A lesson from field trip...

I spent all week at a place where the temperatures rose to near 90 degrees, there was high humidity, there was little shade in many places, and I had 31 kids and 3 other chaperones to herd around from place to place.

This is what echoed throughout our trip: "Miss, I'm so tired. Can I just have some water and sit down? Can't we rest now? Isn't it time for a break? It's so hot, Miss, and this is torture. Please can I just skip this part and rest? Miss, I feel faint"...

And my response: "No. You cannot rest. Drink some water, put your hat on, and let's keep moving. You're almost to the finish line and then we'll go back and rest. Just a little farther along."

Often times, the complaint came right as we were nearing the end of our activity. We were hiking around a garden on Tuesday morning and many kids were asking if they could go back the way we came and wait at the shelter. They didn't realize we were almost to the end. We had only 5 more minutes of walking, but they wanted to retrace their last 40 minutes of walking.

How many times do we do that to God? We say, "God, I'm done. Just let me go back the path I came and let me rest. I cannot possibly move any further forward. I need water and I need a break..."

And how many times does he respond: "I won't let anything happen to you. Have your water and keep moving. You are almost to the finish line and you don't even the know the things I have waiting for you!"

We just have to keep moving.

There is something that annoys me a lot. It is people who give up when things get slightly difficult. Whether it is illness ("O, I'm feeling slightly weak today"), or when there is an obstacle in the way ("I just don't have enough for myself to give to anyone else"), it is no reason to stop.

Like this morning: I was so utterly exhausted from a week of traveling and working. I even had fever last night as I laid in bed trying to recoup. This morning, I was really weak. My legs were shaking as I walked to church. I wanted to be there. I wanted to see the faces of people I have missed for a week. I thought I was crazy as I walked. Anyone else would stay in bed. Anyone else would have said "I'll just go next week."... I'm stubborn. I made it to church and saw my friends. I worshipped. I enjoyed being in the presence of our Lord.

We are stronger than we know. He gives us strength to move forward. He gives us peace during the rough times. He calms the storms. He lights the darkness.

He is amazing, and has great things waiting for us as long as we keep moving.

PTL!

So far away...

That last entry seems so long ago, and such a distant memory. A lot has happened in that one month span, and I can't even begin to recount it for you. God teaches me a lot of things, and some days He has to yell at me to make me hear Him. This weekend He was screaming at me that I am loved. I still have no idea why this is such a hard lesson for me. But it is one that impacts huge areas of my life. This weekend He brought a group of people into my house to help me make a huge decision, and while the decision is still technically not made, I heard Him. I heard Him loud and clear.

One of the things I love about God is that we can repent. When we have made a mistake, sinned against our brothers and sisters, we can repent, and He loves us just the same. I've never been privy to a real-life version of this, but I have seen it now. I made my own mistake on Sunday that hurt someone I love, but also, because I hurt them, I hurt me. Taking the time to pray about the situation, and knowing I needed to apologize for my wrongs, and then DOING that was freeing for me. I am not anxious about those events, but am ready to try to move forward.

God is so good and loves us no matter what mistakes we make as long as we come back to Him. I am so glad His loving arms are there for me. To hold me when I'm falling, but even more so, to hold me when I'm climbing back up.

On to the next day...