I'm in my fourth month of being a 5th grade teacher (and actually getting paid for it!) at Heritage Christian School. Wow...I cannot even begin to describe how much the Lord has taught me in these past months. Going into this job, I thought I would be the one teaching these kids everything, but my guess is that they have taught me far more than I've taught them. Now, I'll let you be the judge as to whether that's a problem or not. :)

Our first subject every day is "Bible." What a blessing to be able to learn about and discuss the Word of the Living God every single day in school. Of course, the kids don't always see it that way. From time to time I'll get complaints that the memory verse is too long or there are too many questions to answer about a certain chapter. In my own attempts to convey to these young hearts just how incredibly amazing it is that we have the privilege of studying the Word of our Creator and Savior, I've come to realize that I, too, have taken His Word for granted for much of my life...actually almost all of it. Can most of us not say the same thing? Honestly, the God of the Universe-the One who created everything- the One who sacrificed so much to save us from hell- the One who loves us SO much more than any friend, relative, boyfriend, etc...- and probably the ONLY One who has the very truest and best intentions for our lives (here on earth and for eternity) - wrote us the longest love letter in the history of all love letters.... and yet we consider it a hassle or a chore much of the time. How blind we are...how distracted... but still, He remains....calling us to Himself. What a wonderful Maker! God has warmed my heart to such a degree that, although I am still distracted by many things (Satan's attempts to draw me away from God), I now see His Word as truly precious.

I've also learned a great deal about how my every decision, day in and day out, ultimately directs my life. In trying to teach my students the importance of showing respect to others, being diligent in daily work, and taking the time and effort to learn from previous mistakes (and the mistakes of others), I've come to realize just how true this is for all of us. No matter what point in life we're at, the decisions we make each day determine who we are. If I want to be a godly woman (selfless, honest, forgiving, serving, and loving), I have to make decisions that reflect those qualities every day. I can't pretend to be selfless if my first response to every situation centers around the question, "What do I want the most?" or "What will make me happy?" I can't say that I am an honest person if I resort to lying in order to avoid looking bad or being disciplined. I can't say that I am forgiving if I talk about how someone treated me so badly or if I fail to show love to someone who hurt me. My actions speak about who I am...not my words.

I'm so grateful for the way God has used my job to help me grow closer to Him and hopefully to be more like Him. It's such a beautiful thing how He uses us all to make each other better (for His glory, not our own) if only we're willing to listen and learn. I guess that's what He meant when He said that iron sharpens iron... :)

Okay, there is my quarterly post. Much love.