Magnified blessings

As I prepare to go to bed tonight, I can't help but meditate on a quote I stumbled upon this morning:

"How much more pleasant this world would be if we magnified our blessings the way we magnify our disappointments."  - Unknown.

Humbling, right?!  Off the top of my head I can rattle off trivial disappointments like my failed attempt at a car wash because the machine did not accept my cash,  forgetting to buy kidney beans at the store, waiting for over 15 minutes for a lane at the pool, and spending half the day with my name tag from church still displayed on the front of my sun dress.  And that's just scratching the surface.  

On the other hand, communicating my blessings takes far more work.   Even at a trivial level, listing my blessings doesn't seem to prompt the same kind of discussion that disappointments do.  This is not to say that blessings don't prompt conversation, but for some reason most people are much better at relating to disappointment then they are at identifying with blessing.  Perhaps this is because we tend to have more practice at one than the other? 

For me, the answer to that question poses a call to action.   I am literally minutes away from closing my eyes and sleeping away the last moments of my freedom-filled spring break.   Being back into the swing of things will inevitably throw me into a situation where my disappointments will be easy to name in contrast with the quiet and restful week that I am leaving behind.  Given the fact that work in and of itself is a blessing, something tells me that whatever I am seeking to share with others is what I will see.    It may be easier to magnify a disappointment but it is far more edifying to give voice to a blessing.   

Sin is ugly

Sin sure is ugly.  I'm sure this statement needs no explanation but for the curious reader, I have explained myself below.   

As I was was preparing for my work week, I decided to momentarily set my computer aside while I went in pursuit of some much needed scripture.  I decided to revisit some of the verses from my Sunday school class and was immediately struck by the verse 1 Peter 2:1-2 "Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.  Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation."   There it is: the ugliness of sin.   Malice. Deceit.  Hypocrisy.  Envy. Slander.  Every one of these verbs has played a role in my life over the last month and I am humbled to realize that the stress I have been carrying around can largely be attributed to the sin in my own life.   Stress feels circumstantial, and yet our battle is never against flesh and blood.  I am in no way minimizing the effects of stressful circumstances, but I do want to be clear that where Satan is present, a battle exists.  While this battle has been swelling around me, malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander worked their way into my heart.   No wonder I was having a hard time living my life verse, Proverbs 11:25, "A generous man will prosper: he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."   

So, what's next?  Actively praying the truth of 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 " May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.  May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it."      


This battle is not done but I have been called by the One who has overcome the grave.   He is faithful, and He will do it.   

wrapping up the week

Do you ever feel the need to end your work week on a positive note?  I usually wake up on Friday mornings bound and determined to start my day with gratitude.   You see, when I let gratitude permeate my decisions, there is usually no bad thing that can stand in my way.   Some grateful highlights of the week are:

1.  This morning I started my day with this song.  My soul really does rejoice because the Lord is victorious and He loves me in spite of myself.   

2. I went to see The Lion King with my friend Pushpa on Tuesday night.   It was incredible.  I don't usually do big social things like this in the middle of the week but the Lord is Sovereign in all things and He knew I needed this night out long before I did.   

3. I have made a Green Monster Smoothie  for breakfast every day this week.   Ironically, things have come up at work causing me either to cut my lunch short or miss it completely for the last four work days.   Thankfully, this nutrient-packed breakfast has kept me full much longer than cereal, making it totally okay that I have been unpacking my lunch around 3:30 in the afternoon.     I'm lovin' my Christmas blender! 

4. I am getting my haircut tomorrow.   I don't think I'll loose much length but I'm ready to have some body and hopefully some style back. 

5. Last but not least, I am beyond thankful for the sufficiency of the Lord.   He really is enough. 

15 and counting

When I am a woman on a mission, I will always accomplish what I set out to do.  That's my stubborn disposition working to my advantage :)   This month my non-school related goal was to knit cotton dishcloths for my sisters bridal shower.   I don't usually love knitting things that involve a formal pattern but I was bound and determined to make this happen - so I did!  Who knows, I might even be crazy enough to tackle mittens next! 

Catching up

Due to my lack of consistent blogging, there are a plethora of things I could catch you up on.  Here are four of them:   

First, it should be noted that my bedroom smells faintly of chlorine because my swimsuit is hanging up instead of being tucked neatly in my gym bag.   This the subtle consequence of being under the weather and therefore taking a couple days off from the gym.    

Second, I would like to note that I have cooked numerous things in my favorite cookbook since I last posted any new recipes.   Some highlights include: spinach dip, sour cream coffee cake, caramel sticky rolls, vegetable-beef-barley soup (in the crock pot of course!), toffee bars, rice pilaf, sweet-sour cabbage (also in the crock pot!), and an apple-pear salad.    Did I mention that I gained weight over the holidays?   This might be why. . .

Third, I have two new food websites that I have enjoyed frequenting.   They include: http://crockingirls.com/ and http://iowagirleats.com/.  For my stage of life, I find myself gravitating more towards Iowa girl eats because her food is healthier and she's not feeding a crowd.  The crockin' girls created their website for busy moms, which makes their recipes fast and mild. Even though I am less inclined to cook their food, I can't help but be sucked into all of the slow-cooking enthusiasm they are spreading like wildfire! 

Since food is a relevant and necessary part of life, I will probably always love being inspired by new recipes.  For example, equipped with my new Christmas blender, I was able to try this recipe for breakfast.  In another post, Iowa Girl Eats traded out the yogurt for 1/3 cup of oats, and since I like oats way more than yogurt that's exactly how I made mine.   I have to say it was a very satisfying breakfast and I felt awesome about myself for kicking off my day with so much spinach.   You can't go wrong with the super foods! 

Fourth, I may or may not have eaten half a bag of Dove caramel milk chocolates and Gatorade for dinner.  This might actually cancel out my decision to drink spinach for breakfast but I feel as though the occasional un-balanced and indulgent dinner is my right as a single person.  

That about wraps it up.   Have a great night! 

Milestones

Did you know that there are only five months standing between me and the end of the school year?  Yep, you read that right, February, March, April, May and June.   5 months down, 5 months to go. 

I decided in December that I needed to figure out some way to teach my students about time concepts such as years, months, and days of the week.  Lets just say I have become quite the expert since then.    Initially I was intimidated by the thought of having to clearly and consistently teach these concepts for the rest of the year, but now I am thoroughly enjoying passing on something that is deeply rooted in how I process life; milestones.  We visit our calendar every day and talk about 'yesterday. today and tomorrow'.   In those moments it's become incredibly important to me to celebrate yesterday, build excitement for today and anticipate tomorrow.  

That got me thinking - most often, the most meaningful milestones in life are the ones we have to look for, not the ones we can obviously see.   If I truly believe that the hand of the Lord is placed securely on my life then there will never be a day that doesn't hold significance. 

As I let my faith in the unseen replace all of the feelings I have built up and invested in my tangible reality, I feel the Lord pulling me back to my relationships.   After all, life is valuable because of relationships not because of performance.  This is true first and foremost in our relationship with the Lord.  He loved us while we were yet sinners and died just so that we could enter into a relationship with Him. I bring this up because I leave work most days feeling like I need to perform better.  Lets face it: I am often disappointed with my performance as a teacher because  I have struggled to unlock concepts like telling time, writing with proper punctuation and the mechanics of reading (among many, many other things).   However, the relationships I have created in my classroom are deeply significant to me and are far more valuable to the Lord than telling time.    These children enrich my life in ways I could have never asked for, expected or imagined.   They love me well and they trust me with things that are hard for them.   In return, I have had to trust them with things that are hard for me (aka - teaching math).  Learning is hard, but trust is priceless.   At the end of the day I think we can agree that trust is far more significant that learning, but is perhaps as less obvious milestone.   

I have 5 months left to continue to build into the lives of my students.   Today, I am celebrating yesterday and looking forward to all that the Lord will accomplish as I anticipate tomorrow.  

satisfaction.

This morning as I was slowly inching my way to work amongst hundreds of other Minnesota drivers, I was reflecting on what parts of my life I draw satisfaction from.   Certainly there is satisfaction in no longer being afraid of driving in rush hour traffic (a milestone that will most likely always amaze me!).   There is also satisfaction in sticking to my bedtime so that I can wake up refreshed instead of frustrated.   And who could forget the satisfaction that comes from having a really good conversation with a friend?   The longer my commute became, the more time I had to realize that the activity I most consistently draw satisfaction from is lap swimming.  

I realize that not everyone gets excited about immersing themselves in water and walking down a drafty hallway in the middle of winter, but even the anticipation of hopping in the pool puts my mind at ease.   You see, I cook to accomplish something but I swim to de-stress.    Let's be honest, my fate without an outlet to de-stress in is not a pretty one!

Regardless of whether I climb in the pool at 5am or 9pm, it has become incredibly important to me to make time to swim.   Swimming has given me a consistent outlet to exercise through, a healthy way to get in shape, and a predictable space to process my day in, regardless of what it was like.   Additionally, before re-introducing lap swimming into my life fifteen months ago, I questioned whether or not I would have the motivation and will to be intentionally active long-term.   Now that I swim there is no doubt in my mind that this is how I will work out for many years to come.  That might be the most satisfying part of all.