Choose to Rest Rather Than Worry: Part II - Sounds great, but HOW?

Are you tired of going through each day exhausted? My friend who happens to be a school counselor and I have joked about making and wearing a t-shirt that says, "Why am I so tired?" We joked that we would probably sell quite a few. Resting in Jesus sounds great....hummmn, but I really don't know how. How can we actually rest in Him when we have never seen or heard Jesus physically? Resting "in" someone seems strange. What does THAT mean?

The best way for a practical mind to grasp this concept is to compare it to when we physically rest. When we take a nap or go to bed for the evening, how do we actually rest and fall asleep? It takes a clearing of our minds and a total release of control or relaxation, along with a general sense of being safe. When we can't sleep it is usually caused by our minds reliving a situation or conversation that happened during the day trying to figure out what we could have done differently to change the outcome. Maybe our minds are doing our best to plan for what will we have to do in the coming day or days. We are still working. It is no wonder we can't fall asleep and allow our bodies to rest. Resting in Jesus during our waking hours is very much like resting our bodies as we sleep.

First Peter 5:6-7 says, Therefore humble yourselves [acknowledge that you cannot do it alone] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you, casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.

The only way to have energy and stamina in our lives is to play by God's rules, and He says we must quit worrying if we want to have peace. So when we have a tough situation arise, we need God's help. How do we get it? First Peter 5:6-7 says: 1) humble yourselves, and 2) cast your care on Him.



We are great at 2)casting our cares to Jesus. We pray like crazy about many things asking for God's divine intervention, but we tend to be like fishermen. We cast out the line, only to reel it back in. We rehash and over analyze and try to take a stab at fixing a challenge ourselves again because we think we know best. We try to trust in ourselves once again, and why do we do that? ... Because we have yet to humble ourselves.

Humbling ourselves is very difficult for us to do. The world tells us that we have to be strong and smart. We have to be saavy to survive. We have to prepare, plot, and plan. We must TRY HARDER. With all those messages coming at us it is no wonder we struggle. Humbling ourselves is not natural to us. We have to overcome the flesh and messages around us and admit that we are limited as a human beings. When we humble ourselves and ask for His help, then He's able to release His power in our situations. It's only then that we can really enjoy life.

How do we humble ourselves in practical terms?

Admit that we don't have the power, knowledge, or ability to resolve the issues we face each day. Remember to connect to Jesus and take on His yoke. Say an inner prayer that goes something like this, "I know my mind is just a human one that doesn't have all the answers. I am not omniscient or omnipresent, but Jesus, You are. You know. Release your power into this situation, so that the best possible resolution can be found and accomplished. I will do what I can and leave the rest to you. I give up control and put this challenge out of my mind and into your hands. You already know the outcome, and I know that in YOU the right outcome will occur. In your powerful name, I pray."

So the cure for worry is humbling ourselves before God, casting our cares on Him, and trusting Him. Instead of reeling the concern and worry about our student, that parent, or a co-worker, back into ourselves, God wants us to place our trust in Him and enter into His rest, totally giving it all away to His care. I know that when we are able to believe and say, "God, I trust You," it will literally change our lives. Psalm 37:3 says, Trust…in the Lord and do good.... God didn't create us to worry about helping ourselves all the time. He wants us to sow good seed by reaching out to help others. When we simply trust God and get busy doing the good things we know to do, then He'll bring a harvest of blessings into our lives and meet our needs.

Lord,

I pray that we can truly humble ourselves before you and give up our cares and concerns. We know that over-analyzing and rehashing issues is unproductive and exhausting. We admit that we are not able to do our work alone. Help us to truly release our cares to you trust and acknowledge that you have it all under control without us. We want to rest in you and enjoy the blessings and energy of a good life that you have planned for us. I die to myself and give my whole being over to You. Jesus, it is in Your powerful name I pray. Amen.

Choose to Rest Rather Than Worry: Part I

An educator's work is not easy. No matter our role, we have a great responsibility to make the best choices, to select the best strategies and activities, to predict every possible scenario in order to head off misconceptions, behavior problems, and misunderstandings. We are to supervise, lead, love, be flexible, yet firm, be interesting, fun, and rigorous. We have to know our students' strengths and weaknesses, while also supporting them emotionally. We are to communicate, collaborate, and be on the hunt for what works. Wow! Who can do all that and ever rest? I am exhausted just thinking about the weight of our work. But seriously, what is a person to do? Freak out? Worry? Panic? Whine? Complain? Give up? Run? Lash out? Cry?

No, we need to learn how to experience rest. If all we needed was physical rest we can always take a nap, but not at school. If we needed only emotional rest, we can always take a vacation, but not until Fall Break or Spring Break. We need it now. How can we find rest while doing our work right now?

Matthew 28, Jesus says,“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

We will experience rest when we take Jesus up on his offer to take his yoke upon us. When we think about a yoke, we usually think of a heavy wooden contraption that keeps us connected with another to do hard work. It doesn't sound very fun or comfortable for that matter. But Jesus' yoke is the yoke of relationship.

James Botts, in his sermon titled, "Rest For the Stressed", breaks the meaning of the yoke down well. He says the yoke symbolizes the following:

1. Connection “Be with Me.” Yokes are made for two, not one. We were not meant to go through life living apart from God. His yoke fits well and is lighter than the one we’ve been pulling by ourselves. Be connected to Jesus!

2. Direction “Follow Me.” The idea of a yoke pictures the forward motion of two connected together. You cannot be yoked to Jesus and go your own way anymore. We follow Him and His direction for our life. Follow Jesus!

3. Cooperation “Work with Me.” To be yoked together means that we cooperate with His work. Before we come to Him, we were living for this side of eternity. Now we are joined to His work and discover that our lives make an eternal impact.

To close, I challenge you to recognize that it is a mistake for us to attempt to do our work by yourself in a single collar. God never intended us to work alone. A yoke is a neck harness for two, and the Lord Himself pleads to be One of the two in your yoke. He wants to share the responsibility we have to do all those things listed above. The secret of peace, rest, and victory is found in tossing off the single collar of “self” and accepting Jesus' relaxing “yoke.”

Dear Heavenly Father,

We know you see the weight of our work in schools. Help us to rely on You to pull the load with us as we go through our daily challenges and struggles. Let us be the people who do not give in to fear and emotions, but to be those who are confident that You are in control and all will be well. Let us show the world the unexplainable peace that only comes from resting in our relationship with You, Jesus, that they will be drawn to You and find rest for themselves.

I pray in the powerful name of Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior, Amen.

The Power of Your Words: Intentionally Choose to Be Encouraging and Value-Added

Proverbs 12:18 teaches “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

As educators, we, teachers, instructional assistants, principals, and even superintendents, really have no idea of the power of our words on others. The enormity of this responsibility gets lost on us at times. Our humanity gets in the way when we are tired, stressed, physically ill, or emotionally hurt. Most times, we never learn of our offending words until the damage is done. Usually we don’t mean to hurt people. The words just "pop out" without planning.

If we are honest with ourselves, after putting ourselves in the shoes of the offended, we are left feeling badly, misunderstood, and remorseful and wish we could suck the words back in; but, if we have a haughty spirit, we tell ourselves a person deserves it or needs to hear it. What is your typical response after a slip? Even when a heartfelt apology is delivered and accepted, a question is left in the mind of the hurt person... "Will he or she hurt me again? Does he or she REALLY think that?" It takes many positive emotional interactions to make make up for one simple, poorly thought out comment.

Even the Bible says that we in ourselves cannot control our tongues. So then, what is a teacher, instructional assistant, principal, and even superintendent to do? The good news is that we don't have to do it alone. In fact, we cannot do it alone. The power of prayer will provide.

We need to be under the control of the Holy Spirit. We must die to ourselves daily, a choice we make every day, and allow Jesus to rule in our lives. When your tongue is under the control of God, you will speak God’s words, words that add value, help others, and encourage them. We need to specifically ask for Jesus to help form every word that comes out of our mouths, to hold our thoughts captive before verbalizing them, and run them through the filter of Christ. Practice Teach Like a Champion's Technique 47: Emotional Constancy. This technique not only is helpful when applied in the classroom, but it is also very beneficial in all relationships we have.

Even when you need to have a tough conversation with a colleague, student, parent, boss, relative, or friend, thoughtful prayer prior to the discussion will make all the difference. You can speak the truth in love. Tie your emotions to the performance and not the person. The prayers do not have to be out loud. It can be under your breath or silently said in your head. God can hear your innermost thoughts and groans. The prayer could go something like this, "Jesus, I know I am unable to have this conversation on my own, help me to control my emotions and speak your words, not mine. Give me the words that will be meaningful and understood. Please help my friend to hear my words and know that they come from the heart in order to help not hurt."

So, I challenge you make your words count by understanding the power they have by purposely using our tongues in the following ways:

* Say Nothing: The Bible says there is a time and season for everything under the sun, there is a time to keep silent - Ecclesiastes 3:7
* Be a Witness: A tongue that is productive continually wants to build and expand the Kingdom of God. In order to do that, the Gospel must be shared with others. But more so than that, the Gospel must be lived through words and actions that reflect Christ.
* Speak the Truth in Love: Christ not only spoke what was true, but He did so with love. By doing so, the person He spoke to came to the conclusion that what they were involved in wasn’t right on their own.
* Make Positive Confessions: If you talk failure, it will conquer you. If you talk fear, it will grip you. We shouldn’t use our tongues to glorify a bad situation. Instead, we should think and speak positive things. Remember the whole sowing and reaping principle.
* Praise the Lord: Bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. – Psalms 34:1

Dear Heavenly Father,

I pray for each of us to have a humble spirit realizing that we alone cannot control our tongues. We ask that You tame our tongues and not allow any thoughtless words or phrases to "pop out". Help us to use our tongues in positive ways that glorify You and lead others to the see You in us. Make our witness one that draws others to the Kingdom and encourages our brothers and sisters in Christ to be Jesus in skin for all.

In Jesus's powerful name I pray - Amen.

The Courage to Manage Your Classroom So ALL Can Learn

As we begin the second week of school, I allege there will still be a few more days of the "honeymoon" period that we have with our students. But very soon, a few students will test the boundaries we have set. They will question the procedures we have taught and see if we really mean it. The manner in which we handle these tests is so critical to the success of the entire school year.

Proverbs 21:11 says "When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom; by paying attention to the wise they get knowledge."

This verse talks about the three groups of people, or students in our case, — the wise, the simple, and the mocker - all of which may be in our classrooms. We hope and pray that our rooms are filled with the wise students who listen to instruction and learn from it. Wise students are open to learning from others. The wise student has an heart for learning and sees its benefits.

Simple students are not confident in themselves; they are still trying on different persona to determine who they want to be. They can be easily influenced by the popular, the funny, or the confident. They decide how they will behave when they see our response to misbehavior. If we are consistent in enforcing procedures and expectations, the simple will join the wise in learning. Practice Do It Again* and 100 Percent*!

If you give in, allow yourself to get tired and look the other way, the students who rebel against your expectations will interrupt teaching and learning. The students who are sitting on the fence will join in the bad behavior. Fortify yourself with prayer each morning to have the strength to be consistent with boundaries. As we remain consistent in our high expectations, more and more students will become wise. The fence-sitters' response to authority depends upon the actions of the teacher. They will either follow the learners or follow the mockers when they decide which side wins.

The students who test us must receive firm and quick correction. But, I challenge you to correct with finesse. Use positive framing* and What To Do* as you work toward 100 Percent*. Do not overlook little challenges—rolling eyes, smirks, put downs, innuendoes, partial obedience, and challenging questions regarding your ability as a teacher. Ignoring the rebel or mocker is like feeding a cancer and allowing it to grow.

Reward those who join in creating a positive learning environment. As we reward the "right" choices, we encourage correct behavior. When we reward those who make good choice with appreciation and privileges, the fence-sitters learn the value of learning and cooperation. When we consistently deal with the rebel by giving him/her their earned consequences; the simple will decide that the ways of the rebel are not worth it.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I pray for each of us to be strong and firm in our desire to create a positive learning environment in which no student or group of students steal from another the opportunity to learn. Give us the courage to say what we mean and mean what we say. Help us to be specific in our expectations and direct teaching of procedures and expectations. Open our eyes and nudge us to reward the students who follow directions and participate in class. Help us to lovingly discipline the students who misbehave, so that those who are unsure learn wisdom and the mockers learn to make wise choices. Help us to hold one another up and strengthen our resolve to provide an environment where all can learn.

I also pray for the students who are not yet wise. I pray for them to soften their hearts to correction. Help them to see the value in education. Help them to overcome personal circumstances and experiences and come to the point where they see us as partners and people who love them enough to hold them accountable to becoming the best they can be.

In Jesus name I pray - Amen.

Adapted and personalized from content found on http://www.teacherdevotion.com/Devotion_Archives.html.
*Strategies to taken from Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemov.