“God Will Never Give You More Than You Can Handle.” – Hogwash!!

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Lynn

When Good Food Goes BadJust today I saw one of those wonderfully spiritual memes with the caption: “God will never give you more than you can handle.”  It was posted by a well-meaning Facebook friend who meant to uplift and encourage someone who was obviously going through a terribly hard time right now.  Unfortunately, when I saw it I blurted out, “What a load of … Hogwash!” 

The fact is, we have completely twisted the meaning of 1 Corinthians 10:13 that is specifically talking about temptations, thinking that it is a promise from God that He won’t have us face troubles we can’t handle.  That’s a lie, plain and simple.  He WILL allow us to go through hard times, and face temptations that we CAN’T HANDLE on our own!  The promise found in that scripture is that in the midst of those trials HE will always be faithful and be with us.

Another terribly misinterpreted but often quoted verse is Romans 8:28: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose”.  I believe with all my heart that this is true, but not in the way you might think.  The reality in life is that even those who “love God”, sometimes face immeasurable difficulties they must grapple with their entire lives.  It is a lie to tell people who are believers that they will never face hardship, that all things will work together for good.  It may be encouraging to think, but as long as we are residents of this sinful world, as John 16:33 tells us “…you (we) will have trouble.”  It’s a given, we cannot escape trouble, but the promise lies in the next sentence:  “I (Jesus) have overcome the world.”  As believers we must have that eternal mind-set that we are on this earth for a blip of time, so our focus should always be on spending our eternity with God.  Too bad we forget that when we just want to be saved from our worldly woes right now, this instant!

I know many of my readers have found encouragement reading the topical Bible Verses I have been posting regularly on my blog.  They are indeed the most popular of my postings that receive thousands of hits daily because people are looking for encouragement from scripture to overcome grief, or stress, or deal with life in general.

But, I warn my readers to NOT merely read the individual verses and claim each of them as promises that stand alone on their own merit.  To do so would definitely lead to misquoting and misinterpreting scripture.  Think of it as mining for gold.  The individual verses are merely the flecks splattered throughout the bedrock, the huge treasure is discovered when the whole mine is excavated.  Make sense?

I came across an insightful article recently on how to properly interpret the Bible: https://bible.org/article/misquoting-god-verses-commonly-misunderstood-mischaracterized-or-maligned-part-i

“Misconstruing a passage neutralizes the Word of God. It robs Scripture of its authority and influence. The entire reason we go to the Bible in the first place—to get God’s truth and apply it to our lives—is thwarted when we ignore the context.10”

I couldn’t say that any better myself.

It has always been my hope that people who read my blog would come away encouraged, but it is equally important that my readers take each scripture verse and read it in context to properly interpret its message and meaning.  To do otherwise would diminish the Word of God.

 

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An Empty Classroom

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Lynn

Farewell CakeFriday was my last day with my kiddos in Grade Six.  It was, to say the least, a very hectic and somewhat bitter-sweet day.  After writing their last Provincial exam in Science, my kids were just ready to PAR-TAY!  So we did…but first…

They cleaned out lockers and desks and I collected textbooks and locks and did those seemingly countless but oh-so-important myriad of tasks that need doing on the last day of school.  My kids took down all their art work from the bulletin boards, then we had a mini-farewell for those few students not returning next year.  My educational assistant, Jaqi, had baked a cake (see picture) and so my kids were already well sugared up before they headed out to have their well-planned-out farewell party with the other two Grade Six classes in the gym.

There was more food, a photo booth, games inside and outside and since I was designated to record the afternoon for posterity by taking photos, I did that with gusto.  (Luckily, I just had to take the pictures not sort through them all after!)

Then precisely at 1:15, there were the “good-bye” hugs, some gift exchanges, and then they were gone.  The hallways were empty, the sound of laughter and excited voices silenced and I returned to my empty classroom.

Walking into that empty classroom I experienced that “peace that surpasses understanding”.  Only teachers understand what it’s like to end a year, sanity mostly intact, recognizing that they have indeed survived!  Job well done…

…And for many teachers of course, they are already preparing for next year!  The peace fades…

As I sit in my empty classroom I recall some days that I wish I could do over.  Lessons taught that never hit the mark.  My patience tested and my voice worn out from trying to get attention from a classroom full of students who were not in the mood to attend.  I will admit, I would come home so weary and exhausted I would collapse into my chair and barely have enough strength to get up to eat dinner.  Then there were those days where a student would have a “light-bulb” moment of understanding a concept in class and the delight would almost overwhelm me!  Marking a term paper, or reading a story a student wrote that showed so much thought and effort and progress…made my whole day!  Then in the middle of those up-down days a “God Moment” would occur and I would be awed by how God could orchestrate a seemingly simple conversation or a lesson so that a child would not just learn a classroom lesson but learn a spiritual principle for life!

Thirty-five years ago I entered a classroom for the very first time to teach a group of Grade Five students.  I remember so very well their little faces looking up at me, waiting for me to teach the first lesson.  I was the brand-new teacher who wanted to change the world.  It did not take me long to realize I won’t change the world, but my students will!

So I give thanks that I have had the awesome opportunity to teach future doctors, lawyers, politicians, moms, dads and world-changers for over thirty-five years.  There is no better job in the world!

“Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.”  Proverbs 4:13

 

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What Now?

Posted on June 3, 2016 by Lynn

Retirement-Quotes-2I remember after I graduated high school saying to myself, “What now?”  Truly the title, “commencement ceremony” is so applicable when one graduates because it is not really the end of a journey of twelve years but a stepping stone to the next chapter of a young adult’s life.

I witnessed yet another wonderful commencement ceremony recently at my school and it was especially poignant for me since some of those students I have known and taught since they were in Grade Five!  So, naturally one of the first questions I asked them after the ceremony was, “What will you be doing next year?”  One boy has been accepted into two universities, another is planning on traveling, another is pursuing a Science degree, another wants to be a teacher and then there are a few who honestly do not know what they are doing and just need to take the summer to figure out what God has in store for them next.

They are young, they have their whole future ahead of them.  I remember so well the excitement and the trepidation of beginning a new journey after graduating.  I almost envy them…

However, I am facing a “What Now?” question for my future.

My contract with my school ends in the middle of June.  My husband has been home this past year due to the economic downturn here in Alberta.  We’re not “spring chickens” as they say and many have asked if we will “retire”.  What does that even mean?

My husband and I celebrated thirty-seven years of wedded bliss yesterday and much of our conversation over dinner was trying to answer the “what now?” question.

I can’t say I’m ready to retire, neither is my husband.  We know we have decisions to make in our future and we admit that we’re excited and trepidatious at the same time.

I’m not ready to face that particular rocking-chair journey in retirement yet, sitting on a front porch and wiling away the days.  (I am being facetious here…I know retirement is not all about that…I plan on being VERY active in retirement).  However, now that I am faced with that “what now?” question after I am done teaching at this school, I can’t help but feel much like some of those grade twelve graduates: I just need the summer to figure out what God has in store for me next.

So I plan to spend a lot of time praying for direction this summer.  I want to spend time immersed in the Word.  I want to lean on His strength and His wisdom and I am looking at this new stage of life as a  commencement into a new adventure with Him.

Let the journey begin!

 

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