New Beginnings

The phrase, "Back to School," indicates a plethora of new beginnings. Students move on to a new grade level. Many individuals embark on their first semester of college. Teachers and professors anticipate a new school year with new challenges, new successes, and a new opportunity to make a difference in the lives of their students. Still, there are others who do not find all of this “newness” to be quite so fascinating. Some students are fearful of moving to a new school, making new friends, and meeting new teachers. Some college students would much prefer the comforts of home to a seemingly uncomfortable dorm room. Parents and grandparents may simultaneously suffer from the negative effects of an “empty nest.” And while they may love teaching, many educators will likely long for the lazy days of summer when they could spend more time with family, read a good book, go on vacation, or do absolutely nothing at all! Even so, a new beginning can be a positive one, despite the many hiccups we may encounter along the way.

Personally, I have found that the new school year has brought about a lot of positive changes for me as a teacher. I am most excited about teaching eighth grade English Language Arts and having a new classroom, which my dad has so lovingly helped me prepare. I thank God for this amazing environment in which to teach my students. I know the resources I have been given will enable me to help them achieve their goals. Because of God's unmerited favor, I know this school year will be blessed beyond measure!

While I am enjoying a wonderful start to the school year, several friends and colleagues have started the school year with illnesses, financial crises, and even the loss of loved ones. My heart hurts for them and I pray God will give them strength to face each new day ahead. Having lost my mom at the beginning of August eleven years ago, I know what it’s like to have your heart broken and then be expected to continue teaching as if nothing happened. But through it all, I know God is always faithful. While I still miss my mom greatly, I know we will see her again in Heaven, where there will be no sorrow or tears, sickness or pain. Until that happy reunion, we can rejoice concerning the promise found in Isaiah 25:8 (NLT): “He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign LORD will wipe away all tears.” Everyone who puts their trust in Jesus Christ will one day be free from all of the grief on this earth.

Perhaps you are going through a personal struggle this month. Jesus Christ knows exactly what you are going through. Call on His precious name. Ask Him for a new beginning. Not one that will be frightening, as it may be for students finding their way around a new campus, but a new beginning that will renew your strength, restore your joy, and bring you eternal hope. Jesus is the friend who will never leave you nor forsake you. He loves you so much that He gave His life for you (I John 3:16). Don't worry about tomorrow, but through prayer and thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace that passes all understanding will guard your heart and mind through Jesus Christ our Lord (Phil. 4:6-7).

Jesus Christ loves you more than you could ever imagine. He wants to give you a new life. Second Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” Ask Jesus Christ to guide you through all of the discouraging moments and the joyous ones as well. When you put your trust in Him, all things become new!

In Christ’s Love,

Jennifer

Life is About Living

When I was a college student, I heard and saw a lot of things.  As a Christian, there were many times that I chose to omit a reading assignment, simply because of my personal beliefs.  Other than that, I was the studious student who sat in the front row every day, always asking and answering questions, eager to participate in the class as much as I possibly could without dominating the conversation, which I am sure I often did.  The professors loved having me in their class, always complimenting me on my obvious love for knowledge.  All of my hard work paid off when I achieved a 4.0 GPA on my Master of Science degree, having completed all six years of college with honors.  Of course, I give all of the praise and honor and glory to Jesus Christ, for without Him, I am nothing.  Without Him, I could not do anything.  But with God on my side, I can do anything!

While my college career was primarily a positive one, there was one assignment that I learned about in one of my education classes that disturbed me.  The professor said a worthwhile assignment in an English class for middle or high school students would be to have them write their obituary.  As the words spilled out of their mouth, I was shocked and horrified that this professor would ask mere children and teenagers to write their own obituary.  How mortifying!  I was greatly relieved when I learned that we would not have to personally complete this exercise ourselves.  And while I now understand the merit in the assignment, I much prefer asking my students to write positive, upbeat poetry, essays, and stories.  Nevertheless, I do think it is something we should not necessarily do, but we should all certainly think about.

Now before you get bent out of shape like I was originally, I do not want you to leave this blog or on the contrary, run and grab your pen and paper to begin writing.  Instead, I want you to look at the way you are living your life.  When you go to work, do you have a smile on your face?  Or is your face twisted up into a sour expression?  Do you greet people in the checkout lane at the grocery store, or do you give them a grimacing look because they got ahead of you in line by one millisecond?  And when you go to church on Sunday, do you have a smile on your face and greet everyone sweetly, only to get in the car on the way home and complain about the pastor’s sermon being too long?  Or do you go home and ponder what the pastor said, reading your Bible and studying the scriptures more carefully to get ready for the week ahead?  You see, living life isn’t just about getting up and going to work, eating dinner and going to bed, just to repeat the process the next day.  Life should be about living.

When a teacher’s students are asked to write an obituary for themselves, they must think about the way other people view their lives.  How do people see them?  What have they done that would be remembered?  And how have they treated their family, their friends, their neighbors, coworkers, pastor, and even strangers on the street?  These are the things people will remember.  Most will not even know if you remembered to feed the cat this morning, whether you came to the annual Christmas party last year, or if you donated money to a charity last month online.  They are going to remember how you act every single day of the year.  They will remember how you carry yourself on good days and bad.  They will recall whether or not you have a cheery disposition or a gloomy one.  They will remember if you lived a life for yourself or a life for Christ.

So the next time you are in the grocery store, be the person who sees someone with fewer items in their cart and offer to allow them to skip ahead of you in line.  Be the individual who smiles all of the time, regardless of what is going on around you.  Be the person who people want to be around.  Not because of the clothes you wear, the car you drive or the way you look, but because of the way you act.  Be the one who keeps their head held high, grateful for each and every new day, rain or shine.  Be the light in a world of darkness.  Be the change this world needs.  Let the joy of Jesus Christ shine forth in such a way that it is contagious!  Through your Christ-like example, people will be reminded that life isn’t about sweating the small stuff.  Life is about living.

In Christ’s Love,

Jennifer