Top 8: Things I Have Witnessed Today

1. Children throwing tantrums. Times about one billion.
2. Two 4-year-olds holding hands and swinging them back and forth.
3. Same two 4-year-olds walking down the aisle in the auditorium to craft time during Bible School.
4. Distracted child on bike plowing into tyke on tricycle. General mayhem and tears.
5. Two humongous bees going at it in the janky sideyard.
6. At least fourteen people trooping up to the beach with all their stuff packed sky-high onto one tiny wagon.
7. Child dropping entire blue (the flavor that makes the most resilient stain) sno-cone on the floor of the store. Twice.
8. "Jamie" Eugene Los in a frilly yellow party dress, pink boa, and blond wig.

Save a Place for Me

Jessica and I did a duet tonight in church (she on piano, I on guitar) and we sang this song. I'll just let the lyrics do the speaking tonight.

Don't be mad if I cry
It just hurts so bad sometimes
'Cause everyday it's sinking in
And I have to say goodbye all over again

You know I bet it feels good to have the weight of this world off your shoulders now
I'm dreaming of the day when I'm finally there with you

Save a place for me
Save a place for me
I'll be there soon
I'll be there soon
Save a place for me
Save some grace for me
I'll be there soon
I'll be there soon

I have asked the questions why
But I guess the answers for another time
So instead I pray with every tear
And be thankful for the time I had you here

Save a place for me
Save a place for me
I'll be there soon
I'll be there soon
Save a place for me
Save some grace for me
I'll be there soon
I'll be there soon

I wanna live my life Just like you did
Make the most of my time Just like you did
And I want to make my home up in the sky Just like you did
Oh, but until I get there...
Until I get there, you just

Save a place for me
Save a place for me
I'll be there soon
I'll be there soon
Save a place for me
Save some grace for me
I'll be there soon
I'll be there soon

I'll be there soon...

I'll be there soon. 

"And the breastplate of righteousness in place..."

Any guesses on what our item of spiritual armor is this week in Bible School? :)

This week, our kids had a bit of trouble understanding what righteousness actually is (it didn't help that they were CRAZYTOWN and all over the place) so toward the end of the week, we focused more on the fact that God gives us a metaphorical breastplate in order to protect us. We talked about how God protects us spiritually earlier in the week and how He helps us to do the right thing and be an example to other people earlier in the week. Today, we talked about how God protects our hearts from the things that scare us or things that we are having a hard time with. 

Kids carry around more burdens than what we give them credit for, I think. They seem so carefree and innocent, but they have things that weigh on their minds too. It's harder for them, though, because they don't always understand that these bad things are no one's fault (most of the time). They take so much responsibility onto themselves and along with it, blame.

This is a conversation I had with a 4th grader in my class last year. His parents were splitting up and his dad wasn't even trying to get custody of him and his brother.

Me: "Cameron, what's wrong?"

Cameron: "My mom just told me that she and my dad aren't going to married anymore and that he's moving far away."

Me: "Aw Cameron, that's really sad. Did your mom tell you where your dad is moving to? You'll still get to see him, right?"

Cameron: "No. He's moving away because he doesn't love me or Jackson anymore."

Me: "I'm sure that's not true. Is that what he said to you?"

Cameron: "No, but why else would he want to move away?"

While we were planning today's lesson, I was struck by a God-bolt of inspiration. We cut out two vaguely breastplate-shaped pieces of poster board, split our class into girls and boys, and then we handed out post-it notes and markers to each person. We asked them to write down something that scares them, or that they are  having a hard time with, or something they're anxious about, or something that their family is worried about right now. 

"I'm afraid my grandma might die soon."

"My dad lost his job this year."

"My uncle lives in Texas."

"I have to move to a new school."

"My grandpa had back surgery."

"My teacher won't be at my school next year."

"My family went to the house across the street without me." (We couldn't figure out exactly what this one meant. It could be that they went to visit the people across the street, but it's also possible that the family split up or had to get foster care involved).

Then, we had each kid put their post-it on the breastplate. I told my girls that even though all of these things seem really big and really scary right now while they're happening, God has always and will always bring them  through safely to the other side of the situation. I wrote "God protects me and loves me" in big letters over all the post-its on the breastplate to show that no matter what happens, God's breastplate of righteousness will always protect our hearts and that He is always looking out for us. 

At the beginning of the summer, I was seriously considering switching to the 4s-5s-Kindergartners class, just for a change of pace. I've done 3rd-4th for the last two summers and I thought it would be interesting to work with the little kids that we get.

I'm really glad I didn't switch. :)

I'm Reminded of You Every Time

Every time I serve someone a Cookie Dough single in a bowl, I'm reminded of you.
Every time someone comments on how there's nothing on my hamburger or sandwich, I'm reminded of you.
Every time I drive past Peppino's in Allendale, I'm reminded of you.
Every time anyone mentions the Count of Monte Cristo, I'm reminded of you.
Every time I eat something on a bun, I'm reminded of you.
Every time I'm on 48th Avenue between Lake Michigan Drive and Fillmore, I'm reminded of you.
Every time I do motions for "I've got joy like a fountain," I'm reminded of you.
Every time I play with my Rubik's Cube, I'm reminded of you.
Every time I eat any type of apple dessert, I'm reminded of you.
Every time we reminisce about and make plans for the Bible School staff devotions, I think about how George wore his name tag for the whole rest of the day and because you told me about it first and said I should come to the pool to see it, I'm reminded of you.
Every time I come across M*A*S*H while channel-surfing, I'm reminded of you.
Every time I go to the Musical Fountain in Grand Haven, I'm reminded of you.
Every time I walk to the end of the Grand Haven pier, especially at sunset, I'm reminded of you.
Every time I see a burgundy Saturn that looks even remotely like yours, I'm reminded of you.
Every time I spend time with the Kostens, especially Colin, I'm reminded of you.

And every time I'm reminded of you, I wonder when the next reminder will find me.

You Will Find Rest For Your Souls

(I realize that this is a repeat from Facebook, but I posted it 15 months ago, so hopefully it's not too fresh in your minds if you recognize it. I was having trouble sleeping and Someone was nudging me about this).

Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest…You will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:28, 29)

Every day we find ourselves laden with burdens of many kinds. Bad news from a friend, conflict at work, a failed test, death of a loved one, troubled relationships, isolation, depression…all kinds. We carry these things around on our minds and our hearts all day because we don’t want anyone to know our struggles. We don’t want anyone to see past the perfect veneer we’ve put up. Even though we know in our minds that no one is perfect, we’re afraid to show our imperfections.

There’s one person who can always see past the masks we wear. That person is our Father, who wants to make us perfect again. He sees the burdens we carry, the struggles we have, the tears we shed. He knows all about it. He carried the same burdens. In fact, he carried the burdens of every single person on the face of the earth. He knows our pain intimately. It breaks his heart to see our tears and know that we are trying to carry our baggage by ourselves.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest…You will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:28, 29)

Come to me,
Give me your sadness,
Give me your pain,
Give me your tears,
Give me your heartache,
Give me your worries,
Give me your fears,
Give me your shame,
Give me your doubt,
Give me your anger,
Give me your stress,
Give me your imperfection,
Give me your troubles,
Give me your everything,
And I will give you rest.

He wants to take it all. Lift up your burdens to our God who can handle them. Raise your arms, heavy-laden, above your head and say, “God, I just can’t do it anymore. I can’t carry these by myself, I need your help, I don’t want to feel this pain anymore.” And He’ll do it. Trust Him with it, He won’t drop it on your head. He’ll take everything you have, all your pain and trouble, everything, because He carried all those burdens to the cross for us.

And there’s nothing we have to do or even can do to receive this blessing. God gives it to us, free of charge, because he loves us so much. We weren’t meant to carry burdens like this. We weren’t meant to feel pain like this. We were meant to live in complete harmony with each other. Since that’s out of the question now, God gives us the opportunity to receive that harmony again. He wants with all His heart for us to come to Him with our troubles and lay them at His feet. He wants nothing to stand in the way of our relationship with him. It’s like we’re standing in a room with God, but there are boxes stacked floor-to-ceiling creating a wall between us and Him. We can’t see Him or hear Him, and that puts a stress on our relationship with Him. But as soon as we ask, He begins to remove the boxes, and we can see his face again. He makes a path for us between the boxes and reaches out to us. To fold us in and wrap his arms around us.

All we have to do is ask.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest…You will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:28, 29)

Imagine that God is sitting in a big ole comfy armchair. He calls you over with his hands held out, waiting for you to climb up into his lap. In our times of darkest and deepest needs, He’s there to hold us safe. In those times when it feels like the rain will never stop, He’s there to cover us with the umbrella of His love. In those times when we feel as though we are nothing, He’s there to whisper in our ear, over and over, You are everything. You are everything. YOU are EVERYTHING. In those times when we feel like it’s not worth it anymore, when our eyes are so clouded by the pain of this world, He’s there to hold our head against His chest and catch our tears as they fall. In those times, He whispers to us, You are everything. You are worth it. You are mine. I love you.

Lift up your burdens. Nothing is too heavy, or too shameful, or too hard, or too impossible for our great God to carry. Every day, let go of what you carry. Every day, claim the love and blessing God has for you. Every day, take your Daddy’s hand and walk with Him. And you will find rest for your soul.

For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. (Isaiah 41:13)

A Prayer For You

Hi,
I was sitting behind you in church tonight and may I just say, your hair looked fantastic. The pastor invited us to greet those around us, and when you turned around, I saw that you were pregnant. It was a bit of a surprise because you certainly don't look pregnant from the back. Anyway, I want you to know that I'm praying for you. I don't know your name, I've met your boyfriend only once or twice, and I worked with his sister for a summer. Maybe this will find its way to you somehow.
I pray that God will draw especially close to you in the next months and years. I'm sure this isn't the future that you had in mind, but I know that God will show you where He wants you to be and He will walk beside you every day. I pray for bravery, for courage, for endurance, for patience, and for peace. I pray that God will keep you healthy and strong so that your baby will grow healthy and strong. I pray that you would feel His love and that He would lend you His strength when you face people who are not supportive. You are beautiful and strong. Don't let ANYONE try to convince you otherwise.

Please, if you are reading this right now, join me and pray for this girl, her family, and her boyfriend. Less judgment, more compassion. Sound like a plan?

Good.

Valió la Pena

Today marks one month of being back in the States and I could not be happier about it. I feel like I've been here for so much longer than a month, but it's been exactly 30 days. I'm finding it hard to believe. Spain seems like a very distant memory to me, and I don't know if that's a good thing or not. Sort of as if it were a really long vacation. I was there for 134 days, but it took less than a quarter of that space of time to forget most of it. That's can't be good, right? It makes me feel a little guilty, almost, like I should have paid more attention and tried to soak more of it in while I was there. While in Spain, I had to tell myself that I was doing my best and that I had to be okay with that. I'm doing the same thing now. I did what I could and I'm okay with it.

Usually, I get the question, "How was it?" Yesterday, a someone asked me, "Was it worth it?" My initial reaction was to say "no" because the first thing I thought of was being frustrated and lonely. Thank goodness I said "yes" so that I wouldn't have to tell him about that. I just said "yes" and smiled and provided an explanation involving how great it was to travel, how much my Spanish improved, etc. He got his ice cream, we said good bye, and that was that.

I've been thinking more and more about it, calculating the pros and cons in my head. I'm happy to say that the  pros have won, posting a win for the "worth it" side. Here are a few of the less obvious reasons:
 - A boy who turned out to be the son of two missionaries in Nicaragua came into the store yesterday and I was able to talk with him in Spanish for several minutes. He thought it was so cool that I knew Spanish. I thought it was so cool that I REMEMBERED Spanish.
 - I have a greater appreciation for the differences in the racial/ethnic labels we use. I know many people that use "Mexican" or "Spanish" as a blanket term to refer to anyone that speaks Spanish or is Hispanic. Let's clarify: Spanish is an adjective used to describe people or things that come from Spain. Mexicans are people that live in or come from Mexico. There are 16 other Spanish-speaking countries in Central and South America, and "Mexican" does not to refer to any of the people that live in those countries. If you must use a blanket term, use "hispanoamerican" or "latinoamerican."
 - People smile and sometimes even say "hi" when you pass them in the street here. I never appreciated until last semester, where people stare you up and down instead of smiling at you.
 - I can actually participate in conversations centering on Spanish soccer. And by "participate," I really mean "pretend to be mildly interested and insert a few "Viva Barça"s in from time to time." But at least I know what they're talking about and that Real Madrid is composed of fruitcakes.

In short, yes, sir, it was worth it. Thank you for asking. :)