Lessons from the Lord... on the Playground

One would never think that running around on a playground would bring enlightenment of life lessons from the Lord.  

This past Friday, it did.

Friday was our "Fitness Fun Day" at school.  We normally try to do a fitness activity with the kids that involves the kids differently than spending time on the playground at our normal play times.

Knowing that some children in the age I teach (second grade) have not conquered some of the things on the playground, I decided to get them on equipment without them realizing it... meaning, make it so it was an "adventure" and not an "order."

Little did I realize what the Lord was about to remind/teach ME.

As I was preparing the children for what we were going to do, I knew I had to do it first to show them the way or they would never "get" what I was meaning.  We were going to use our imaginations big time.  We were going to "climb a mountain, swim through the rivers, climb another rock formation into the jungle, swing from the vines of the jungle, and run across a desert until we reached home."

We first began at the mountain... or rock-climbing wall.  This piece of equipment "looks" like a volcano and is about 8 feet off the ground.  I started up the harder side of rock climbing... some of the kids did not like that.  They wanted to climb up the ladder.  I told them that the mountain did not have ladders and we'd have to climb.

I climbed up and got on top of the "mountain"... all the while chuckling that my poor children had to watch me swing myself up over the ledge at the top.  Bless their hearts....

When I started to go down on the other side, I will admit to you all that there was a bit of "fear and trepidation" as I was going down that part of the rock wall backwards... not sure of where my footing was going.

After I succeeded in my climb up and down, I encouraged the children to, one-by-one, go up the same way I did and then come down.  What I began to see took me off guard.

I had some, who I thought would be afraid, start climbing and coming down without a problem.  I was excited!  I stood back and cheered them on.

Then, one of my precious ones showed me a valuable lesson from the Lord.

He struggled even climbing up the first side because it was "too hard", he said.  He kept saying he just couldn't do it.  Knowing that I had to help him, I walked closer and began to encourage him more.  (The other kids even encouraged him, which warmed my heart!)  I tried to help him place his feet on each part of the climbing holds.  He didn't like that so I had to think of another way.

I then chose to climb the rock wall again,  meet him at the top... and pull him up.  Whether I was under him or above him pulling him up, I didn't realize just how hard it would be to help this little guy climb knowing that I was there for him and to trust me.

After helping him over the edge, I thought he would be elated!  I jumped down off the top of the volcano and continued my cheering.  Instead of joy on his face, there was more fear because he now didn't know how to get down.

As I was standing below him, encouraging him, he crumpled down at the top and said he just couldn't do it.  It was too hard.  He wanted to get down the easy way... the ladder.

In my love for him, I knew that the ladder was not the answer.  The easy way is not the best way.

It was in that moment, I saw myself in that little guy.  I saw myself climbing the mountains of life, having the Lord there encouraging me and pulling me up. He had been through life on this earth... He understood.   I saw myself getting there at the top... the highest point... and wanting to stay... not willing to go through anymore trials.  Telling the Lord that it is just too hard and I want to go the easy way.

And the Lord always says... I will never leave you or forsake you, I am underneath you with everlasting arms, I go before you and stand behind you.  I am with you.

It was in that moment, I knew what I had to do.  I had to climb back up again.  I had to show this little guy that I was with him just like God is with us in every part of life.  I climbed back up, encouraged him more and kept telling him that God was with him and so was I.

It still took some coaxing, but he began to stand up.  He hesitatingly put one foot over the edge, drew it back, then brought it back out again.

He was learning faith.

As he brought out his feet to climb down, I knew the fear he was feeling as I had just faced it a bit myself.  I had been there and was willing to help him down, to catch him if he fell.

With one foot, then the other, he came down.

He succeeded!

If I had let him go down the ladder, the easy way, he would have never learned the value of doing something hard.  He would have never had the gift of joy in accomplishing something hard with the help of someone who loves him.

We then went through the river (running/swimming through bars and swings on the playground),
climbed another wall,
went through the vines of the jungle (may I just make a statement here.... I have a new appreciation for those kiddos that do the monkey bars day in and day out....),
and ran across the desert to the other side.

All the while I did it with them.

Helped them through tough moments where they couldn't quite get it.

.... And learned so much in just 45 minutes on a playground.

I learned that God gave me a picture of what He does for us every day.  

He had me holding those children in love.  

He had me encouraging them.  

He had me telling them to try again... even if it is hard.  

Just like He does for me every day.

Just like He has done for my school this week after our tragic news of last weekend.

All because He loves us.

It is a picture I have not gotten out of my head all weekend, and I hope I will never look at a playground again in the same way.  I pray it will always give me encouragement on the days I don't feel I can go on or it is too hard.

I pray that my sweet students (my "chil'ren) will have a picture of Christ as well.

I pray that they will understand the love I had for them by going before them, holding them, encouraging them, and never leaving them on the playground is a small taste of what the Lord has for us in life.

The picture the Lord gave me on the playground reminded me of these verses from Isaiah 43:1-3:

But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel,
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are Mine!

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you.

“For I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

The question of WHY?

Death surrounds us every day.

We step on a bug.

We see animals in the road.

We watch each fall as leaves fall off the ground and turn brown.

We watch as a flower loses its petals.

So why is it that death shocks us to the core?

Why is it that when someone dies "too soon" we cannot wrap our minds around it?

There are countries right now facing such torment and death that it is part of every day life for them.  They are in constant fear of dying while they are living.

Is it because in our American culture where we have not faced such atrocities or because we have more life-saving medicines and techniques we do not experience death in volumes as much as other countries?  Do we think we are more immune?

This year I have experienced a lot of deaths compared to other years.  I wrote about two of them in this post from February.  (What I found was interesting as I went back to find the post, it was exactly 6 months to the date of what I am sharing now.)

Death has visited again twice in the last six weeks.

In the middle of July, we lost a youth from church who was Wesley and Mikayla's age.  He had fought cancer hard and his body could hold out no longer.

He was ready to go Home.  And he did.

That was hard on the kids.  It was hard on the adults.  It was hard as a parent because you wanted to hold your own children and never let them go.

We learned to go on as a church family.  The grieving process was and is still there as we remember, but we moved on into life again.

Yesterday, we were dealt another blow.  

A young girl, who used to go to our church and was a Senior at my school, died in a car accident.

I had taught her.... as so many of our teachers had.  She had been at school since Kindergarten.

It was surreal.  I could not wrap my mind around it.

I still can't.

That question comes up again that so often does at this time in life ~ WHY?

Why would the Lord allow a 14 year old boy die from cancer?

Why would the Lord allow a 16 year old girl die in a car accident?

I do not have an answer to that question.... and probably never will.

Death is part of life.  

At times such as these it is easy to get angry with God.  I do believe God understands our human emotions and allows us to voice them, such as how Job did during his trials.

However, one thing we must remember is that God is good.

Today at church it was AMAZING at how the Lord orchestrated the songs and the message... all had been preplanned before the news of this young life gone.

Let me share what I learned:

"You cannot rest in situations of life, but you can rest in the Savior."

Trials are a way of life.

Here are three truths that help in time of trials....  the times of WHY?

He spoke from James 1:1-5.

1.  Rejoice in the Providence of God.
We cannot rejoice in the problem... we can rejoice in God's Providence.
The pain is there.  It is hard to bear.  We cling to the Lord knowing He is in control.

2.  Remember the Purpose of God.
We are going through a process of perfection.  When God is working in our trials He is perfecting us to be more like Christ.
Christ suffered and died.
He understands pain and suffering whether we want to believe that or not in our humanness.

3.  Rely on the Promises of God.
The Bible is full of God's promises.  Those promises never say that life will always be good, always turn out the way we want, or never have death.
He promises that He will be with us every step of our life on earth and will never leave us or forsake us.
Whether we are 95... or 14... or 16.


One last thing the pastor spoke on this morning that has had me chewing is this:

"When you're building stronger muscles, you put more weight on.  You don't put on less.  

When you want more endurance, you increase the time.  You don't lessen the time.

Why are we so surprised when God adds more to our faith?"

As I said above, I do not have all of the answers.  I do not understand why these deaths had to happen.  I cannot comprehend what those families are going through at this time.

Cry tears.  Grieve.  

Anger may rise to the surface because it hurts.

Through it all, remember to trust God's promises. 

He always keeps His promises.

Even in the darkest of days He is there.  

He is holding us.  

He will never let us go.

Psalm 34:1-8

I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

My soul will make its boast in the Lord;
The humble will hear it and rejoice. 

O magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together. 

I sought the Lord, and He answered me,
And delivered me from all my fears.

They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces will never be ashamed.

This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
And saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him,
And rescues them.

O taste and see that the Lord is good;
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

 

Running In A Race

Have you ever run a race?

Running can be easy for some.

Running can be hard for others.

I know I have been learning how to run more in my exercise, but I still haven't gotten to a place where I love to run the entire time.

I am a walker, for certain.

Whatever way you prefer, we are all in a race.

We are in the race of life.

How we look at that race determines our outcome.

There are times when the race is long and seems to go on forever.  You look at the clock and do not know why time is passing so slowly.

There are other times the race is quite short.  You have sped through it and could not believe how well you did.

There are sometimes combinations of both types of races.

Right now I am looking at the race of my next school year.

As always, there are changes taking place and lots of new things that are coming my way.  It can feel a bit like the long race that goes on forever, the training is intense, nothing is easy.... and you just don't know how you are going to do it all.  

I will be humanly honest with you:  I have fought this race all week.

I have not fought the fact of new students, new books, or a new and shiny classroom.  

I have been fighting the looming expectations of how I am going to get everything done.  How am I going to be all I need to be for my students, my parents, my fellow teachers, my own children, my husband..... and most importantly, how am I going to keep the Lord as my focus in the midst of it all?

That is where the Lord gives us what we need when we need it... even before we know it.

It all started with the theme verse for our school year.  When we were told we were going to be using Isaiah 40:31, we were wondering how we would use it fully with the entire school.  While I love, love, love this verse, I was also wondering how to put that on everyone's level successfully.  How can I make something "concrete" become an abstract learning experience for my students?

(All summer I asked the Lord to give me an opportunity to capture this verse in photograph... and He did.  This is what will be displayed in my room at school, thanks to the Lord's directing:)

 

I have also been doing this Bible Study recently:  

When the Lord directed me to this for my second Bible study for the summer, I didn't quite understand.  I wasn't facing any "dark" moments right now in my life.  However, as I have shared before, I am learning to trust the Lord in His guidance.  Little did I realize that once again I would be needing this.  Check out the title.  I am a WALKER in this race called life.... and He is continuing to teach me to Walk by Faith.

Here are some quotes from Jennifer Rothschild:

• "If you feel that the weight of your circumstances is too heavy to bear, maybe it's because the burden is yours, not His."

• "Many of us go through life resisting our circumstances because we operate under the mistaken notion that we are in charge."

• "God's use of discipline (or a hard race!).... [is] not to punish us, but to change us.  He allows suffering to be like the hurdles we must jump to strengthen us." (italics emphasis mine)

• "A runner will discipline himself and endure arduous training in order to be fit for the race.  It's not easy.... but it is effective."

This Bible study that the Lord gave me for the second part of summer has given me more verses of encouragement.  What I have learned has already helped me with the new uncertainties and I know He will carry me in this race.  

How am I going to run/walk the race of this year?

How am I going to handle all of the new expectations and needs?

I am going to WAIT on the Lord so that I may run without being weary and walk without fainting.

There may be days I sprint to the finish. 

There may be days I have an "injury" and it will take all I can do to finish the day.

However, God will be there every step of the way.  

This video is a perfect picture of what the Lord does for us in our race of life.  We saw it in devotions this past week at school.  It brought tears to my eyes then and it brought tears to my eyes today.

May you be blessed by it now: