My Net

“As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him.”
            -Matthew 4:18-20

So today, I’m talking about what my whole blog is titled, but this passage and this whole idea of dropping nets have been on my heart a great deal since July. These men immediately dropped their nets when Christ called them. Those nets were how they made their living, their entire way of life. And they just left them. Dropped them, and never looked back. They had to drop them in order to follow Christ. In order to truly be His disciple, they had to be dedicated to Him and Him only. They could not have anything holding them back.

Like Peter and Andrew, we all have nets. We all have something that we hide behind or get caught up in, that holds us back, like a net, from fully surrendering our lives to Christ. Nets look different for everyone. They take on many forms. However, they all have one thing in common. They stand between us and a life sold out to our Savior.

My personal net these past few months comes in the form of a person. I can’t share any details, other than I am about to be separated from this person for a very long time. And in my entire life, I’ve never been more than two or three weeks without seeing them. So, needless to say, I’ve been struggling. Yesterday, in fact, I was having a really rough time. As it draws nearer, it becomes more of a reality, and yesterday, it really sunk in. And I just knew I was not ready. There was no way it could be coming this quickly. Time just needed to slow down.

Then I realized how completely selfish I was being. I was reminded of this passage and the lesson I learned from it this past summer. I am allowing this friendship to become a net in my life. I am holding on so tight to something that does not belong to me in the first place. My friend is not mine. My friend and my friend’s life belong to Christ. He has simply allowed me the privilege of knowing them. He has allowed me the years of growing together with them, and He has blessed me with a very special friendship, one like many people never experience. God has knit our hearts together in such a special way that this friendship is one we will share forever, regardless of where He takes both of us.

Now, it’s time for me to let go and be thankful for the time that we have shared. I need to let go for my walk with Christ and my friend’s. We both need to be free of nets so we can be free to fully serve Him in the places that He has placed both of us. Now, I’m not saying I’m perfect or that it’s going to be easy. It is going to have to be a daily thing, sometimes probably much more often than that, but I am letting go of this net!

A Reason to Smile on a Rainy Day

                Today I am thankful for umbrellas. I mean, have you ever just stopped to think about what a stinking wonderful invention an umbrella is? Personally, I hate to be wet, especially when it’s cold like today, but with an umbrella I can stay nice and dry. It does not keep the rain from falling or the storm from brewing, but it protects me from their effects.

          However, the second I step out from under that umbrella, I am going to get wet. There is no question about it. No umbrella in the middle of a storm means being cold, wet, and miserable.

            So, while I was sitting in class today, nice and dry, and thinking about my fantastic umbrella, I started to think about, how as Christians, God is our umbrella. Now, maybe that’s a little weird, but let me explain.

            See, God is our protector. Our shield. In the midst of a storm, He keeps us nice and dry. He guards our hearts and gives us a peace that can come only from Him. He gives us strength to make it through when we feel like we can’t even move. He is with us even when we feel like we are all alone.

            This does not mean we won’t experience storms in our lives. If we are living lives sold out to the Lord, then you better believe Satan is going to attack. He does not want us to be effective witnesses to the lost world. God never promised that a life of following Him would be easy. The good news though is that He did promise to our Rock. Or in this case, our umbrella.

            When faced with a storm, we must fully rely on God to bring us through. Much like the real umbrella, the second we step out of God’s umbrella of protection, we are going to get soaked. Without Him, Satan’s attacks will destroy us. The only way to survive is our “umbrella.”

            So, like I said, maybe a little weird, but just something I thought about today and wanted to share. I am thankful for my earthly umbrella, but I am so much more thankful for the most important “umbrella” I will ever have. My prayer is that I never step out from under it.

Confessions of a Worrier

Hello. My name is Courtney, and I am a worrier.

            Seriously, if there was such a thing as worriers anonymous, I would have to attend. I am constantly worrying about the future. And being a worrier causes me to be a planner. I like to plan things out in detail. I like to be in control. I like to know exactly what’s going to happen and when it’s going to happen and where it’s going to happen and who’s going to be there.      

            I worry about five minutes from now. I worry about five days from now. I worry about five weeks from now. I worry about five years from now.

            I try to justify my ridiculous worrying and planning by saying that I am simply being smart. I am being responsible by preparing for what’s to come.

WRONG!

            What I’m really doing is missing out on opportunities to serve God in the here and now. I end up not living a life fully dedicated to bringing Him honor and glory because I am so caught up in looking forward that I lose sight of where God has placed me right now.

            I have been very convicted about this lately because this is a time of life when it would be very easy to be focused on the future. And while I know that God has a plan for me in the future, He also has a plan for me right now. Today. At Central Baptist College in Conway, Arkansas. My main focus should be on following God’s daily will for my life, and He will lead me to the future.

            I’m not saying that a little bit of planning if a bad thing, but when it begins to keep my from fully putting my trust in God’s plan and giving Him complete control of my life, something is wrong.

            Slowly, I am learning to “let go and let God.” He is teaching my every day how to surrender myself fully to Him right where I am. I’m glad though that he is patient, gracious, and loving because I’m stubborn, and it’s going to take a while for me to fully get it. But I know that with His guidance and strength, He will bring me to that place.

I'm going to be in school for the rest of my life....

So I recently had to write a paper for my education profession class about my motivation for becoming a teacher, and I thought it would be appopriate to share for my first post since it's a very huge part of my life right now. So here it goes...

                 A couple of years ago, I had my life plan all figured out. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I had mapped it all out. I was going to be a pharmacist. I was going to use medicine to make a difference in people’s lives without having to deal with all of the blood and guts that a doctor would. The salary was not exactly a drawback either.

                Teaching was the last thing that I wanted to do. See, I knew about teachers, especially elementary school teachers. They spend long days with crazy, hyperactive children. They go home and grade crazy children’s papers and make lesson plans for crazy children. They are not exactly the wealthiest people on planet earth either. Their job title is not one that comes with much glamour. No, teaching was not an option for me.

                There was just one tiny problem with this great plan I had for my life. I had not consulted the Lord about it once. I decided all of this out of my own selfish desires. I was planning what I wanted and what I thought was best for me, but God had a much different plan. I have to laugh at how silly I must have seemed to God, mapping out my entire life. While He knew all along that none of what I planned was going to happen. I know He had to think it was silly because I know He has a sense of humor. How do I know this? I am now going to be doing the very thing I wanted no part of-teaching elementary school.

                I said all of that to say this. The most important reason that I want to teach is because I truly believe that it is what God has called me to do. This is where God has lead me, and He has given me a passion for it that I never would have thought possible. I believe with all of my heart that this is want God wants me to do with my life, and I am so excited to see what He has in store. I cannot wait to have my own classroom. God did a strange work in me, but I am so glad that He did.

                Now that the Lord has called me to be a teacher, there are many things that I strive to be as a teacher. I had a host of different experiences with teachers in elementary school. Some were outstanding, some were awful, and some were just teachers. I strive to stay miles away from the awful. I never want to make a child feel insignificant or ignorant or unloved. I also strive to stay away from being just a teacher. I would rather not do something at all than do it half-heartedly. My desire is to be one of the outstanding. I have one particular teacher who stands out when I look back on my elementary years. Mrs. Slayton, my fifth grade teacher, changed my life, literally. She was one of the godliest women I have ever met, and she genuinely loved each and every one of us. She has a passion for young people and just pouring into their lives. I strive to be some other child’s “Mrs. Slayton.”

                I want to make a difference in hurting children’s lives. I want to show a child genuine love for the first time. I want to help a child discover his or her intelligence. I want to help a child discover his or her self-worth. I want to simply help a child learn. I want each child I teach to leave my class at the end of the year as a different child than the one that entered my classroom at the beginning. This will not be because of anything I do or say or teach, but it will be in the work Christ does through me. I want each child I teach to see how great my God is, and I pray that every child I teach someday might come to know the Lord as their Savior.

My motivation for the outstanding also comes from my family. I come from a family that loves me very much and always encourages me to learn and to grow. They love the Lord with all of their hearts, and they are constantly reaching out and ministering to other people. I have seen lives be changed because of work that God has done through them. If I can make even half of the impact on one child’s life that my parents have made on mine, I will be full of joy.

                Sometimes I still struggle with the difficulties that come with teaching, but I believe the rewards will far outweigh them. I also truly believe this exactly what God wants me to be doing. I know it will not always be easy, but I have faith that He will see me through and He will use me to touch the lives of children in need of love and care.