Safe Places

Safe Places.  As I was driving to church this morning I was reflecting on where I feel the most safe.  Where can I truly be me?  Where can I go to recharge?  Where am I most comfortable sharing my gifts, and where can I acknowledge my brokenness?

For years I thought the answer to growing closer to God was a large church.  Attending a large church would offer me more opportunities to meet people and more opportunities to study the Bible and serve.  Last June God showed me that He wanted me to follow His lead, not mine.  His lead took me to a small church.  When my friends ask me to describe my church I say, "It's like a large small group.  They're my extended family.  It's my safe place."

Today's message reminded me of how much God knows my needs better than I do.  The text came from 1 Peter 2 and the big idea was "Don't let your circumstances cause you to forget Who rescued you."  Last week's big idea was "Hope does not deny the struggle but Hope gives you the ability to see beyond the struggle."  I can't stop thinking about how much these two messages apply to teaching.  Whether a student faces an academic or social challenge, my prayer is that my actions will reflect that Hope.  I pray daily that every activity, project, and assignment I give results in growth and progress for all of my students.  

This past May I went to Montreat, North Carolina, with some of the women from my church and our sister church.  When the opportunity to climb a mountain presented itself, I decided I wanted to try.  Even though I knew it would be hard with my asthma and allergies, I really wanted to share in this adventure with my friends.  Early in our hike I realized I was going to have a very difficult time keeping up with them.  Before I could even contemplate having a pity party for myself, these ladies made the decision to have me be first up the mountain.  They let me set the pace.  When I needed to catch my breath they all rested with me.  When I sat down on the top of Lookout Mountain I literally understood what "breath taking" means.  I was just as much in awe of the view as I was in awe of the people God placed in my life to make sure I got to the top.  God used these women to give me Hope that day.  They helped me to see beyond the mountain that at first seemed insurmountable.  They showed me how much I am loved by God.

My hope and prayer for this school year is that I encourage my first graders to do the same for each other.  I see a mountain climbing activity idea in our future:)