I GET to Go!

At school this week, we had a field trip to a play.  Before we left, the kids and I were talking about appropriate behavior during plays and they were giving all kinds of suggestions and scenarios.  One little boy raised his hand and said, “if we’re not good at the play, then we get to go to principal’s office.”  (And no, I’m not a meanie and I have never sent a kid to principal’s office my whole 8 years of teaching, lol.)  Something struck me when he said that and I told him that they wouldn’t “GET” to go, they would “HAVE” to go.  There is a difference:  to GET to do something is a privilege or fun.  To HAVE to do something is because you’re made and often times having to do something isn’t fun. 

Then I went to revival that night and the preacher was just a simple country preacher and he said, “We GET to go to Heaven.”  I thought about that along with what I told the little boy.  The fact that we GET to go to Heaven is such a privilege.  It’s an honor and it’s ours for the taking.  All we have to do is live for Him down here so that one day we can live with Him there!  I don’t know about you, but that is so overwhelming to me when I think about it!  That something that great is what I GET to do! 

But on the other hand, if we don’t live for Him, we HAVE to go to Hell.  We don’t GET to go there…you see it was never made for you or me.  It was made specifically for the devil and his angels.  The Bible says that Hell has enlarged itself, in other words, making room for all the people who are heading that way.  What a scary and unsettling thought.  We have the choice, and it is entirely ours to decide:  whether we GET to go to Heaven or whether we HAVE to go to Hell.  I know what my choice is, what’s yours?

“And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”

Matthew 25:33-34, 41  KJV

Breakfast on the Beach

There’s a verse in the Bible where Jesus says to His disciples, “Come and have breakfast.”   I love this verse:  I’m not sure if it’s because of the symbolism or just the fact that I do love breakfast! 

The disciples had been fishing all night and morning and caught nothing.  They probably went out to spots where they had caught fish before.  Places they thought they would surely find a nice catch.  You see they had a plan.  But their plan wasn’t going as they hoped…they hadn’t caught anything.  While they were probably getting frustrated and losing hope, there was a stranger standing on the shore.  They were too involved in their agenda that they didn’t notice Him.  Even when He called out to them and they finally noticed Him, they still didn’t realize that it was Jesus.

He told them to throw their nets out from the other side.  I can imagine that they thought it was useless but what harm would it do?  When they threw their own plans out and did what the stranger on the beach said, they were barely able to keep hold of their nets:  they had more fish than humanly possible and immediately they knew that the stranger on the beach was Jesus.  After they figured out who He was, He called to them to come in and spend time with Him…to “come and have breakfast”.

That’s like life sometimes.  I have plans and agendas, but when nothing comes of it, I get stressed.  I’m wrapped up in my own plans that I don’t notice the Lord standing on the beach giving me advice until I’m ready to quit.  When I finally listen to that stranger on the beach I get more blessings than I’m able to handle and I immediately know that they came from Jesus.  He had been standing there all along, just waiting on me to listen to Him.  And sometimes, that stranger on the beach is just simply asking for me to “come and have breakfast”.     

 

Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.”

None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?”

They knew it was the Lord.

John 21:12  NIV

Lovey-Dovey

         I’ve never been a “lovey-dovey” person.  I’ve never liked the whole, “honey, sweetie, baby” name calling.  I’ve never liked walking around with someone’s hand on my back 24/7, guiding me around.  It’s just not my personality.  (Poor guy one time sent me a text that said something like, “Hey, baby, what are you doing?”  My response?  “This isn’t going to work out…sorry.”  The word “baby” had sent me packin!  LOL) 

          Sure I love to feel loved and I love to show others that I love them, but to me, it’s more of a personal thing and not the big show.  Some people prefer a showy kind of love and that’s their prerogative, but it’s certainly not my style. 

          Then there’s God’s love.  It’s a relationship that is personal, but He calls us to be open and public about it.  He wants us to be “lovey-dovey”.  He calls us His child…His daughter…His son…His beloved…the apple of His eye.  He wants us to tell everyone we meet about the love He has for us.  He wants us to do acts of service and worship that demonstrate to everyone around how much we love Him.  He puts His hand on our lives and guides us 24/7 if we’ll allow it. 

          I don’t know why this thought even came across my mind, but thinking about it like that, I’m completely fine with telling the world that I belong to someone:  I belong to someone who loves me enough to die for me.  I belong to someone who can calm my fears, anxieties, and bring a peace like no other.  I belong to someone who is never too busy to hear from me.  I belong to someone who has my life wholly planned out, not a single detail left out.  I belong to someone who watches my every move and cares about the small things.  I belong to someone who never has harsh words, but love, grace, and support.  I hope that when I come in contact with others, they can see a glow on my face and in my life proving that I love someone and that they too can know the same kind of pure, eternal love!

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”

Matthew 22:37 KJV

Humility

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient,

bearing with one another in love.”

Ephesians 4:2  NIV

        This is one of the verses that comes across my mind many times a day while I’m with my little first grade friends…especially the ‘patient’ part of it!  J   I love this verse because it sums up who I want to be and portray, not just to my little ones, but to all who I come in contact with.  I hope that people can see gentleness, patience, love, and humility in me.

        Humility, however, is sometimes a difficult thing.  The human nature in all of us can get a little prideful at times and get in the way of our true calling, whatever it may be.  I can look at my own life and see times (past AND present, lol) where the Lord has had to check me on this.  One time in particular was at open house at school.  A little boy who would be in my class that year came up to me all excited and introduced himself.  He was full of excitement and said, “My mommy wanted me to have the BEST first grade teacher ever!  She wanted me to have the smartest teacher and one who could teach reading the best!”  I felt my smile widen as I patted his head and thought, wow, what a compliment.  As I was psychologically patting myself on the back, the little guy went on to say, “She wanted me to have the very best this year…but that teacher retired, so I get to be in YOUR class!”  Say what?!?!  LOL!  I had to widen my smile even more and laugh at what he thought was tremendous praise.  I walked away thanking the Lord for the “teachable” moments that He puts in my life.

        Thank you Lord for keeping me humble and when I lose sight of it, thank you for getting me back on track.  Just like when a tree is cut down, the stump still lives…sending the roots down a little deeper, a little more fervently so that it can still bring forth more fruit.  I never want to lose my humility and get to the place where I can’t be productive for Him.