Dear God, Learning a few New Lessons

Dear God,

 If these last few weeks have taught me anything, it’s a few new lessons to learn by.

Life is inevitable

Happiness is a choice

Joy is unspeakable

Grace is sufficient

Mercy is available

Miracles are real

Family is priceless

Health should be appreciated

Kids say the darndest things

 Time still flies- whether you’re having fun or being miserable

AND: Only YOU can sustain us through it ALL!

Life may not be easy, but it comes to us each morning. I have come to appreciate the fact, that there will come the dawning of a new day, and I may not be granted that appreciation. I must acknowledge that it is by Your grace that I  am even given a new day to live and to enjoy. Your love have seen me through some very difficult times lately. Yesterday, was a good day! I can’t say that I was without pain, but I still managed to keep a smile on my face and enjoy the family time that was a gift. Only few people care to give and to receive it without provocation. I know that in the ordinary moments, if we are willing to search, we can find-and make- some of our most treasured memories.

God, I ask that You take me and mold me. I have often heard it said of teachers, that their students are like clay. Teachers have the opportunity to mold, and create in our children, a mind to enjoy the lost art of pursuing an education. All because they feel it is a privilege to learn. Not, because it is forced upon them, but because they understand its immeasurable worth to society, and to their own self-esteem. In the olden days of our history, we know that there was segregation, and there were groups of people, and races that were not allowed the same opportunities to attend school  and be given the lessons of instructions, required to read and to write. It was a privilege given only to those that were considered to be of a greater worth to society. A worth, that was deemed only equivalent by man’s inept concept of human value. I praise You God, that at least, in man’s attempt to grow spiritually, morally, and intellectually,we have achieved some success in learning that You value ALL men, women and children in equal measures of grace and love.

For those whom were not granted the privilege of a formal education, they were told that an “X” was to serve as their signature for binding agreements to incorporate legal documentation. That ironically, those same individuals were unable to read and understand. This was an atrocity. I believe that we have come a very long way in our quest to understand that we are created equal, and we all have the right to be treated with dignity, with respect, and with the same opportunities to education. You show no bias in Your love and mercy for us, so why should we show any less respect for another individual based on any type of prejudice?

In the search for mercy, grace, and salvation, I have discovered that even though our world has changed, and became open-minded enough to allow for equality and education to be given without bias; we still pretend that this most precious gift is an opportunity that is unreachable and unattainable. How is it that we now understand that education is affordable to all, but believe that eternal life is only for those radical, unstable persons, who seek “a higher power” who can not be seen with human eyes, and allow tragedies to occur without divine intervention? I am outraged by this. I know that I need to keep my self in check here. It is not for me to explain the workings of my Savior’s divine decisions and Your predestined plans for eternal benefits. You created man from the dust of the earth and You will ultimately ascend from heaven and claim Your rightful throne one day.

It is however, our responsiblity to teach and preach the gospel to the lost and dying world who has yet to accept Your life and death, that changed our circumstances forever.

Speaking of lessons of education…..I am provoked to speak to You about something I heard the other day. I was watching a program on television and a commercial advertisement came on. It spoke of man’s evolutionary process, and how our “species” had to fight and scrap its way to survive until today’s time. That ancient homosapians, had to pillage and fight, just to survive from day-to-day existence. That food, water and shelter were extremely hard to obtain, and man’s evolutionary process survived because of this inner desire for self-sufficiency, determined on living with only the essential basics. Dare I…Okay…I am laughing out loud….

Today’s man can’t even leave his house without his cell phone, his blackberry, his iPod, his bottle of Evian, his laptop, and can’t get there without his mechanical transportation. If this is the result of learning to survive in order to avoid extinction, then someone, somewhere forgot to tell us. I am learning a new lesson. That technology is amazing. That it is no longer cool to carry bottled water–I must go Green. That it is perfectly reasonable to expect delays, but that most people are intolerant of them. That time is of the essence, and that I must cherish each moment that I spend, and whom I choose to spend it with. These lessons are the ones that are meant to be learned for the here and now.

But, I have an even greater responsibility. I must be quite careful, and methodical in my thoughts, my speech, and in my prayer life. I must learn the lessons that come from the bible with knowledge that confounds even some of the greatest minds of todays theologian community. Jesus, You spoke to the religious leaders in the temple, of things that even their earnest devotion to the scrolls had not lent to them in their hundreds of years of life, and yet, You were but a mere child. I believe that You chose Mary and Joseph as guardian parents over him, because You knew of their devotion to faith and to family. You already knew that they would take very seriously, the demands of teaching and educating him, in the spiritual realms, while living in a fleshly world.

You are a God of calculation. A God of protection. A God of reverence. And a God whom I believe to have a sence of humor. I think that perhaps, many see You as being so omnipotent, that You are all about reverence, and not about joy. That perhaps, You come without light-hearted anecdotal capabilities. If someone is extremely happy, they find joy in the little things. They are able to laugh at themselves, and the world around them. If You created us in Your image, why shouldn’t we expect the same from You?

Thank You, God. Thank You for teaching me the lessons that I stubbornly turn from, when I am not in “my finest hours.” I appreciate that even though I am sometimes a slow learner, that You never give up. You were the first to invent the “no child left behind” concept. Your motivation for encouragement to strive to do my very best, is always worth the effort that it requires.

To My teacher, My educator, and My tutor……Never will there be a “substitute” for my Almighty!,

Gina