, but the actual feel of running itself.  I love setting running goals and achieving those running goals.  Because of this, I have decided to run another half marathon.  Just like in many things, training is about as hard as the race itself.  Spending time to prepare your body for the event coming up takes time and work.  I have also found that there is even more importance in the mental workout it takes to finish the long runs, and the attention to an appropriate diet and hydration.  

With God’s help, I have been able to achieve some long runs over the last few months.  My longest one was 11.5 miles.  I was so nervous to embark on this long run.  I didn’t know if I would be able to make it.  I prayed to the Lord both before and during, and I know he helped me achieve it.  However, halfway through, I was tired.  This did not make me feel good.  There were so many miles left that I almost started to panic.  Maybe I should just run 7 or 8 miles?  I can do 7 or 8 miles.  There will be  adrenaline when it comes to the day of my half marathon anyway, so will it really matter if I run 11.5 miles today?  However, then I prayed and I remember to focus on one mile at a time. Mile after mile was completed and all of sudden, I had completed 11.5 miles in a fairly good time.  The Lord had helped me slowly achieve what I, at one time, thought was impossible.  

The anxiety I felt when running my 11.5 miles often is experienced in other life situations.  I have struggled with anxiety in the past, and I have struggled with the way I talk to myself in the past.  Sometimes my thoughts do not match those of a Christian woman.  I can get sucked down with disbelief in God and disbelief in the spirit that is in me.  Proverbs 23:7 describes this feeling perfectly, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” The way that we think says a lot about what we are and says a lot about what may be our future.  How we choose to view ourselves, our-bodies that God has created for us and our life situations can have a positive or negative impact on our future lives.  

Satan is very good about making us doubt ourselves.  He is very good at picking through our insecurities until we are completely bogged down with how we feel about ourselves and with Jesus Christ, our Lord as well.  As a woman who struggles with anxiety, it is amazing how I can go from a normal day to a day of pure chaos.  I can wake up in the best of spirits, and soon I will hear some bad news and suddenly I have no belief that God is in control or that he has a plan.  Suddenly, I am believing the absolute worst situation is going to happen.  

Sadly, many others are also struggling with their mental health and their increasing anxiety.  As a teacher, I see so many of my students struggling through their anxiety and their declining mental health. It is so sad to see them being paralyzed with fear of the future or being discouraged by their inabilities.  I try to encourage them even amidst their fear or their discouragement.  

When I want a strong reminder, I think of this verse, Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.” There are many negative items coming in from the world.  Bad things happen which then lead to bad attitudes and ultimately even worse future consequences.  When we choose to think about the noble, right, pure, and lovely, we are looking at the items that are not of this world.  These are the beautiful creations we have from God.  

I will never claim that with positive thoughts everything in life will be perfect.  However, I am reminding us all that when we focus on Christ and possess a more positive mindset, we will be able to achieve a lot more than we could otherwise.  I am going to end this blog post with a prayer, one I am hoping each one of you will take to heart each day as you are about to conquer your tough situations, distraught and imperfect co-workers, an impossible task to be completed, or anything else that you feel you are not ready to face. 

Dear Lord, 

Thank you for the abilities and the experiences you have given me today.  Thank you for the opportunity I have to be a light for you on this earth.  I pray for confidence in my ability to complete all you have set out for me today.  Please help me avoid being discouraged by the devil in his scheming and undermining ways.  Please help me to conquer thoughts of insecurity and doubt.  Please help me remember, through your spirit, to have a strong mindset.

Update: Yesterday I did in fact complete my half marathon. It took me two hours and 10 minutes which was 20 minutes faster than last year!