When "I" is Replaced with "You"

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from

whom every family in heaven and on earth

derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious

riches he may strengthen you with power

through his Spirit in your inner being, so that

Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

And I pray that you, being rooted and

established in love, may have power, together

with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how

wide and long and high and deep is the love of

Christ,  and to know this love that surpasses

knowledge-that you may be filled to the

measure of all the fullness of God.

EPHESIANS 3:14-19

It's amazing how God works!

If you have read my posts for the past several days, you know tha I have struggled to get back into a groove of having around 140 students a day in a school that is in crisis (this means the state has taken over the school and people from Frankfort do observations regularly), I have found myself feeling overwhelmed, burdened, and on the verge of tears (or crying) daily.

Yesterday, God placed me in the paths of several teachers whom I have loved and respected for years.......

teachers who make a difference in the lives of students daily.

teachers who seem to have it all together....

And guess what I learned?

They have had tears too.

They have felt overwhelmed too.

They have been struggling to balance life too.

We decided to all pray for each other, and I walked away from each conversation feeling a little less alone.

As I reflected on all of this last night and then read Ephesians 3 this morning, I realized something.

When Paul knelt before the throne of God, he lifted up OTHERS not himself.

He said, "I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen YOU."

He didn't ask God for more strength for himself.

He didn't whine about his conditions, his problems, his sacrifices for others.

So, this morning as I began to pray while getting ready for school, I thought of my friends and their struggles.

I thought of all of you and specifically what many of you are facing in life.

I prayed for each of them by name, and I prayed for all of you.

I asked God to strengthen all of you....

AND GUESS WHAT?!?!?!?

I feel stronger this morning than I have on any other day since school began.

I love God.

His ways are so opposite of what I think or feel.

He is all about me letting go of myself so that He can fill me up with Him.

He wants to do the same for you.

When we let go of "us," then we can be there for others.

Now I'm thinking of ways I can be an encourager to my fellow teachers.

Cards, notes, small gifts on their desks...that's the person I want to be.

I have a list of ideas and I feel excited.

How can you be an encourager for someone around you today?

It sure helps me forget about my stress when I get to the place where I can be "the reliever of stress" for someone else.

Thank you, Lord, for answering prayers not by always making life easier but definitely by  stretching us to be better people.

Thank you for helping me replace my "I" with "you,"



4 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

I hope and pray that your day has continued the way it started. That God lifts you up and sustains you in a wonderful way every moment.

I have been wondering if you "Front Porch Sisters" is still going. I have checked a few times but there has been nothing new in months and months.

My day is just finishing so I pray a good tomorrow for you.
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen YOU with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your heart through faith.

Anonymous Tammy Nischan said...

Jen, I need to check on my Front Porch Sisters. The administrator of that group is not me, so I need to see how she is doing. My day remained pleasant. :) I thank you for always praying for me. You are such an encourager in my life. I love you.

Tammy :)

Blogger The Walters Family said...

I look forward to reading your thoughts. I am always encouraged and I always, always cry! May God bless you abundantly for blessing others.

Anonymous Sue said...

Tammy,
We are doing a Joyce Meyer study @ church and what you did is exactly a point that Joyce made. When we take something the devil wants to hold us down with and give it to God it's like planting a seed and we'll then receive a harvest. The enemy is trying to defeat you in your mind. Since you decided to pray for others experiencing the same thing (instead of being bound by it) you planted the seed and now you'll receive a harvest. Keep planting!!! Enjoy your year encouraging others and changing lives! Love you.

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