For those who are not in the education profession, the amount of vacation time educators are afforded is incomprehensible. However, for those of us in the classrooms 180 days a year, we know that the breaks are a necessity for the sake of students and our sanity. Many people do different things with the eight weeks or so of summer break. For my first six summers, I always had something work or work-adjacent to do, like summer job, cheer camp, summer teaching training. As this summer approached though, I realized that I had nothing to do.
I had already participated in One Spark and gone to Nashville. I have spent wisely enough during the school year to not need to get an extra job to fill in the gap this summer. The program that I worked the last two years was canceled due to budget cuts. I had eight weeks with absolutely nothing to do. Well, I take that back, the first week was a family vacation/trip to take my oldest nephew to college, but other than that, I was staring down the barrel of weeks and weeks with no planned agenda. The main thing the summer gives me is the opportunity to sleep in later in the morning than I can during the school year. And, the extra few hours of morning sleep was really the only thing about which I was excited. Spending seven or more weeks at home, with just my cat, my television, my guitar and my thoughts to keep me company was a really scary proposition. Furthermore, I just found it to be outright lazy to sit around all summer and not do anything. I have come a long way from the young woman who could not be alone. Still, I have managed to be sure that my life is filled with activity and people I love, so that the times when I feel lonely are few and far between. So, I challenged myself to do little to nothing this summer. I challenged myself to relax, get rest, be free and, well, be lazy. Not lazy in the sense of slothfulness, but lazy in the sense of not tying myself to a bunch of commitments just for the sake of having something to do. For the first couple of weeks, I started to sense that I would become one with my couch and be imprisoned by my thoughts (a very scary place to be at times). Then, I started dedicating more time to stillness and quietness. I started communing more with God instead of running to everyone else in my life with my every thought or idea. And, slowly, but surely, I started to feel comfortable with me. I am not a hermit (though, I thought that might be where this was going). I do leave the house. I go to church. I hang out with my family. Nonetheless, a beautiful thing has happened. I became okay with just God and me. I did not feel as alone as I once feared I would in quietness and solitude. It is still a work in progress, but no longer do I feel obligated to stay busy to avoid the fact that I do not have the life I envisioned. Instead, I can rest in my Father and allow Him to show me His vision for my life. Make no mistake, there are some rough days, but I have survived being by myself with nothing to do. I have more than survived; I have thrived. I have learned to enjoy this place of solace. Now, it might make it hard to go back to work in a few weeks, or maybe, I just will not feel so pressured to stay busy for the sake of being busy. Time will tell, but for now, I am enjoying the time that God has given me. Ms. EV
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In 1 Samuel 13, Saul and his army are fighting in a battle with the Philistines at Gilgal. The Lord, through Samuel, told Saul to wait seven days, until Samuel arrived, and then, He would give Saul the victory. Saul, though he was holding his ground, however, felt that Samuel was taking too long, and as soon as the seventh day hit and Samuel was not there, Saul took it upon himself to make a sacrificial offering. Just after he did this, Samuel arrived. Samuel let Saul know that, because of his disobedience, he would be replaced by God as king.
At first glance, I read this story and I could not understand why what Saul did was so wrong. He was watching his soldiers die left and right. So, he did what he knew to do and offered a sacrifice. His men were hiding, scattering, and afraid. What was he supposed to do? Well, that question is answered by Samuel. Saul was supposed to wait. And, because he did not wait in expectant obedience, he was later removed from his position as king. This piece of history cuts me to the core. I have so many dreams that I believe God will make come true. Yet, there are times when I, like Saul, think God is not moving fast enough. Or, I think that there is something I am supposed to be doing rather than be still and wait on Him. So, I try to make things happen. And, let me just tell you, it always ends up being a bad choice to be disobedient; even when the action seems harmless. Samuel very plainly told Saul, “God appointed you and then He made an appointment with you. You did not keep your appointment with God, so He will now appoint someone else. Thanks for playing!” Okay, so maybe those weren’t his exact words, but you get the point. We must ask ourselves, “If God appointed me to do this task, am I keeping my appointment with Him or am I forcing Him to appoint someone else?” When God says, “Wait,” we must wait. When God says, “Move,” we must move. It seems simple, but if you are like me, you have messed it up a time or twenty. So, keep your appointments with God, spend time with Him, learn what He wants from you and then, do it, so He does not have to appoint someone else to complete the task that is meant for you. Ms. EV Tuesday night, many people across America tuned in to the State of the Union address by President Obama. He outlined our nation's needs and desires, our victories and failures, and then, give a plan of action for our future. It made me think, "What is the state of my union?" I'm not married, but I am in a relationship with Christ. So, what are my needs and desires? My victories and failures? And, what is my plan of action for the future? I'm not about to answer those questions in front of all of you, but I will say that it is good to take inventory and it should happen more than once a year.
We should all ask ourselves if our relationship with Christ is growing. If it is, we should ask God to show us how can we keep it growing closer. If it is stagnant, we need to examine what is holding us back from experiencing the fullness of God. What are the distractions, disappointments, and disillusions that are keeping us from taking a step closer to God. We should take note of our victories in Christ and our failures to self or Satan. We should give God praise for the victories and for the mercy He shows us when we fall short. We should take the time to allow God to show us a path for the future. Notice I said path and not destination. God shows us the pieces to the puzzle and lets us know when we are on the right track or gently guides us back on the right road (or, if you're being hard-headed like I can be, chastises us until we find our way back) . When the President finished speaking, there was a rebuttal, and political pundits from all over will weighed in on the speech. But, that's where God, the King of Kings, is so much more faithful than our government. When you have your state of the union, God is the only one who needs to hear. You don't need anyone else's approval. You don't have to defend your position to another human being. So, what is the state of your union with Christ? Ms. EV |
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