Check the Lights on Your Christmas Tree

This past week has been a difficult week for me with the shooting at the elementary school in Connecticut. It reminded me that as a professional, it is my responsibility to protect my students at all costs and remain calm in any circumstance so that my students remain calm. There were so many sweet children who lost their lives because an evil person committed a selfish act in takin out his anger in children and adults he didn't know. Teachers, administrators, and other faculty members gave up their lives protecting as many children as they could. Usually future teachers are just attempted to be prepared for working with difficult parents, we are now having to think about other safety measures in protecting our students before ourselves. With this in mind, we need to check all the lights on our tree. I don't mean this literally. I mean that we as Christian teachers need to make sure our attitude and actions reflect our faith. We are the Christmas tree and our attitude and actions are the lights. When we live a Christ-like life and be a positive Christian role model for our students, our lights shine bright and glow. Our students are the ornaments on the tree. Some are elaborate golden angels while some are a simple red ball and others are paper handmade ornaments. Each ornament is different, but each one has its place on the tree. It is my job as the tree to make sure all of my lights are working and shining brightly so that all my ornaments sparkle and shine in their own way. It is my job as the teacher that I have an attitude that reflects the love of Christ in me and that my actions show it as well. If I have a dull light, an ornament won't sparkle like it should. I pray that my lights never grow dim and that my future students see the love of Christ through me. I pray that I will never have to worry about my students and know where they will be one day. I pray for the families affected by the shooting and that God brings them peace and comfort during this Christmas season. I can't even begin to imagine how they feel or what they are going through, but I know a God who offers endless love and is the Prince of Peace. I pray you and your family have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I pray that you check your lights this season so that the ornaments in your life are able to be seen brightly through you.

So Much To Be Thankful For!

Gobble Gobble!! Today is Thanksgiving!! And if you looked at my Facebook from this month, you would probably think that I am not thankful for anything because I haven't hopped on board with the writing what you are thankful for each day during the month. Honestly, I simply haven't had time to do that every day with everything I have going on. So, that's why I got up early on this Thanksgiving morning. And no, it wasn't just to get a jump start on early Black Friday sales (even though I was extremely tempted to go to Fred's 7 am sale) nor is it to be like a kid and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving parade (though I am patiently waiting for it to being at 9!!). So here goes my top list of 22 (the number of days from November 1st till Thanksgiving) things I am thankful for.

1. I am so very thankful for Jesus dying on the cross for my sins and loving me when I am weak and when I am strong. Without Him, nothing would matter in this world.

2. I am thankful for my momma. She is always listens to me complain when I call her and is my best friend. I am thankful that the Lord allowed me to be her daughter. I hope to be half that woman she is one day.

3. I am thankful for my daddy. He always know how to fix any problem I have. He has instilled Christian values and morals in me. I hope that I one day find a man like him to marry.

4. I am thankful for my grandma. Before I was born, both of my grandpas had passed away and my other grandma passed away when I was 8 or 9, so for most of my life I have only had one grandparent. She went through a lot of rough times growing up and having a family, so I truly appreciate everything she has done in her life. She is an angel and Godly woman that I hope to be like when I get married, become a mother, and become a grandmother.

5. I am thankful for my siblings. Even though we fight like crazy and seem to never get along, I really don't know what I would do without them! I honestly don't know how a person could go through life without having a sibling to tease or pick on, but love at the end of the day.

6. I am thankful for my extended family. My extended family is like no other. I have aunts and uncles who are pretty much like another set of parents to me and have helped in raising me and loved me as if I were their own.

7. I am thankful for our military and their families. I am humbled by the sacrifices they make every day to fight for our freedoms as their families spend the holidays apart from their loved ones. John 15:13 says, "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends." Thank you to those who have given up their lives so that we may live in freedom in America.

8. I am thankful for my friends. They are always there for me through the thick and thin of things. I know that sometimes they get tired of hearing me complain, but they are always there for me. I hope that I am the great friend to them that they are to me.

9. I am thankful my church family. They are a constant encouragement to me, and I am blessed to be apart of a family of Christ in my church.

10. I am thankful for my freedom. It is so wonderful to live in a country where I don't have to sneak away just to be able to read my Bible or go to church. I have the freedom to read my Bible and attend church whenever I want to. Anyone can chose to worship however they wish to and follow any religion they choose. Though I am a strong Christian, I am thankful to live in a country where I am not forced to believe something doesn't align with God's Word.

11. I am thankful for Samford. I have made so many friends and met so many wonderful people that I never would have met without being here at Samford. It is so wonderful to be apart of a community that loves the Lord and serves Him by serving others.

12. I am thankful for my health. I have never had any serious illnesses. I have had minor accidents along the way, but the Lord has blessed me with good health.

13. I am thankful for my two jobs. I know they aren't "real" jobs, but they do give me a little extra money to help me in college. God always provides, even in the smallest of ways.

14. I am thankful for all of the people who have encouraged and pushed me along the way throughout high school and college to get me to where I am right now, getting closer to graduating in May 2013! I have had some amazing mentors and teachers who helped to guide me and prayed for me, and words cannot express how thankful I am that I am exactly where God has directed me through the help of them.

15. I am thankful for my dogs Charlie and Buster. Charlie is a spoiled little boy and loves just curling up in my lap to lick and kiss me. He is a momma's boy and is a sweet as pie. He is unique and special as I love staring into his gorgeous blue and brown eyes. Buster, or Elvis as I like to call him because he curls his lip, is the goofiest dogs who can make you laugh on your saddest days. He is literally always smiling and is a happy carefree dog. They will be your best friend as long as you feed them. :)

16. I am thankful for my adopted dog Danger. He is one of the kindest dogs I have ever had, and I completely adore him and his beautiful white fur. I fall in love with him every time he sits his head in my lap and looks at me with his big brown eyes. He would never hurt a fly and is as smart as a whip, but if anyone tried to hurt me then he would do anything to protect me.

17. I am thankful for God's blessings. He has given me more than I could ever need. I have never gone one day in my life where I went without something I needed. He is so good to me!

18. I am thankful for God's little miracles in my life. I know it seems that the miracles performed when Jesus walked on earth don't seem to happen anymore, but I see the little miracles that make a big difference in my life.

19. I am thankful for my major in elementary education. It has opened so many doors for me to be able to do what I love: working with children. I want to make a difference in children's lives to mold them into wonderful young men and women one day. I know many children do not receive the best education possible. I want to break that goal to help children see that they don't have to live in the cycle of poverty if they study hard in school and go to college or a vocational training school.

20. I am thankful for living in the South. I know we are perceived as slow and sometimes dumb, but we are the complete opposite. We know how to enjoy life and what God has given us. I love living in the country and seeing the beauty of God's hand through the changing colors of the leaves and the landscape He has made. Through all the hustle and bustle, it's nice to slow down and take in fresh air.

21. I am thankful for my church when I am at college. It has taken me four years to finally find a church I enjoy going to, but I am blessed that God has guided me to Church of the Highlands. I know it isn't Southern Baptist, but I feel so at home there as everyone is friendly with a smile on their faces. People come to truly worship God and to pour their hearts out to Him. I love worshiping God with fellow believers through praise songs and through the great sermons.

22. Lastly, I am thankful for everyone that is reading this post. I may or may not know you, but I pray that God blesses you on this Thanksgiving and that hopefully this post has reminded you of many things you have forgotten about but are thankful for. I pray you have a Happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful holiday season as Christmas is approaching quickly!

No Longer Waiting

Lately, I have been struggling with my personal walk with Christ as I see friends being in love and getting engaged. Don't get me wrong. I am excited and happy for their happiness and for them finding love. It's just sometimes when you reach the end of your college career your Aunt Suzy starts asking you at family events "When are you getting hitched?" Sometimes it causes me to wonder if God has someone for me or if He even cares.

Jeremiah 31:3 says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness." Why in the world should I be sitting around waiting for love when I have an everlasting, unending, unfailing, bountiful love with Christ? His love could never match that of any man's! So now, I am no longer waiting on a man. Why should I? I want to fall so in love with Jesus that I never feel like I need a man to complete me. Yes, I would like to find a Godly man, but I want to be so in love with Christ that a man must fall in love with Him too so we can find each other through Christ. And if there is not guy for me, then I am totally okay with that because Christ's love is greater than all other love, and it will always be enough for me!

God loves me, and I am precious in His sight. Isaiah 43:4 says, "That's how much you mean to me! That's how much I love you! I'd sell off the world to get you back, trade the creation just for you." It is so powerful to know that the One who created me loves me more than anything and would do everything in His power to show how much He loves and desires me. My prayer is that I, and all women, follow God's Word to guide me as I fall in love with Him.

So Blessed!

I know it's so cliche to say that, especially being a student at Samford where it seems like everyone is "So Blessed" here, but it is so true to me! I feel as though we take a lot of things for granted, particularly the little things in life. Honestly, I probably ask God for more things than I praise Him for what He has already done for me. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way, but it is a difficult thing to talk about because we never want to appear to not have it all together. Thank God that He doesn't want us to have our life all together. He loves us because we are His children. He wants us to cry out to Him and never expects anything in return but for us to love Him. When we love Him, everything else will fall into place. John 14:15 says, "If you love me, obey my commandments." With all of the wonderful things that God has done for me and given to me, how could I not love Him? This brings me back to the purpose of what I started talking about: Being Blessed!

Today, my education class went to visit the Alabama School for the Blind and the Helen Keller School. Visiting with those sweet and precious kids really put my life into perspective. Many deal with multiple disabilities on top of being deaf or blind. Watching them succeed in class and doing basic life skills really touched my heart. The funny thing is that many people tell teachers and assistants who work with people who have disabilities that they are doing a great thing in helping those people and teaching them, but in actuality, it is those with disabilities who end up teaching everyone else important lessons in life. At the Alabama School for the Blind, there was a young man who really inspired me, and what he said will always have a huge impact on my life. He was talking to us about some of the braille technology he uses through an iPod. When asked what he wanted to do when he finished high school, he told us that he wanted to do something in computer programming to develop affordable programs that not only help visual impaired people, but everyone else as well. Wow! How awesome is that!? Here I have been lately stressing out about assignments, organizations I am committed to, and working and I encounter this dear boy! He doesn't have any sight and could complain about so many things, but he was learning about technology so that he can make a difference. And the stunning part of that is that he wants to make a different for everyone! He truly taught me a lesson of a lifetime! And on top of all that, he even expressed his Christian faith with us as he opened his Bible app on the iPod so we could listen to a Bible verse.

My perspective of life is so different now. I am thankful that God has allowed me to see and hear and have good health. Being able to walk, talk, see, and hear - I know I don't stop and think of how blessed I am to have those senses, but after today I am truly thankful! I wish it was mandatory for people to learn sign language because there were children who tried to communicate with us, and since we did not know sign language, we didn't know what they were trying to say to us. We did learn one sign.

Friend.