Can I Get a Praise Offering!?

Well if these past few weeks haven't been a whirlwind, then I have no understanding of that definition.  Student teaching has gotten off to a most crazy start. I have never in my entire life been this busy. Between the 9 hour days at school, church events I can't stand to miss, and weekend plans...I haven't been able to catch my breath.

This marks my 5th week in Student teaching. I have had to push myself physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

After having a 4 day school week of days only semi-filled with class, going back to the elementary school schedule plus extra hours has been quite the adjustment. Waking up at 5:30 every morning has never exactly been on my radar. I mean only 4 months ago if someone told me to wake up at 5:30, I would think they were absolutely nuts. But lo and behold it's my schedule!

So yesterday everything decided to crash. My immune system decided to wage war on strep this week, the struggle of not being able to openly talk about Jesus to my students reached it's climax, and trying to remember every detail of each lesson was too much mentally, and then just fighting off the attacks of the enemy at school just left me feeling like I was defeated.

I had this mental image of the enemy's army surrounding me, as I sat there broken, and unable to pick up my sword anymore. I was utterly spent.

I decided to still go to Bible Study at church. My group prayed over me the most kind, encouraging, uplifting words. I felt them pull on heaven. The tears streamed down my face, something I had tried for so long to withhold. Forging a path through the enemy's army, they picked me up, powerless and broken. And they led me to my Savior's arms.

It was in the arms of my Sweet Savior that I was refreshed and renewed. Though my body was utterly spent, I could feel his life pulse in my heart. I went home that night, still feeling his hold. I sat there at his feet believing that in the morning his grace would be thick upon me and that I would be healed of my head cold and able to still go to school for my supervisor's observation.

Though I had come home after school and crashed in bed, after Bible Study I was able to stay up late and finish all my lesson plans and work that I needed to get done. I only got 4 hours of sleep, but when I woke up this morning there was such a refreshment in the air. His presence was tangible. I didn't feel nearly as bad as I had expected with my cold, and I went before him again believing for healing. Soon after that my sister came in with medicine I hadn't tried for congestion. At first I refused, saying that Jesus would heal me.

He then gave me the image of a story I've heard before:

There was a man who got stuck on his roof in the midst of a great flood. He cried out to God to save him. A boat came by and the driver called to the man to jump into the boat to go to safety. But the man said, "No, God will save me." Then a helicopter came by and threw him a life line, but once again he refused, saying God would save him.  Again a boat came by telling him this was his very last chance to escape. He refused firmly believing God would still save him. The man was overcome by the flood. Once in heaven he asked God why he hadn't saved him. God looked at the man with pity and said, "Son, I sent you 3 life lines and you took none of them."

Sometimes God answer our prayers with simple means.  We just expect this extravagant answer and so overlook the response of our Father.

Well when I remembered that story I took the nasal spray. As soon as I sprayed my nose, all this "yuck" immediately washed out. I just started laughing at God's grace and care. And so I went to school.

My supervisor came to observe my lesson. It went great. Afterwards my supervisor sat down with me and gave me such hope. He only had 2 little things for me to change, and said that my lesson was excellent. I was shocked. All this time I had thought that I was doing poorly and had so much to improve on in every possible way. To hear those words come from his mouth overwhelmed me with gratefulness to my Savior, who I know was in that room with me today.

I had only ever taught one group lesson like this before, and to hear such encouraging and complementing words from a man who has been in the education field his whole life was such a blessing.

I wanted to laugh multiple times because Christ's hand was so evident throughout the entire observation.

All that I can say is that my God is so utterly faithful to the very last detail of our lives. Here I was utterly spent less than 24 hrs ago, exhausted in every sense of the word, feeling defeated and hopeless in my work, when he picks me up and carries me to glory. I have never before felt such a filling of God's strength. I mean, I could tangibly sense that the strength inside me was not my own.

May we have more faith in our God, and may we give him the honor and glory that he deserves. He cares for us so much. May this day be a testament of God's faithfulness to his beloved children. He wants to do things like this and more for all of us. There is no one special. I did nothing to deserve this. But because my heavenly sisters lifted me up in prayer and because God is Love, he graced me with himself so evidently today.

Hallelujah, he is near. He is always faithful, always near. Praying for you. You are important and beloved. I can't wait to see his children come to KNOW him for who he truly is. He is so so so worthy of our affection and adoration.

Blessings.