I have found that when working with preschoolers, the word “no” comes out of your mouth a lot. Okay, it comes out of my mouth a lot. Usually it comes flying out in a moment of fear or chaos, without even passing through my brain for analysis. So today I decided that I wasn’t going to use it.

As I was driving to work today I was feeling really confident in my ability not to use “no” all day. I rehearsed various phrases to use instead, reciting them over and over, I was ready for anything. For the first hour or so everything was going smoothly (there was a 2 hour delays for most school districts in the area so I only had 1 kiddo for a while). By the time 9 o’clock rolled around, however, I had dropped the “n-bomb” over ten times.

Don’t get me wrong. I consider myself a decently patient person. I’m not running around all day screaming “no” at everyone. However,  I spend my days hanging out with 10 three-year olds (who I love dearly). And those of you who have three year-olds, know what they are capable of. Somehow, no matter how hard I try to swallow the word “no”, it explodes out of my mouth in dire situations, which are plenty in my classroom.

Whether someone is eating something un-edible, or wrestling someone else to the ground, or climbing some piece of furniture; “no” seems to be the fastest and most effective way to convey the danger of the action. Somehow the phrase, “sweet pea that shelf is about to fall over on top of you please get down” doesn’t seem to get the point across that something needs to happen fast. But today I decided to try.

Sometimes my three yr-olds are way smarter than me. Okay, usually they are. I began to realize that I was in trouble today when a small brawl broke out over the play dough. I calmly told those involved that we needed to share, someone was going to get hurt and all that good teacher stuff. I’m pretty sure that no one even heard what I said. As soon as I said “Absolutely not, friends, play dough goes away if you can’t share”, I am visible again. Granted that wasn’t the word “no”, but it was the same idea.

So I learned something valuable today. First off, just because one challenge may seem easier than another doesn’t necessarily mean that it is. Sometimes the ordinary things in life are the hardest ones to change. And secondly, three year-olds need to be told “no” sometimes, and that’s all there is to it. As a teacher it is my job to teach them gently, but firmly, and always with love.

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. 

Proverbs 22:6

http://www.weighitup.com.au/fitness/977/guide-to-surviving-winter

Something about Christmas delays
the feeling of sorrow that accompanies the winter months. But as soon as the
holiday season is over “winter” is upon us, stealing Joy, and warmth, and
adding inches to our waistline by the second.

And as trivial as it all may seem,
winter is tough for everyone. As someone who has struggled to function from November
to April since they were very small, I have developed a few tips that may make
things a little more bearable.

1. BUY A
   HEATED BLANKET. I tell you the truth, I did not live until I had one of
   these. I actually carry it around with me to every room of the house,
   plugging it in as I go. Everything is better when you are toasty warm
   under a blanket. A word of caution, however: Once you are under the
   blanket, you will lose all motivation to complete obligations.
2. START
   DRINKING TEA. I honestly don’t know why anyone wouldn’t love tea. It’s
   like a heated blanket for your insides. I know a lot of people don’t. But
   here’s the thing, not only does it keep you healthy, but it keeps you
   happy. Try not to add extra sugar and junk, stick to honey if you absolutely
   can’t drink it plain. Tea has tons of benefits for your body and can help
   relieve stress, digestive issues, cold symptoms and much more. Seriously,
   give it a shot.
3. GET
   MOVIN’. Okay, so I totally have no authority on this one because although
   I consider myself to be a lover of running, I really struggle to stay
   active when even my bones are shivering and it’s dark before dinner. So
   how do you stay moving? Well, If you have the money buy a treadmill and
   the Total Gym and call it a day. For the rest of us, getting to the gym
   can be pricey and inconvenient. If you have cable, check out the channels
   that offer a variety of workout videos in the am. It may be different for
   different areas, but a lot of major networks are programming
   workouts for viewers. Thanks to good ole’ Google, you can basically type
   in any kind of workout and find someone out in cyberspace to lead you
   through a body busting workout for free. My personal favorite workout
   routine for the winter months is to do handstands and other gymnastics
   moves in the living room while watching my favorite TV shows. So pick one
   and give it a whirl! You’ll have more energy and be happier with your self
   for getting off the couch (and out from under your heated blanket).
4. DRINK
   WATER. This isn’t just good advice for the winter months, but the colder
   it gets, the harder it is to remember to hydrate. I keep a water bottle
   with me at all times. It holds 32 ounces of water, so If I make sure to
   drink about 3 a day I’m good. Once you get into a routine, drinking water
   just becomes a part of your everyday life (as it should). Do not
   underestimate the power of H2O, it helps hydrate your skin and keeps your organs
   working as they should. Water also helps keep off the lbs. and speed
   metabolism.
5. EVERYTHING
   IN MODERATION. Let’s not go crazy with the “after Holiday dieting”…ok? I
   understand that you may have put on a few extra pounds and are desperate
   to lose them, but try not to focus too much on controlling everything
   that’s going into your body. Try to think of food as nourishment. Make
   adjustments to your diet as needed, but do not forbid yourself to eat
   certain foods every once in a while.

I leave you, beautiful people, with
this verse. To me, it is a verse of hope in a season that brings a heaviness I
cannot lift on my own.

Peace I leave
with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not
let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. ~John 14:27~

People have been telling me a lot recently how they wish they loved to run like I do. And it would be so easy for them if they just loved it.

Hmm…

Well, the truth is this:

I haven’t always been a runner. When I was 10, my 8-year-old sister could beat me anytime, anywhere, in any race easily. So embarrassing. In my 6 years playing soccer I avoided running as much as possible and was always last in drills. In middle school and high school I finally landed on swimming and karate as my sports of choice primarily because no running was involved (plus I could hit people on purpose in Karate and get points for it).

It wasn’t like I woke up one morning, and just ran 10 miles screaming “I love running” the entire time. Not even close.

When I first started running in college, I ran one mile maximum at a time, very very slowly. I pretty much hated it. But being a college girl who didn’t like to go to the gym and was terrified of having love handles, I needed a way to get exercise during my swimming off season.

Gradually I started to like running, pushing myself to better my times, further my distances. Very very gradually. And finally, after 5 years and an ankle surgery, I ran my first half marathon.

Even when I take a break from running for a few months and then come back to it,  it takes a few agonizing weeks to get back to where I was before. But I’ll let you in on a little secret…that thing that has led me to love running:::

I suck it up.

That’s right folks. When I’m off on a run and within 1/4 of a mile want to walk all the way home and eat a candy bar instead, I keep going.

I push myself when I hate it, I don’t give up. And that is how I get to the good part of running. The part where you feel like you’re leaving all of your problems behind, and feel awesome about yourself, and get in shape.

So if you’re sitting there thinking you could never be a runner, that is not true. You may never love to run, not everyone does. But if you can push past the starting point and get to the good stuff, it’s really very rewarding.

I just finished reading the most inspirational, Jesus filled story I have ever read. I literally couldn’t put it down. I read it in 24 hours.

It’s called “Kisses from Katie”. It’s a true story about a girl names Katie Davis who follows Jesus into Uganda right out of high school. She starts a nonprofit organization and has devoted her life to loving the Orphans and other broken people around her.

Shortly after I finished the book my initial inspiration turned into complete and utter despair concerning my own life. This beautiful, amazing, woman of God has devoted her life completely to Him in the most amazing way.

But what about me? What about the rest of us?

Here I am in Mechanicsburg Pennsylvania, spending my days driving around on nicely paved roads, showering daily with hot water, reading before bed by the light of electricity, and eating what I want when I want it. I don’t feel “called” anywhere else.

 All I know is that I am desperate to feel Jesus so closely; Desperate to be his hands and feet in this world.

So I began to think about what that means. What that means for us every day.

The simplest answer is this: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” ~ John 3:30

Notice that I said simplest, not easiest.

Sometimes it is not easy to pick up your bible instead of watching your favorite reality TV show, but it’s the simple solution to the stresses of the day.

As I’ve begun to think more about this, I have come to quite a few realizations. The first is that God gives me opportunities to be his hands and feet in every moment of every day. Today I had the opportunity to either take a nap, or to write a long letter to my beautiful sponsor child. Every morning I have the option of sleeping in for 15 more minutes or starting my day talking to my Savior. All day long I am surrounded by my 7 little students, who I have the choice to love with everything that I have in every moment.

I have a tendency to look at things in extremes. For instance, “I’m not literally saving children’s lives every day, so really what’s the point.” But who am I to say that my life and every moment isn’t being used by Jesus?

Last night I opened my bible to Romans 9:20-21, which reads:

“But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?” Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?”

My theologically educated father may have some incredible and different thoughts on what this passage is about, but to me it read like this:

“Who are you, Elizabeth, to tell me how to run the world? I created you to be exactly who you are and you are here in boring old Mechanicsburg for a very specific reason. You are not in charge. Just because it seems like others have been called to something greater, doesn’t mean that you’re calling is less. Live every moment for me, my sweet girl. Love the least of these. That is what I ask of you”

So my friends, for all of you who have ever felt left out of God’s great plan. Do not underestimate him constantly as I do. Give every moment to Him. Stay close by His side so that you are ready, in every moment, to be His hands and feet.

I will leave you three things.

First, a verse that is constantly on my heart and my lips:

2 Corinthians 12:9-

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Secondly, here’s a link to Katie Davis’ blog. The Lord is doing amazing things through this woman!

http://katiedavis.amazima.org

Thirdly, this is a link to the Amazima ministries website. This is the nonprofit organization that Katie founded. Check it out! Our Lord is doing amazing things!

http://www.amazima.org/

When I was a little girl, I loved
to color. What little girl doesn’t? I remember coloring for hours on end with
my cousin Shyla, plastic trays on our laps, markers and crayons on the couch between
us. She was such an amazing colorer. Everything she did was detailed and
intricate. I would catch glimpses of her beautiful creations and immediately
crumple my own drawing and toss it to the floor. I would sneak glances at her
work, copying everything she did in hopes that I would be able to create such
beauty as well. I never quite mastered her talent.

Years later, however, I am still
tossing things to the side at the slightest hint of imperfection. My mom calls
it “throwing out the baby with the bath water” (a horrible saying if you ask
me…). One thing out of place and the whole thing goes. It has somehow seeped
into every area of my life, this need for perfection, all my ducks in a row. I’ll 

get this idea in my head about
how something is supposed to be and I can’t let go of it. I’ll keep going until
I attain it. Sometimes this trait of mine is fabulous, and sometimes I find
myself burdened with project after project, trying to perfect all aspects of my
life.

Maybe you’re saying “I’ve been
there”. Or maybe you have just decided that I’m crazy OCD and are about to X
out of my blog and never read it again. Either way, you have been there. Some
more than others, and some even more than that, but we are creatures constantly
searching for perfection. After all, that is what we were created for ultimately. However,
like many things, we attach our perfection to things like clothes, or
relationships, or experiences, social status, the car we drive, our career.
Somehow it seems as if we can just get this one thing right then everything will
be okay.

Here’s my slightly embarrassing example of what I’m talking about:

About 5 months ago a very dear
friend of mine got married. As her wedding approached I realized that I didn’t
really have any nice dresses that would work in April. So, my boyfriend agreed
to go with me to look for one. {I must add here that he is
such a brave soul,as any of you who have ever been shopping with me know}.
Anyway we shop for about 2 hours and I still have found nothing that “works for
me”. At this point we have been to H&M exactly 3 times already just to “make sure I
didn’t miss anything”. We make a pit stop at the food court where Eric gets a
pretzel and a lemonade and we sit down so he can eat and I can mope. A few
minutes later after too much time inside my own head, I decide I am done and
want to go home.

On the way home I burst out crying.
Confused and probably exhausted at this point, Eric gently asks me what is
wrong. Then off I go explaining that I never look put together enough and for
once I want to have a dress that everyone is jealous of and that my sister
always looks so cute and next to her I look like a bum. When I am finally
finished, I have reached an epiphany: it’s not about the dress, it’s about this
need I have to feel completely put together in all aspects of my life in order
to impress others and self soothe the emptiness in my heart that only my Savior
can fill. 

How many meltdowns will I need to experience before can rely on him
for the restlessness in my soul. He is one patient dude.