1/2 DOZEN PRINCES...AND A PRINCESS!

Three Year Old Bible class is well into the second quarter and my ½ dozen princes continue to bring my co-teachers and me great joy…and much laughter!  There are Sunday mornings when I think we should just stop class and laugh the rest of our time together!  I think God loves the fact that these boys have so much fun learning about Him and His Word.

Creation is our theme for this quarter.  We spend two weeks on each day of Creation and our only goal is to learn about what God made that day.  I usually begin our study by showing them true darkness so that they can appreciate “Let there be light,” and all of the beauty that is in their world because He gave us this gift.  My brave “super hero” boys have not been quite sure about that one!  They simply do not like the dark…at all! 

So adjusting my lesson a little, I’ve started class saying, “Okay, close your eyes REALLLLLY tight!”  While some don’t really even like that, most will do it… “what color is my shirt?”  “I don’t know, I can’t see,” they usually respond.  Occasionally one will say “Pink,” to which he is overwhelmingly, quickly told, “You don’t have your eyes closed!” by all the others!  And so we learn the true gift of God’s physical light in that it not only lets us see to move around in His World, but it also allows us to enjoy the beautiful colors of His Creation.  At this point we are up to Day 4…”sun, moon, and stars galore,” and with each day we add, with each page of our Creation book, they continue to get excited about God’s glorious Creation Gifts!

We are also working hard on learning the books of the Old Testament.  We do this in song form and they are already over half way through learning them all.  It is fun to see how hard they all work at pronouncing those extremely difficult words!  They already know the secret about what will happen when they learn them all and they love to hear about it as I whisper to them, “when we can say them all Ms. Christy will jump up and down clapping her hands!”  Of course, me saying it and Ms. Christy doing it are two very different things, but she will usually come around, especially under the pressure of those precious eyes looking to her for encouragement!

We also have a new addition to our group…yes, you may have guessed it from the title…we now have our very own class Princess.  Laney has been coming the past few weeks and she is a true Princess, with long blond hair and a beautiful smile.  Her first week she arrived crying, with her passy, and having to be held for the entire class period.  She quickly adapted and now bounces in each week, puts her Bible at her chosen chair (the one right in front of me) and goes over to play before class time.  She also is in the process of accomplishing something I have not been able to…because she always has her's, she has the boys thinking about getting their Bible’s to class with them.  Riley and Logan are already making a big point of it, and I am sure the others will also follow her lead.   She, having two older brothers, does not seem at all bothered, having the kitchen and doll house all to herself at playtime, at the fact that she is outnumbered 6 to 1!

In thinking about teaching the true meaning darkness, I was touched the other day in Target as I saw a young visually impaired girl making her way through the clothing area with an older lady.  The older lady would pick up an article of clothing and attempt to describe it to her younger friend.  It occurred to me while observing this, “How would you describe a color to someone who had not ever seen color?”   

I think I am very safe in saying that no one would ever make a choice to be blind.  We all want to see our world with our eyes wide opened, enjoying all it has to offer.  While no one would choose physical blindness, I am amazed at the number of people who choose to live in a Spiritually “dark” world.  They do not open their eyes to the rich gifts of God, to reading His Word, or to being watchful of the path leading to Eternal Life.  They willingly choose darkness over Light.  My earnest prayer is that these lessons of beginnings we are teaching will help my ½ dozen princes and 1 princess seek a lifetime of having their eyes wide open to God…they are well on their way! 

Roberta Pledge

October 25, 2011

LITTLE THINGS CAN BE BIG

Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference…

Restless and anxious, I sit self-absorbed in the waiting room listening for my name to be called to go back for my yearly mammogram.  As a breast cancer survivor, I know I am in for a three-hour ordeal.  Earlier that morning my 16 year old asked, “Why three hours?  Do they squeeze you boob for three hours?”  I answer, “Basically!” 

It is the single worst day of every year for me for the past nineteen.  It always triggers thoughts of that day when the ultrasound tech walked back into the room with tears in her eyes.  I remember thinking, “Poor girl, someone must have said something hurtful to her.”  Then I realized the tears were for me and because of what she had just discovered.  I left the clinic that day being told they were 95% sure I had breast cancer.  I was not in that 5% category and spent the next year, at age 39, fighting for my life.

I sit in the outside waiting room passing the time, opening up the “blessing for the day” I have picked up out of the jar as I entered, checking my phone for messages, glancing at Facebook, and posting “19 years…year to year…praying I get one more today.  Mammogram Day:  all prayers appreciated!”  The immediate posts that others are praying for me are a comfort and I reread the “blessing of the day” agreeing in my heart, “God is good!”  With each of these activities, I relax a little more.

Then I notice her, the young lady sitting behind the desk.  The décor of the room is brown and aqua and her aqua top with the brown sweater tied around her shoulders matches it perfectly.  She looked striking enough to be a model in an ad for the clinic.  It dawned on me that she might appreciate a compliment so, putting down my book, I walked over and said, “I couldn’t help but notice that you look so beautiful and that you match the office décor perfectly.”  I didn’t know how she would respond, but as I finished my sentence, her face brightened, “Thank you.  I have been sitting here feeling so bad and thinking that I looked awful.  You have just made my day…you have no idea how much I needed to hear that,” she responded. “Well, I just wanted to share that with you,” I said and returned to my chair. 

As I sat back down, I noticed she had a huge smile as she continued working at her desk.  When she called my name to put my armband on, her whole face beamed and warmed my heart.  I realized that the blessing I had given her would be passed on from person to person throughout the day with each armband she put on.  Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference.  A compliment paid, a smile of encouragement, a kind work when a hateful one would be expected.

I pray to be more mindful of each opportunity that comes my way.  As a child of God my blessings are countless.  Each day I encounter people who may not ever know His Peace, but as I wrap my mind around the “peace that passes understanding” I see and feel the urgency to pass it on to others at every opportunity.

The anticipation of my mammogram is almost over.  They will call my name soon and I’ll enter that room that will determine how my tomorrows will go.  The experiences of this morning are already a blessing and what happens next rests in God’s hands.  As these last few minutes have reminded me, He is in control of each and every situation.  All will be well and I will have an opportunity to encourage others, hopefully, no matter what the outcome. 

Because of that one day nineteen years ago I am thankful for each day, every blessing, and every opportunity.  Some of life’s most precious blessings just come from overcoming.  I’m holding tight to His hand…got to go, they are calling my name.

Roberta Pledge

I DON'T LIKE TO LOOK AT ME!

I DON’T LIKE TO LOOK AT ME!

I like to think about and write about God….He is Perfect, He is Love, He is Constant.  I like to think and write about Him, because when I am looking at Him, I don’t have to look at my imperfect self.  I don’t have to look at all the mistakes I’ve made or the ways I have disappointed.  I don’t have to look at my shortcomings or my sin.  When my eyes are on God they are on Perfection!  When I look at God, my eyes are on Love.

Sometimes instead of looking at God, I look at you.  If I am looking at you, I am not looking at myself.  If I see your flaws and weaknesses, I don’t see my own.  I can always find someone who is looking worse today then I am.  I don’t always stop to consider the fact that the person I am looking at does not have the same background, talents, or support.  I just look at them and it, like looking at God, keeps my eyes off myself.

Paul stated (2 Corinthians 12:10), “when I am weak, then I am strong.”  I want to be strong, in control, having it all together, but the “weak” part I would love to just leave behind…I would rather just say, “I am strong.”  I would rather have the strength without the weakness.  I want the easy way out…always!

Paul also said (Romans 7:15), “I do not understand what I do.  What I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”  Now I can relate to that a lot better than “when I am weak, then I am strong.”  I could hourly write a book on that one!  I wish to not gossip, yet I can do it in a heartbeat.  I wish to not get angry with another, yet I repeatedly do just that.  I wish to not lose my temper and scream at someone I love; yet I disappoint myself regularly in that. 

James stated (James 5:16), “Confess your sins to each other.”  I don’t like to do that at all!  When I am looking at myself I am looking at the one person I truly have control over.  I am looking at the one I am responsible for.  I want to tuck my sins away, much like those bills that I don’t have the money to pay, and just forget about them for a while.  I would just rather not deal with them today, thank you!  And I certainly don’t want to confess them to you, that is even harder than looking at them by myself.

I like Paul and James…they were real, they told it like it was and still is; they walked on this earth and dealt with many of the things I deal with on a daily basis.  So I will learn to be strong in my weakness, I will know that I will do the things I hate to do, and I will confess my sins to you.  I will look at Jesus and I will try to look like Him.  I will hold my life up to His and, though I will not measure up, I will work towards looking more like Him.

I will fail dreadfully many times, but I will just start over and do it again and again.  Practice may not always make perfect, but it will always help!  I will try to force myself to look at myself, to change the things that need changing, but to always do it with love for myself. I will especially practice being gentle with myself when I need to be.  After all, if God is Love and I am trying to be pleasing to Him, I can’t leave love out of the equation, even when I’m looking at me!

Roberta Pledge

September 28, 2011

Taking time away from life to live...

Life is hard..I know it is suppose to be...but still taking a few days away from it is WONDERFUL! 

Last week, taking a few days away at the coast, I saw God in His creation in my very favorite environment.  Where the sand meets the sea and the waves hit the coast and they all come together with the sky beyond.  I can sit for hours and just watch the beauty of God's Creation.  I take books, but they go unread.  Thought I might write, but I didn't. Just the Glory of God in the company of family and friends is about as good as I think it gets this side of Heaven. 

Even though I am comforted by the fact that this life is only a road leading to the next Life...when things are tough I simply remember that the next Life will be beyond my wildest expectations.  When I take time away from living life and truly look at the beauty of God's world...the part He created, not man's creation...I get a tiny glimpse of the image of Heaven.  That song "How Beautiful Heaven Must Be" are only words we sing...we cannot even begin to understand the real beauty we will see there.  God is Love...how do you even begin to picture Love! Live for it, work for it, always know it is within your grasp through God's grace.  And while you are at it...work on taking someone else along.  The only true happiness and peace in this life comes from walking straight towards the Next Life!
Roberta
10/14/11