Perspective

Today I was working at school, and one of the teachers came in real quick to get something but stopped by my room to say hi. She provided a word of encouragement that I needed to hear. She said teaching can consume you, and to focus on improving 1 thing at a time.

This was timely words of encouragement, as I have felt as if I am treading water in life. Although it is my 2nd year I am trying to improve everything! I have changed my grading system, am trying to make powerpoints for reading lessons, integrating more writing lessons, getting to more science curriculum that I didn't have time to do last year. That is soo much! I am doing good things, but am I trying to set the bar too high?
After today, I can step back and see that I probably am. Just 2 weeks ago I felt like I was drowning in papers to grade and enter, and just trying to keep up with the planning aspect of teaching. I have spent at least 6 hours at school on Saturday's up until today. So this weekend I am celebrating progress!

Even though I am a missionary I struggle with my flesh just like others do. I do my devotions in the morning, but do I pray to ask the Lord for help each day? No, I have totally been lacking on that. I love Saturday mornings, because I don't have a set time to be somewhere and so I get extra prayer time, but it is needed during the week too. Lately I have been soaked in reading the bible. Any spare time outside of school the past few weeks was most likely spent reading the bible for the Old Testament class I am taking. I signed up with a desire to learn more depth about God's word. So far I have read through Joshua through 1 Kings. The big message that keeps hitting me is that God's Grace in sin will not always remove the repercussions of sin, but that God's plan will still happen despite the circumstances around me.