Sunday, May 8, 2011

On Thursday, there was a big fight at school involving one of my boys and some of the older boys. It happened to be my boy who is super sensitive and gets made fun of a lot. I am really not sure how much more verbal abuse he can handle from his fellow classmates! It is heartbreaking to see how the constant, outright meanness from other kids is affecting him. I honestly don’t understand how kids can be SO mean! He came up to my classroom a complete mess, kids were punished as a result, but that doesn’t change the affect their words have had on him! It is so sad to watch kids treat each other this way and not feel bad about it, and I feel kind of helpless in this situation! How do you make kids understand the affect of their words?

Friday morning in my class, we focused on just having a time talking about words, and how people are always going to say things, but God will never reject us the way people will. We read Isaiah 43

“ But now, God's Message, the God who made you in the first place, Jacob,
the One who got you started, Israel:
"Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you.
I've called your name. You're mine.
When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you.
When you're in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you're between a rock and a hard place,
it won't be a dead end—
Because I am God, your personal God,
The Holy of Israel, your Savior.
I paid a huge price for you:
all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!
That's how much you mean to me!
That's how much I love you!
I'd sell off the whole world to get you back,
trade the creation just for you.

So don't be afraid: I'm with you.
I'll round up all your scattered children,
pull them in from east and west.
I'll send orders north and south:
'Send them back.
Return my sons from distant lands,
my daughters from faraway places.
I want them back, every last one who bears my name,
every man, woman, and child
Whom I created for my glory,
yes, personally formed and made each one.'"
Get the blind and deaf out here and ready—
the blind (though there's nothing wrong with their eyes)
and the deaf (though there's nothing wrong with their ears).
Then get the other nations out here and ready.
Let's see what they have to say about this,
how they account for what's happened.
Let them present their expert witnesses
and make their case;
let them try to convince us what they say is true.
"But you are my witnesses." God's Decree.
"You're my handpicked servant
So that you'll come to know and trust me,
understand both that I am and who I am.
Previous to me there was no such thing as a god,
nor will there be after me.
I, yes I, am God.
I'm the only Savior there is.
I spoke, I saved, I told you what existed
long before these upstart gods appeared on the scene.
And you know it, you're my witnesses,
you're the evidence." God's Decree.
"Yes, I am God.
I've always been God
and I always will be God.
No one can take anything from me.
I make; who can unmake it?"


And listened to JJ Heller “What Love Really Means”

He cries in the corner where nobody sees

He’s the kid with the story no one would believe

He prays every night “Dear God won’t you please...

Could you send someone here who will love me?”


Who will love me for me?

Not for what I have done or what I will become

Who will love me for me?

‘Cause nobody has shown me what love

What love really means, what love really means



Her office is shrinking a little each day

She’s the woman whose husband has run away

She’ll go to the gym after working today

Maybe if she was thinner then he would’ve stayed

And she says…



Who'll love me for me?

Not for what I have done or what I will become

Who will love me for me?

‘Cause nobody has shown me what love

What love really means what love really means



He’s waiting to die as he sits all alone

He’s a man in a cell who regrets what he’s done

He utters a cry from the depths of his soul

“Oh Lord, forgive me. I want to go home”


Then he heard a voice somewhere deep inside

And it said “I know you’ve murdered

And I know you’ve lied

And I've watched you suffer all of your life

And now that you’re listening I’ll, I'll tell you that I...”



I will love you for you

Not for what you have done or what you will become

I will love you for you

I will give you the love, the love that you never knew


We had SUCH an awesome discussion, there were lots of tears, and I really felt like God was working in that time…it was SO cool! Afterwards, I gave them each a piece of paper and had them write three good things about each person, then later that day I typed up a little note with all of them in it for each person, and gave it to them at the end of the day. It was seriously so cool. They were all shocked at what their fellow classmates had written about them, and were all running around the room saying “Who wrote this!” and “I never knew that”! I have never seen them so happy! It was such a cool time, but I couldn’t help thinking “This is great, but what will happen on Monday….” Life is hard! Being in middle school is hard! It is even hard for me, and I am just the teacher!!

Bible study this week we talked about Shalom, and how it means complete presence of joy, total flourishing in every dimension! If we want to bring shalom, we have to go into the messed up parts of this world, the brokenness needs to be renewed! This is what it means in Isaiah 58 to really seek God--to break every yoke and to set the oppressed free! We have been saved by someone who owes us nothing but rejection, and we need to turn and show that same grace and mercy to others!

What if complete flourishing described the body of Christ here on Earth? This morning at church, we sang "Eres todo mi Dios" (You are My All in All), and I really liked the Spanish translation of that title (it may be just my translation, but thats okay:)) To me, it means You are my everything, God! Good reminder that until God becomes my EVERYTHING, will I be able to experience and bring complete shalom!
Ephesians 5:14
"Wake up from your sleep,
Climb out of your coffins;
Christ will show you the light!
So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!"

I won't ever be able to bring Shalom unless I am loving the Lord my God with ALL of my heart, ALL of my soul, and All of my strength. Then can I serve others by living for them, loving them, and leading them!

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