Commitments March 11
These days people break promises. I’m from a generation of people who will commit to doing something, but then, when the time comes, if we don’t feel like it, we look for a way out. A perfectly good excuse is all you need to get out of doing something. No longer is this a time of “a man’s word is his honor”, but instead, may the best excuse win. We are a people who are pleasure and leisure seekers and if we feel like we don’t want to do it, we don’t do it.
I don’t like committing to things I have changed hair dressers, dentists, and doctors because the ones I usually went to expected me to have an appointment weeks in advance. I just can’t commit to that. I need to take things day by day, or maybe week by week. If I want my hair cut, I want my hair cut now, not in three weeks.
It’s no wonder that we feel the need to really make others commit to something, to really be assured that they mean what they say. Even as children we want more than just an affirmative reply from someone. As children we start to say “Do you pinky promise?” or “cross your heart, hope to die?” or even “Do you swear?” because we learn from a very young age that people will not follow through with what they say. We know how changeable we can be. We get used to being let down.
Even now, I’ve noticed among my students that they have trouble keeping to their commitments. This year I’ve overseen the Jr. Highers for Spelling Bee and Speech Meet and have had multiple students drop out or try to drop out at last minute. I’ve done everything between guilt trips and coercion to keep to their commitment to the event. When the going gets hard, the not so tough drop out.
I just think that this changeability will lead to irresponsible and unfaithful adults. Your job is hard? Find an easier and maybe unethical way to do it. Marriage is hard? Well, get out of it. Raising kids is too stressful? Let the TV, school, and church do your job for you.
There are people that don’t have a hint of changeability in their bodies. I know people who, if they said they will be there, they WILL be there, rain or shine. You need help moving? They will be there with a truck in the middle of a rain or snow storm. You need prayer? This person prays for you until your problem is resolved, and then they keep praying for you. You are sick or injured, perhaps you have a broken leg? These people will help you with anything from opening doors for you to bringing you meals. We all feel the blessing of people like this in our lives. We know the handful of people that we can depend on, and are glad for them. Do we ever ask ourselves, “Am I that person?” “Can others depend on me?”
In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount he says,
33"Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' 34But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
When it comes to our word to God and to those who depend on us, do we let our “yes” be “yes” and our “no” be “no”? When we say we will show up, are we there? When we tell someone we’ll be praying for them, do we forget about it the moment we walk away? Do we keep our promises to our children, our students, and teach them by example that they need to do the same?
If we can’t be accountable to one another, how much more are we messing up in the eyes of our Lord? How many things have we agreed to do, or not do, in his name? We don’t like seeing the disappointed look in another person’s face when we let them down, which is why most of us prefer to do our letting down via phone, or e-mail, or by just not showing up. We don’t want to look into the eyes of the person we’ve disappointed. I actually think it is easier to disappoint God. He seems so big that sometimes we think he won’t notice the little things we do way down here on earth. We think, “Surely he is looking in another direction right at that moment, so he won’t really see this little thing I’m doing to let him down. It’s such a small, one time thing.”
In Deuteronomy Moses reminds Joshua of the Lord’s promise,
“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."
We are again reminded of this promise in Hebrews chapter 13 when the people are being reminded of God’s faithfulness which will be doled out as a result of faithfulness shown to Him and to one another.
5Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
"Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you."[a] 6So we say with confidence,
"The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?"[b]
We have expectations for God. We wouldn’t want him to forget or forsake us. While we believe in our hearts that his promises are true, some of us remember in our minds what it feels like to depend on a promise and have it broken. We might sometimes doubt that promises come true because of our experiences with other flawed beings here on earth. I know people who have a hard time thinking of God as a “Heavenly Father” because their earthly fathers let them down so many times, that they don’t like to compare the two. On the surface we think, “Yay! What wonderful promises!” But deep down some people may be thinking in a tiny little voice, “When has anyone ever kept a promise to me?” While we DO believe, there is a little piece of us that is braced for disappointment.
To begin changing this perception within ourselves and others we need to do two things:
1. Remember that while we are created in God’s image, we fall miles short of living up to that image. No matter how many times we have been let down by people, God will NOT let us down. He is the exception to the rule.
2. We need to do our earthly best to teach others what “I will not forsake you” means. We need to do our best to demonstrate God’s faithfulness to people through our actions here on earth. We need to let our “yes” be “yes”. People are so used to being let down, that it would be nice if they could see that there is another way.
Let us continue on, trying to show the love of the Father to those around us here on earth, so that more can join us in his glorious promises.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
The Broken Leg
Ok, it has been nine days since I broke my leg and I am quite a bit more upbeat than when I wrote my last blog. The beginning was rough because I wasn't sleeping, which made everything I had to do a much more emotional experience than was really necessary.
Monday I went to the orthopedic where I was given a walking cast. I can't walk on it yet, still have to use the crutches, but it was such a relief not to have a permanent hard cast. This one I can take off to shower or get dressed. I do have to leave it on all the rest of the time. It is really tempting to take it off at night because it is so heavy and bulky and hard to get comfortable in bed, but I have followed the rules and left it on.
Getting a walking cast really lifted my spirits. I worked all four days we had of school this week which I don't think I would have felt up to doing if they'd put me in a hard cast. My co-workers are so nice to me, helping me to do anything I need. Still, every day I came home REALLY exhausted and basically crashed on the couch until bed time. Crutching around the school is a lot of distance and really really wears me out. My students are really sweet about everything and really want to help me when they can.
I am a little concerned because as of last night, my leg and foot are still freakishly swollen. I don't know if this is normal or not, but I really feel like it should have gone down by now. The people I've talked to about it have suggested that I have probably been doing too much, which I know to be true. After an event I had yesterday (Sat) morning at school, I have done nothing. I'm still sitting around in sweats today and I'm going to keep my leg up and just be lazy until I have to go to work tomorrow morning. Hopefully this will help things improve.
So generally I feel good although I do HATE my crutches. I know that my injury is minor compared to things others have had to deal with and that I really have no right to be a baby about it. So, I will try to keep my spirits up, and I do really hope to be walking in my "walking cast" by the end of the week.
Monday I went to the orthopedic where I was given a walking cast. I can't walk on it yet, still have to use the crutches, but it was such a relief not to have a permanent hard cast. This one I can take off to shower or get dressed. I do have to leave it on all the rest of the time. It is really tempting to take it off at night because it is so heavy and bulky and hard to get comfortable in bed, but I have followed the rules and left it on.
Getting a walking cast really lifted my spirits. I worked all four days we had of school this week which I don't think I would have felt up to doing if they'd put me in a hard cast. My co-workers are so nice to me, helping me to do anything I need. Still, every day I came home REALLY exhausted and basically crashed on the couch until bed time. Crutching around the school is a lot of distance and really really wears me out. My students are really sweet about everything and really want to help me when they can.
I am a little concerned because as of last night, my leg and foot are still freakishly swollen. I don't know if this is normal or not, but I really feel like it should have gone down by now. The people I've talked to about it have suggested that I have probably been doing too much, which I know to be true. After an event I had yesterday (Sat) morning at school, I have done nothing. I'm still sitting around in sweats today and I'm going to keep my leg up and just be lazy until I have to go to work tomorrow morning. Hopefully this will help things improve.
So generally I feel good although I do HATE my crutches. I know that my injury is minor compared to things others have had to deal with and that I really have no right to be a baby about it. So, I will try to keep my spirits up, and I do really hope to be walking in my "walking cast" by the end of the week.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
I wanted a break... and I got one!!!
I wanted to have a break in my last blog. I whined about getting some time off.
Well I got it. Thursday and Friday we had "cold days" off from school. This was all great and peachy. I had plenty of time to get my work done and pack for my weekend trip.
AND THEN I BROKE MY LEG!!!
I loaded my car since Kelli called and was on her way. On my way in to get another armful, I slipped and fell on my lovely terra cotta tiles. I knew that I was hurt, but hoped that it wasn't as bad as I thought. As I lay on the floor wondering about the pain and the unevenness of my ceiling as I looked up at it, I didn't want anything to ruin my trip. I almost convinced myself that maybe it was just a sprain. I crawled through the house and pulled myself up on the couch. A few moments later, Kelli arrived. She loaded the car, and talked me through what we could do. We decided that instead of waiting to go to the hospital if we needed to in Louisville, that we would make a quick little stop into the Wooster ER.
After finding out that my leg was broken, filling my prescription for Vicodin, we went ahead and started our trip to Louisville.
Well I got it. Thursday and Friday we had "cold days" off from school. This was all great and peachy. I had plenty of time to get my work done and pack for my weekend trip.
AND THEN I BROKE MY LEG!!!
I loaded my car since Kelli called and was on her way. On my way in to get another armful, I slipped and fell on my lovely terra cotta tiles. I knew that I was hurt, but hoped that it wasn't as bad as I thought. As I lay on the floor wondering about the pain and the unevenness of my ceiling as I looked up at it, I didn't want anything to ruin my trip. I almost convinced myself that maybe it was just a sprain. I crawled through the house and pulled myself up on the couch. A few moments later, Kelli arrived. She loaded the car, and talked me through what we could do. We decided that instead of waiting to go to the hospital if we needed to in Louisville, that we would make a quick little stop into the Wooster ER.
After finding out that my leg was broken, filling my prescription for Vicodin, we went ahead and started our trip to Louisville.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Give me a snow day for crying out loud!
The week has gone like this:
Every morning I peep hopefully out my window. Nope. Not enough to call off school.
Yet, by the time I leave my house, there is enough snow to make the roads slippery and my drive into school a terrifying ordeal.
Then, around 1 o' clock, the snow starts to fall again so that we have awful drives home from school.
I arrive at my destination shaken up, but happily in one place without incident.
Until today.
It was snowing like crazy after school when I threw all my school stuff in my bag and headed out the door "before things get worse." The roads didn't seem too bad. There were no cars anywhere. The road appeared clear except for the powdery snow that fell and blew around. I cruised down 30 going faster than I've gone all week on the way home, almost reaching 50 mph. As I neared Wooster, I came over the crest of a hill and thought, "What in the world is that?" There appeared to be a giant rectangular object taking up the entire left and some of the right lanes. My first thought was that it looked like a train wreck. I tried to slow down. My car tried to stop, but the road was ICE. I jerked forward as my anti-lock breaks did their thing. It's a terrifying thing, not knowing whether you will ever actually slow down or come to a stop. I finally slowed as I neared the object, which turned out to be a big ole' wooster sanitation truck (garbage truck) flipped over on its side, and pressing through the guardrail. I slipped by in the small empty space between the truck and the few vehicles that had pulled off in the shoulder to help, but never did make it to a stop.
I feel like every drive I'm forced to make in this snow becomes more and more terrifying!
Seriously! What is the use of snow if it doesn't get me out of school for even a single day! One day! That's all I ask!!!
Snow is supposed to be a happy thing that brings a day off school! Come on!
Every morning I peep hopefully out my window. Nope. Not enough to call off school.
Yet, by the time I leave my house, there is enough snow to make the roads slippery and my drive into school a terrifying ordeal.
Then, around 1 o' clock, the snow starts to fall again so that we have awful drives home from school.
I arrive at my destination shaken up, but happily in one place without incident.
Until today.
It was snowing like crazy after school when I threw all my school stuff in my bag and headed out the door "before things get worse." The roads didn't seem too bad. There were no cars anywhere. The road appeared clear except for the powdery snow that fell and blew around. I cruised down 30 going faster than I've gone all week on the way home, almost reaching 50 mph. As I neared Wooster, I came over the crest of a hill and thought, "What in the world is that?" There appeared to be a giant rectangular object taking up the entire left and some of the right lanes. My first thought was that it looked like a train wreck. I tried to slow down. My car tried to stop, but the road was ICE. I jerked forward as my anti-lock breaks did their thing. It's a terrifying thing, not knowing whether you will ever actually slow down or come to a stop. I finally slowed as I neared the object, which turned out to be a big ole' wooster sanitation truck (garbage truck) flipped over on its side, and pressing through the guardrail. I slipped by in the small empty space between the truck and the few vehicles that had pulled off in the shoulder to help, but never did make it to a stop.
I feel like every drive I'm forced to make in this snow becomes more and more terrifying!
Seriously! What is the use of snow if it doesn't get me out of school for even a single day! One day! That's all I ask!!!
Snow is supposed to be a happy thing that brings a day off school! Come on!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Gifts
Well, Christmas is almost over here. Not completely over because I can't seem to take down my Christmas tree or the lights outside on my porch. There are still two other houses with lights out on our street, so I don't feel too shamed yet.
The reason I want to write tonight is to tell about one of my Christmas presents. This year Gina returned some memories to me in the form of a shadow-box filled with the letters that I had written her in college. The box of course came with the stipulation that I am to copy the letters and return the originals. The letters were all written between 1997-1999 while I was in my 11-12 grades of school and Gina spent her first two years at Milligan. Reading the letters brought back so many memories as we read them aloud and laughed in our little group on Christmas Eve Eve. They told stories about friends, how I was feeling, who was doing what, who asked who out, what was going on in my family. Sara laughed and said, "It's almost like you were writing your boyfriend or something." I responded by telling Gina, "Hey, you may not have love letters from your college days, but you had me!"
I love the 16 and 17 year old me. I loved her honesty, her innocence, her pure love for her friends. I love how important the little things were. I love that she just poured herself out on pages to show love to others. The letters, which were written on my personalized stationary, flute notepad, and Hallmark cards, are filled with feelings of friendship, loss, love, humor, rejection, and faith expressed through stories about everyday going-ons, funny little antidotes, drawings, quotes, and song lyrics. These were the days when long-distance calls were expensive, so they were rare, before cell phones and e-mail made it easy to communicate. These were the days when it took effort to show someone you cared, and we took that effort. Sometimes the 16 year old me reveals that she is writing in study-hall or chemistry class because she just can't stop thinking about something and has to get it off her chest. Life was in Technicolor. It moved fast. It couldn't wait.
Maybe this is why I have chosen my profession. I love that age. I really care about my students as real people. They may be small people, but they are real people, maybe more real because they haven't learned to hide who they are like we grownups have. All their little problems are so relevant and real to them that my heart just can't help but empathize, because somewhere, deep inside, that 16 year old Carly is still there. While the letters were funny, and I mostly laughed, I sometimes felt sad as I remember the realness of some of the hurts mentioned in the letters. It just helps me to remember again, vividly, how hard it is to be young, and how easily those fragile hearts are injured.
What a treasure has been given to me. To see this snapshot of our lives taken over 10 years ago helps me really value the fact that I still have this important friendship. Although the business of life and some laziness has kept me from really loving my friends like I used to, I remember that it is possible and I also remember how good it feels to love.
The reason I want to write tonight is to tell about one of my Christmas presents. This year Gina returned some memories to me in the form of a shadow-box filled with the letters that I had written her in college. The box of course came with the stipulation that I am to copy the letters and return the originals. The letters were all written between 1997-1999 while I was in my 11-12 grades of school and Gina spent her first two years at Milligan. Reading the letters brought back so many memories as we read them aloud and laughed in our little group on Christmas Eve Eve. They told stories about friends, how I was feeling, who was doing what, who asked who out, what was going on in my family. Sara laughed and said, "It's almost like you were writing your boyfriend or something." I responded by telling Gina, "Hey, you may not have love letters from your college days, but you had me!"
I love the 16 and 17 year old me. I loved her honesty, her innocence, her pure love for her friends. I love how important the little things were. I love that she just poured herself out on pages to show love to others. The letters, which were written on my personalized stationary, flute notepad, and Hallmark cards, are filled with feelings of friendship, loss, love, humor, rejection, and faith expressed through stories about everyday going-ons, funny little antidotes, drawings, quotes, and song lyrics. These were the days when long-distance calls were expensive, so they were rare, before cell phones and e-mail made it easy to communicate. These were the days when it took effort to show someone you cared, and we took that effort. Sometimes the 16 year old me reveals that she is writing in study-hall or chemistry class because she just can't stop thinking about something and has to get it off her chest. Life was in Technicolor. It moved fast. It couldn't wait.
Maybe this is why I have chosen my profession. I love that age. I really care about my students as real people. They may be small people, but they are real people, maybe more real because they haven't learned to hide who they are like we grownups have. All their little problems are so relevant and real to them that my heart just can't help but empathize, because somewhere, deep inside, that 16 year old Carly is still there. While the letters were funny, and I mostly laughed, I sometimes felt sad as I remember the realness of some of the hurts mentioned in the letters. It just helps me to remember again, vividly, how hard it is to be young, and how easily those fragile hearts are injured.
What a treasure has been given to me. To see this snapshot of our lives taken over 10 years ago helps me really value the fact that I still have this important friendship. Although the business of life and some laziness has kept me from really loving my friends like I used to, I remember that it is possible and I also remember how good it feels to love.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Christmas is here!
I can tell Christmas is here because...
There is glitter all over my living room.
Vee-vee wore a little Santa hat.
I'm getting ADORABLE Christmas card pictures of my favorite friends kids.
My students are bouncing off the walls.
The mall is open till 10. (Oh joy!)
The gingerbread man is hanging in his spot.
There is a countdown to Christmas on my classroom's whiteboard.
One of my students built a manger scene out of legos to decorate my classroom.
The bottom half of my fridge is stocked full of Christmas cookies.
I feel the need to decorate myself with lots of jewelry and sparkley things.
Monka and Josh are coming to visit TOMORROW!
I have made plans with my friends for the annual CHRISTMAS PARTY!
I bought Christmas cards just like every year but haven't, and will probably never, send them.
Yay! to all the signs that Christmas is here!
There is glitter all over my living room.
Vee-vee wore a little Santa hat.
I'm getting ADORABLE Christmas card pictures of my favorite friends kids.
My students are bouncing off the walls.
The mall is open till 10. (Oh joy!)
The gingerbread man is hanging in his spot.
There is a countdown to Christmas on my classroom's whiteboard.
One of my students built a manger scene out of legos to decorate my classroom.
The bottom half of my fridge is stocked full of Christmas cookies.
I feel the need to decorate myself with lots of jewelry and sparkley things.
Monka and Josh are coming to visit TOMORROW!
I have made plans with my friends for the annual CHRISTMAS PARTY!
I bought Christmas cards just like every year but haven't, and will probably never, send them.
Yay! to all the signs that Christmas is here!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Leading up to Christmas!
It's been an exciting couple of weeks. I wasn't free a single weekend in October and November is pretty much shaping up to be the same way.
Last weekend was the ACSI Convention in Dayton. All the Kingsway teachers went. Pretty much your run of the mill convention. I did enjoy hearing Josh McDowell, the writer of Evidence that Demands a Verdict, speak, which was certainly the highlight. I also liked hanging out with the other teachers. We found possibly the world's best coffee house in Dayton, called Cafe Terra Cotta. The BEST chai tea I've ever had, no question. After the convention ended on Friday, my fellow teacher, Lindsey and I drove to Cincinnati, where Sara lives to do some shopping. I spent more than I've EVER spent at the Gap Clearance Center, but got some really great buys. Tres
Fab as usual. On the way home from the Nati, we stopped at the Prime Outlets on 71, and then at Polaris Mall in Columbus where we shopped and ate at the Cheesecake Factory. Yum-o!
This weekend has been a fun weekend of getting some more early Christmas shopping done. I can't wait to put up all my Christmas decor and am thrilled of the idea of putting back up my 12 ft tree! Yay! (See picture from last Christmas.) I've held back in spite of the fact that my some of my neighbors have put up Christmas lights! Next time I post it will probably be with pictures of my house decorated for Christmas!
Well, I'm off. My fingers are too frozen to type anymore. I keep catching Tony with the heat set at 58 instead of the usual 63. I think I better go check, this feels like 58.
Last weekend was the ACSI Convention in Dayton. All the Kingsway teachers went. Pretty much your run of the mill convention. I did enjoy hearing Josh McDowell, the writer of Evidence that Demands a Verdict, speak, which was certainly the highlight. I also liked hanging out with the other teachers. We found possibly the world's best coffee house in Dayton, called Cafe Terra Cotta. The BEST chai tea I've ever had, no question. After the convention ended on Friday, my fellow teacher, Lindsey and I drove to Cincinnati, where Sara lives to do some shopping. I spent more than I've EVER spent at the Gap Clearance Center, but got some really great buys. Tres
Fab as usual. On the way home from the Nati, we stopped at the Prime Outlets on 71, and then at Polaris Mall in Columbus where we shopped and ate at the Cheesecake Factory. Yum-o!This weekend has been a fun weekend of getting some more early Christmas shopping done. I can't wait to put up all my Christmas decor and am thrilled of the idea of putting back up my 12 ft tree! Yay! (See picture from last Christmas.) I've held back in spite of the fact that my some of my neighbors have put up Christmas lights! Next time I post it will probably be with pictures of my house decorated for Christmas!
Well, I'm off. My fingers are too frozen to type anymore. I keep catching Tony with the heat set at 58 instead of the usual 63. I think I better go check, this feels like 58.
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