Prayer

Have you ever felt like God was targeting a certain area of your life? Like everything you read, every sermon, every conversation leads to the same topic? That's where I am right now with prayer.

It started when I got a gift card for Christmas to Barnes & Noble. I was looking up books on my wish list and decided that one of my purchases would be Fervent by Priscilla Shirer. It had been on my list for a long time, and I thought it would be a good one to start the year reading. 

For the month of January, my church has been focusing on a series called "Habits" about different things we should make a habit of in the coming year. One of the topics being prayer, of course. 

Then our new Bible study started up. The study that was chosen is called When You Pray. Our leader has us paired randomly with a new prayer partner every week. We exchange numbers and text one another with prayers, requests, and encouragement throughout the week.

My principal started something new for our staff this year, too. She had all of us pick a verse for the year, then printed them out so that we could pray those verses for each other. In staff meeting, we take a some time to do it all together as well. 

This past Sunday, when I was looking up a verse to share on social media as I do every week, what verse should just happen to pop up? Luke 18:1, "And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart." 

I don't believe in coincidence. I believe that when things like this line up over and over and over again, that God is at work, guiding and directing my life. Obviously something that is weak in my life right now is prayer, and it's something that God wants me to grow in. 

Here are some things that I have become aware of:

- I often jump straight to my requests and don't take time to praise God.

- When I make an effort to praise God first, my heart settles and becomes less anxious as I'm reminded of the God who is listening to my prayer.

- It's easy to say that I will pray for others, and harder to follow through.

- Having a specific focus (a prayer partner for the week, a verse to pray for someone) helps me to take the time to pray for others.

- It can be convicting when I pray, and God uses that time to align my heart to His, and to make me aware of the sins and wrong attitudes that I have so that I can confess them and repent.

I know that God is faithful to finish the good work He began, and that He will continue to grow me in this area. It will be interesting to see where He leads this year.

 

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-white-sweater-and-blue-denim-jeans-sitting-on-bed-5199759/

Back to School, Back to Stress

 It's only day 3 of the new school year. Only 3 days in and the exhaustion and stress are already kicking in. I woke up this morning with my brain chanting, "The first week is the hardest. The first month is the longest." 

And that is true. The first week is the hardest as we set the boundaries, get to know one another, figure out what fifth grade looks like. It's the hardest as I get used to waking up to an alarm every day once more. I'm a night owl and those mornings are tough!

August is the longest month because it is the only month without any holidays or breaks until May, and May always goes fast because you're trying to finish everything up before summer. Days stretch long without the anticipation of a long weekend or a break. 

Add to all that an energetic class that requires a firm, but loving, hand, and you get emotional exhaustion on top of the physical exhaustion. My mind is constantly surveying the situation, constantly analyzing whether an issue needs addressed or if I can let it go, constantly re-running through the day to decide if I could have done something better. Those are thoughts that don't turn off when you step out of the school at night. 

If it's only the third day and I feel this way, I'm going to have problems this year. I'm going to burn out, to possibly lash out. I can't continue in this pattern. What should I do?

First and foremost, pray! I started praying for this class before school even started. I always do, but in this case, I knew this was a more challenging class. I've known them since they were in kindergarten. They have been in my prayers for a long time. But I also need to pray for me. When I'm having trouble letting go of the day's events after work, I need to pray. When I don't know how to handle a situation, I need to pray. When I'm so unbelievably tired and stressed that I don't know how I'm going to get through the day, I need to pray. The Lord is where I will find peace, wisdom, and strength.

Second, I need to rely on my support. The school has many teachers who have had this class before and have some insights on what works well for them. The administration is supportive and a good place to brainstorm. There are countless teacher websites, books, and articles to help with ideas as well. It's not all on me! 

Even though I'm feeling rough today, that doesn't mean this year is going to be a disaster. What it does mean is that I'm relying too much on myself and not enough on God. I will always struggle when I'm attempting to do things in my own strength. God loves me and loves my class. He longs for us to lean on Him. When I am weak, He is strong.