MY BLOG POSTS

I have a pretty beat-up desk chair in my classroom. It is really nothing special, just an old chair I don’t use anymore because it is uncomfortable for me. My students, however, love this chair.

“The Chair”

And I understand – compared to the hard plastic chairs they have, this one is pretty sweet.

Since I got a new chair, students will arrive to class early, just to sit in the old one. They will fight over it, argue over whose turn it is to have it. They are sure they do better work while sitting in “the chair”. It has become a prize and a good luck charm.

I was thinking about it this morning, as I watched students racing into my classroom, pushing each other out of the way to reach “the chair.” I thought of a favorite CS Lewis quote: “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

The chair is kind of like the “mud pies in the slum” Lewis is talking about. It seems great, compared to the alternative. But we all know this isn’t really the greatest chair. I’m sure my students all have chairs at home that are far nicer, far more comfortable. But, in the “world” of my classroom, this is as good as it gets.

Friends, we can have our “chairs” here (or our “mud pies”!) — things or people or experiences that we think are the greatest, that we will wait for and fight for and feel confident that they are the greatest in the world. But that’s just because our “worlds” are too small.

We are, as CS Lewis says, “far too easily pleased.” We can get so caught up in this world that we forget that this world is not our home. So we start to look for things or people or experiences to make us happy. In doing that, we miss out on the joy of living in the reality that we were made for so much more.

We have the offer of “infinite joy” – in knowing Christ and living for eternity. We have a purpose beyond this planet. We serve a God whose plans for us are inexpressibly marvelous. We don’t need to fight over things that really don’t matter.

What’s your “chair”? Maybe it’s good grades, or a boyfriend, college acceptance, popularity, or money, power…Take a good look at it. Is it really worth all the fighting and striving and stress to grab hold of? Will it truly bring you joy?

Let’s release the hold things of this world have on us, and live focused on what is truly valuable.

“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 3:14

Ellie and her nemesis – the “babi” – 2006

This weekend, Dave and I were cleaning out the garage, and I came across Ellie’s “babi” (pronounced “bah-bee”) from Kindergarten. The “babi” is a smock/dress that every student was to wear every day over his/her clothes. The purpose was to keep paint and glue and snacks off the kids’ clothes – a good idea!

Ellie, however, hated her babi. She thought it was tight and itchy and awful. And so, she often “lost” or “forgot” it. I’d be dropping the kids off at school, and Ellie wouldn’t have her babi. Even though I knew she’d had it before we left! So she went to school without it and, inevitably, I’d find it hours later, stuffed in the side pocket of the car or hidden under her pillow at home.

And on those days, she’d come home with paint and glue and snacks all over her clothes. Ugh. Perfectly good outfits ruined because she refused to follow the rules of her classroom.

As I was folding up the babi and replacing it in the box, I thought of how God has “babis” for us. Specifically, because I now have teens and teach teens, I thought of sex. Teens today are bombarded with songs and TV shows and movies and so much else that normalizes sex before marriage. And yet God says, “Wait. Protect yourself.” He tells us that sex is a gift reserved for marriage. Those who have chosen not to obey that command can attest to the devastation refusing that protection can bring: heartache, shame, regret. And yet, I know, that command can seem constricting and frustrating. We may want to ignore it or refuse it, like Ellie refused her babi. We may think we know better than God, or that certain rules shouldn’t apply to us or to this century or whatever.

But the fact is God’s commands are for our good. Girls (and any guys reading this), you have the opportunity to spend decades having sex – with your spouse. Sex that is guilt-free and God-honoring. Don’t cheapen that gift. In a world where we can get anything we want anytime, stand up and stand out. Wait. Is it difficult? Yes. Will others think you’re crazy? Probably. Is it worth it? Absolutely. As someone who chose to wait, I can tell you it is definitely worth the wait. God knows what He’s doing! He is good.

It’s never too late to choose God’s way, even if you have not chosen that in the past. God’s mercies are new every morning. He forgives and restores. He brings beauty from ashes.

So, friends, put on that “babi,” even if you’d rather leave it behind. The long-term rewards far outweigh the temporary discomfort.

“Flee also youthful lusts, but pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” 2 Tim. 2:22

Yesterday, in our teachers’ meeting, our principal shared a testimony of God’s miraculous provision of a fully furnished, absolutely perfect apartment for her family when they were missionaries in Spain. It reminded me of our Spanish apartment story. Just as miraculous – because God is a great God – but with an unexpected twist.

Toledo, Spain – one of the oldest cities in that beautiful country.

It was May 2006, and we had just landed in Madrid. My kids were 7, 5, and almost 3. We were staying with another missionary family as we searched for a piso (apartment) that would house our family and give us an office from which to work.

I was praying very specifically for this piso – I wanted it to be near a good school for the kids, to be close to a park, to have space for all of us…But most of all, I was praying the community would have a pool. Madrid can get very hot, and few apartments have air conditioning. So, I thought it would be so wonderfully refreshing to have access to a community pool.

Great view from our living room window. But no pool.

We looked and looked and looked, but found no complexes with a pool available to us (being foreigners, it was harder to find a landlord willing to rent to us). When we finally found a place that checked almost all the boxes – a lovely 4/2, 1000 sq. ft piso on the fifth floor of a nice complex on the outskirts of town, near parks and a bilingual school – it did not have a pool.

I was slightly disappointed. But it was such a nice place that the disappointment was quickly replaced by excitement over finally moving in and starting our new adventure in Madrid.

Within a couple weeks, I discovered why God had prevented us from finding a complex with a pool: Topless bathing. Over there, women will go topless, not just at beaches, but at public pools and, you guessed it, community pools, as well. It’s totally acceptable there, and folks don’t think anything of it. Had we been given access to a community pool, I would have had three kids begging to swim every day.

Ellie and Thomas in the kitchen

And, frankly, there are some sights I did not want those little eyes seeing. Call me a crazy conservative American, but there it is. So I would have been constantly frustrated, as would my kids. During – and even for a time after – the piso search, I didn’t understand why God would refuse what seemed a reasonable request. First world problems, I know. But still.

What God taught me through that is to remember He knows SO MUCH more than I do. I should have already learned that lesson, true. But I forget sometimes. He was working for our good, even though, at first, I couldn’t see that.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

On December 14, I fell down the stairs at my house and dislocated my shoulder. It was quite painful.

Now, I’ve seen movies where people dislocate their shoulders – usually sports’ movies. In those, the athlete is in a lot of pain, but then the trainer comes on, pops the offending joint back into place, and the athlete smiles, jumps up, and returns to the game.

That is a big fat lie, people.

While, yes, there was massive relief when my shoulder was relocated, it still hurt! I had to keep it next to my body, held tight in a sling, for weeks. Then, when it came out of the sling, I discovered I had very little mobility. I couldn’t lift my arm, put it behind my back, reach for something beside me. All those muscles holding my shoulder in place had been stretched (thankfully not torn!), and they had to get back to normal. I needed months of physical therapy and daily exercises to get back to a sense of normal, though I am learning it will never be exactly the same.

That fall was like the exclamation point on what was one of the worst years of my life. There was so much hurt last year: emotional, physical, mental, spiritual. And, as I am coming out of that year and able to reflect on it, I realize the “shoulder principle” holds true to everything.

Pain – in whatever form it comes – doesn’t ever immediately disappear. As much as I wish it would, pain lingers. “Therapy” is needed — physical, in the case of my shoulder, but in other cases, emotional and spiritual therapy is needed. Thankfully, I have a great husband who knows me well and knows God’s word well. He spent many hours talking me through the pain of last year, praying with me, reminding me of what’s true and what are lies. I have a great church where I feel loved and encouraged, where I belong, that reminds me I am not alone. I have great friends who rally behind me and encourage me through the tough times.

We also need “exercise”. Just as I needed to work daily to strengthen the muscles in my shoulder, I needed to daily walk with my Lord. I struggled with bitterness and anger and a sense of injustice at so many things. I struggled to forgive. I hurt. Those struggles didn’t immediately go away. Just like my shoulder, even when I was “right”, I was still battling the pain. And the tools I needed to fight those battles were in God’s word. I learned quickly that I don’t have the ability on my own to fight any battle. But, with God, all things are possible.

Friends, life can be painful. And there is no “quick fix.” God never promises that we will always have smooth roads to walk and no problems to face – just the opposite, in fact. But He has given us an example of how to face those struggles. When Jesus was on earth, He spent time with God, alone, and He spent time with His followers, in community. He endured more pain than we can imagine, and He came out victorious. Through His strength, we can do the same.

If you are in a season of pain or recovery, know that it is a season. It will end. Keep pursuing healing, keep your eyes on what is True.

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lam. 3:22-23