So, you don't think God is faithful to His Word?

"Teaching is a tough market right now." "Did you hear about all of the teachers who got laid off?" "All of those budget cuts are really going to affect teaching jobs, huh?"
Yes, ever since Kevin graduated from Northeastern State University this year with an Elementary Education degree, we have been bombarded with "facts" regarding the current state of the economy and the lack of teaching positions available. *On a side note, it is fairly annoying to know that individuals think this is actually "good" and "pleasant" conversation. Why would we ever want to focus on the negative of any situation?
However, Kevin and I did understand the "facts" of the situation. Yes, teaching positions were scarce. Yes, teachers were being let go. Yes, schools are decreasing their budgets and pay for teachers. And these were all conversation starters that directly followed, "what did you graduate for?" "teaching." "oh, did you know..."
With the public's incessant need to inform us every chance they had of the drastic and devastating state of teaching positions, Kevin and I made a different choice - what we see, what we hear, and what the current situation looks like does not determine our level of faith or our trust that God can move on our behalf. Of the upmost importance to us was that this situation offered the potential to showcase to the world visible faith in God's Word and God's timing. We simply had to trust God's Word and not doubt; speak His Word over our situation, our life, and trust that His Word never returns void of power; trust that God will move mountains on our behalf, that we operate in unmerited favor, and that those who trust in Him and His Word are never disappointed.
About 3 months later Kevin received a phone call from an elementary school regarding a teaching position for 4th grade. The elementary school let Kevin know that they weren't in need of a 4th grade teacher until an unexpected enrollment of 15-20 students occurred prior to the first week of classes, requiring the school to hire an additional 4th grade teacher. So, the elementary school called a local university, which just happened to be the same university Kevin graduated from, and requested recommendations from the university for their newly opened teaching position. The university recommended Kevin.
Kevin never applied for this teaching job. He doesn't know anyone from the elementary school that inquired of a recommendation. And, he's never visited the elementary school or sent in an application. The only explanation for this is that God moved on our behalf. That's it. And, that's a pretty amazing place to be. What's even more amazing, is that there are individuals in our life who aren't saved, who have heard of this situation, and the words out of their mouths are, "This has to be God."

Your life is shaped by the words you speak - you have the choice to allow the circumstances you encounter to happen, and you can accept them as they are; or, you can speak the Word over your life, over your family and your friends, over your finances and your job, over your home and your belongings and know that those who trust in God's Word are never disappointed.

If you only knew...

I just finished watching Christine Caine's message at Guts Church (gutschurch.com) from the Guts Girls Goes Aussie event over the weekend and it spoke so deeply to my heart. Christine relates a story of her daughter, who from the time she was born has had the Word of God spoken over her life - she has been told that she's intelligent, beautiful, the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath, that she is blessed and highly favored... And when her daughter was five she got in a fight at school with a young boy who took a teddy bear from her and her daughter pulled it back from the boy. The boy looked at her daughter and said, "you're ugly and dumb." The little girl pulled her shoulders back and said, "no, i'm not. my daddy says that i am beautiful and intelligent." "How much junk could we eliminate from our lives," says Christine, "if we would know and believe what our Father says about us and believe nothing else?"
After letting the message sit with me, think on it, process it, I got on Facebook and read countless status updates and posts between girls who are speaking about boyfriends who don't treat them well, and boyfriends who are rude and disrespectful to them, girls speaking demeaning and degrading comments about one another, and I can't help but relate to Christine's message - what if they would simply believe ONLY what the Word of God says about them and nothing else. And, in doing so, they would surround themselves with others who treat them according to who they are, which is a child of God.
And then you think of those individuals in your own life, those who you are entrusted to and entrusted with, who speak against their own health and the health of their loved ones, who speak gossip and idle chatter, who pronounce defeat on themselves and judgement on others, and you think, "if only you would believe what your Father says about you, and apply that to loving those around you and treating those you come in contact with as children of God." What a different world we would have, and what a different outlook on christians and christianity the world would have of us. We would actually act in accordance with what we profess. And THAT would change the world.

What makes you come alive...

With back-to-school season in session, I have multiple friends and family members attempting to decide what they want to be when they grow up. It's a multi-faceted question, really. So often, what we want to be, become and do changes at an instant, and we are drawn to various job positions according to our passion, love, or sometimes bank account.
No matter the question, how it arises, or what the motivating factor behind it is, I always seem to respond in the same manner - do what you love. If only it were that easy. It's a simple phrase that holds so much meaning because so often individuals do not make decisions regarding their work based on what they love and are passionate about. The decision of job selection and acceptance is so easily made according to what's available, what will pay for bills and what's closest to friends and family. But, what if the purpose behind your job pursuit, your career pursuit or your college major choice, was what truly made you come alive, instilled passion within you, and was something that you absolutely loved doing? I doubt you would ever regret where you are or wish you had made a different decision, and you would daily step into a position that allowed you to bestow your gifts upon the world. Not bad, really.