On Fire- A God Moment

God is so amazing! All the time, but it just hit me like a wave...

Coming back from Haiti and re-entering my normal life has been a challenge. My team and I have been back for 17 days and I'm struggling with unrest in my spirit. I'm committed to seek God about it and through it, but the day to day stuff is still difficult.

Tonight, I was on the phone with my sister, then my brother. I was telling them both a little about how I'm feeling. (I know I sound messed up when I get tag-team calls from them.) One of the last things my brother said to me was "Don't forget how many people you impact, that to them it's important what you've done. You might not think it was anything, but you really help people." My non-emotional response was something like "Yeah, I know."

Moments later, as I was ending the call with my brother David, I got a text. It said "You rock."

This simple gesture brought me to tears. God used a member of Southbrook to encourage me. This man has done this before for me, lifting me up when I am discouraged. His and God's timing could not have been more perfect. The tears kept coming as "On Fire" by Switchfoot came on my iPod. (I'll just say it- I was a bit of a mess for several minutes.)

How amazing is God?- to know what I needed before I knew what to ask for and to provide it within moments of me realizing my need. Tonight I was overcome with gratitude for who God is and a renewed appreciation for how he works.

This was a huge God moment for me. I haven't blogged in a long time, but I couldn't not share. I believe that all Christ followers have encounters with God, I call them God moments. He reveals some aspect of Himself, His will, or His truth to us and it stops us dead in our tracks. My experience could not have been more powerful, small as it may seem to some. It's mine though, and it has affected me greatly.

I pray that as we seek God, we can have eyes to see Him.

That made my day!

- I probably wouldn't read this post if I was me b/c I don't read long blogs, but whatever. Make a cup of coffee and hunker down.

I don't actually know why I am so happy about this (I probably have pride issues), but it has put a smile on my face and it's not going away. I was having dinner tonight with my friend Christy and her younger cousin Hannah at Brixx Pizza. Conversation happening, etc., etc.- fast forward to the good part...

Christy says to me "Hannah goes to (the high school I used to teach at)... Hannah took art this year... Jen used to teach art there." That's when her cousin says something like "Oh, that's you? People talk about you there. All the students miss you. They say you were the best art teacher. Yeah, I heard you gave them a lot of work and were tough, but they respected you because they learned a lot. They still talk about you."

My jaw hit the table and I started the grand inquiry. "Really!?! Wow. I never thought they would miss me. Blah, blah, blah." I couldn't shut up about it and I definitely can't stop thinking about it. I was completely floored!

That is the best compliment I have ever received. Now, don't get me wrong. There are plenty of students that came through my classroom, punched the time clock (so to speak), and went on their way. There was many times when I would ask myself what was I doing this job for? Did it really matter? Was it worth all the frustration? Now I know- yes. Yes it was worth it, yes it mattered to some people.

I've had it in the back of my mind for years that I was really working for God, not a principal or dept. chair. (That has helped me do great at some not so great jobs.) But I now realize that I missed an opportunity to see a light in my workplace to my fellow teachers, but to know that I was able to positively affect a few students- that is priceless. It's nice to be missed, but that I was respected... I don't have the words. I never tried to be their friend, and I would tell them that- "I'm not your friend, I'm your teacher." I might have even said "I don't care if you like me."

I used to question the way I taught and I would come to the conclusion that I couldn't do it any other way. It was who I was and how I was. Being that laissez-faire, look the other way teacher was not me; I was all about the business (example-I labeled all the drawers and cabinets meticulously). I am reminded, even now in my present situations, that God made me a certain way, and to try to be something different is a waste of time.

Short story- long: I hope you get the encouragement you need to keep charging up whatever hill God has placed you on.

Things I've Been Chewing On

One of the books I am currently reading was recommended by my pastor during a recent mid-week service at church. "Experiencing God" by Henry Blackaby has been awesome so far. Here are some of the things that are still lingering upstairs:

• It is one thing to believe in God's power, it is quite another to live your life in obedient response to an all-powerful God.
• God calls you into a relationship in which He is Lord- where you are willing to do and be anything He chooses.
• "Where I am, there My servant also will be." John 12:26
• When you offer yourself to God as His servant, He first expects to shape you into the instrument of His choosing. He will always work in you before He works through you.

That last one especially has been very real for me recently. (Raise your hand if you think God is currently shaping you and refining you through life circumstances and relationships...) You are such a LIAR!! Raise your hand right now. God loves us too much to leave us just where we are, just as we are.

There's way more highlight-worthy tidbits in there, so just go ahead and get the book. -JM