Sunday, September 13, 2009

Getting Uncomfortable

Yea, it was time to make a change. Fall is approaching and it is my favorite time of year so I wanted my blog to reflect a little more of me. I love the fall because of the cool temperatures, football, camp outs, snuggling under blankets, settling in early in the evenings. Its just a great time of year and its almost here!

We are heavy into school now, working on more topics than we ever have before. I realized more and more what a privilege it is to show my kids how everything goes back to the Creator. All learning is motivated by knowing Him, understanding Him, and then making Him known to others. The more we learn together as a family of homeschoolers the more we understand Him and there is truly nothing greater. I'm so thankful that Christ has made it possible to personally know God. I hope that everyone who reads this has surrendered to the sacrifice and redemption that Christ became, that you too may personally know God.

The more I get to know Him the more I want to teach about Him. This is why I love my other students so much. I'm referring to what I call my "spiritual kids". My 8th graders is their official title. It's the same ones who were previously called my 7th graders. And even before that they were known as my 6th graders. Yea, they can't get away from me! I keep moving up with them because I can't imagine being anyone else's Sunday School teacher. Every week they give me the opportunity to teach them what God is teaching me.

We are now working through a study called "Get Uncomfortable". It really did make me uncomfortable this week as I prepared. There is so much injustice in the world. There is so much suffering all around while I sit comfortably at my nice computer with a snack beside me and my kids playing outside in my lovely yard. Anything I need is within arm's stretch basically while there are dying people of all ages all over the world. Should I feel bad that I have things that other's don't? NO. I know that "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father" James 1:17. So, why would this study make me uncomfortable?

It's because as my eyes begin to see, my heart begins to hurt. It is uncomfortable because God suffers with those who suffer. That is what it means to call Him compassionate. And He lives within me. As He brings me to an understanding of the oppression, injustices, and poverty of this fallen world it causes my heart to break.

Psalm 19:8 teaches that as believers follow God's precepts He enlightens their eyes.
This means we become of aware of what He sees.

Matt. 13:15 and Is. 6:9-10 teaches us that healing can not occur in people until our eyes are opened.

Nothing is gonna make a difference until we all open our eyes and allow our hearts to be captured by what it sees. Then if God resides in us we will be moved to compassion. It won't be the compassion that only exists in an emotion. It will be that of Christ which caused Him to action. It will cause us to move on someone else's behalf. It will cause us to get uncomfortable.

Please pray for my SS class as I challenge them to get uncomfortable and to act out their faith. And pray for me as I try to lead by example. May God be able to freely work through us all and that we have willing hearts to live out His calling.