This is NOT my home..

I will be completely honest...sometimes this world just makes me cry. It's tough sometimes living in this world, especially if you have a tender heart like me. I am not trying to brag, because I know only the Lord could have given me this heart for others. On my own, I would just be bitter, cruel, and downright mean. Thankfully the Lord saved me and changed me, so much for the better. He has given me compassion. Most people think this is a great thing, but sometimes I'm not so sure if I would describe it as great. Hard. Now that's a word I could readily describe it as. Having Christ-like compassion in a world that is so against Christ is hard. Extremely hard. Some days it leaves me feeling exhausted, beat up, and discouraged. And yet I wake up the next day and do the same thing over again. Why? Because Christ commands me to have love for others, even my enemies. Even when it's extremely hard. It may be hard, but I know in the end it's rewarding.

So for those of you living for Christ in this dark world and getting discouraged, don't give up hope. You are doing the right thing. Don't listen to what the world says about you and don't beat yourself up. That's just what the devil wants you to do. He wants you to start feeling terrible about yourself so you will stop having compassion for others. Don't let him get to you. Always remember that we are merely passing through. This is not our home as Christians and it is not our final destination. Let your heart cry and your prayer be "Take this world and give me Jesus. This is not where I belong." People will let you down, hurt you, and disappoint you. But they don't define you. Jesus does. He is the ultimate Judge. Others can say all they want about you, but if you are living right in the sight of the Lord that's all that matters. Next time you start getting down, you just tell yourself "This is not my home. I am living for eternity, not this world." It will be hard and it will be painful, but He will be beside you every step of the way. A follower's footsteps are not always so easy, so don't think they should be.

The Adventure has Begun: Student Teaching

I just completed my third week ( I am only going three days a week to fulfill my hours) of Student Teaching. I must say it is fun already and I am learning a lot! I am Student Teaching at a small local Christian school with the 1st grade. I really could not have asked for a better supervising teacher and I praise God for orchestrating that all for me. The teacher is super nice, friendly, and makes Student Teaching not be as stressful as it could be. It is apparently a big deal that I am a student teacher there, because they haven't had one in about 5 years! No pressure there right? Everyone I have met so far though seems to like me, so hopefully they still will when my 12 weeks is over. Ha! 

I just wanted to share with you a little about my Student Teaching experience so far, so you could get a glimpse into my life for a minute or two. I am working with 10 1st grade students and they have already all captured my heart. They are just so precious and I pray everyday for each and everyone of them! Most of them come up to give me hugs now and will come up and ask me questions as well as their teacher. They also have been pretty excited when I have taught them a few times. I started by teaching Bible this week. I had done some reading with them and gave make up tests prior to that, but that was the first lesson I actually taught. Tuesday was my first day and I had to cram 2 lessons into the normal time slot for Bible. That was a challenge and I was so extremely nervous. While I did good for my first time (or so the teacher said), I know my face was red the entire time I was teaching. Thankfully, that didn't seem to bother the kids. Yesterday I did so much better with the lesson and wasn't quite as nervous. I know it's going to be a process. I love how exceptionally bright those first graders can be and it blows me away at times. I already have tons of stories and will add so many more before I am done. 

This past week was also Spirit week and we had some dress up days. My favorite was Fairy Tale Character day on Wednesday. I went as Alice in Wonderland and the kids got a kick out of that. It was fun to see the kids' costumes and hear what they had to say about them. One little girl came into the class dressed up as Merida from the movie "Brave". She didn't know what the princess's name was so she came in exclaiming "I'm brave! I'm brave!" Isn't that just too precious? The teacher and I laughed and laughed over that one. I am enjoying getting to know each of the children and learning about their personalities. They are all treasures in their own way. Here is a picture of me as Alice. Some of the older children at chapel say I look a lot like her. What do you think?

Stay tuned to hear more adventures of me from the wonderland of Student Teaching in a 1st grade classroom. Have a blessed day!