This morning I woke up and was completely out of sorts. Totally not in hero mode. I haven't been sleeping well, I was stressed with the mile-long list in front of me, and the sun simply was not shining in my house when I woke up! Metaphorically speaking, of course, since it was 5:30 AM....
It was one of those mornings where I considered calling in sick, because I didn't like the way I looked. Yes, it was that bad! I knew some Jesus time was a must, so I sat down at the table and read a few verses in John. Then I turned to Psalms. I repeated Psalm 16:8 to myself until I felt like it was maybe starting to sink in... "I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken." Not be shaken. Not be shaken. Not be shaken. I asked God to take over, because I was seriously struggling on my own.
I finally dragged my sorry self to school, still having NO desire to be there, or anywhere. Still not rocking the hero title! Anyone else have those embarrassingly pathetic days?? I sure hope I'm not the only one!
Anyway, I got to school and jumped into productivity mode. I was actually able to get a lot done before school started, which is surprising considering I got to school a full hour later than I intended!
The bell rang, and the kids started coming into the classroom. By this point, I had FINALLY snapped out of my funk. My brain was racing with ideas for how to help my kiddos. This week has been really tough with several students in my class. Yesterday I was pretty near my wits end with several students, but somehow today my mindset had changed to making these kids my mission. ((Thanks, God!)) I set goals with three students to be able to earn lunch with me. I encouraged them galore. Rather than expecting them to fail, I looked for how I could help them succeed. I made a huge deal out of their successes. And you know what? It was probably the best day I have had with a couple of those kids. I'm not expecting a miracle turn around in their behaviors, but it's a start! A good start. And a kick in the pants for me...
These kids need me to be a constant in their lives, where so little is constant. They need me to cheer them on. They need my love. Yes, they even need my discipline. These kids need me to leave my funk at the door, and be on a mission to help them succeed. It's not about me and my stress. It's about seeing the smiles on their faces when they realize that they can work hard and succeed. It's not about my to-do list that continues to grow a mile every day. Rather, it's about stopping to love a child who has very little going for him in the world. A child that needs me to be his hero.
How can you be a hero? A hero is someone who in the face of adversity, displays courage and/or self-sacrifice. Maybe for you, being a hero means loving on your own kids. It might mean cleaning up the fifth spill of the day without raising your voice, or taking time to play in the snow with your kids even when there are 6 loads of laundry to be done. Or maybe for you, being a hero is being kind and helpful to your customers, even when they are being particularly obnoxious. Self-sacrifice. It's not natural. It's not easy, but it matters! It may seem small at the time, but it is so incredibly important.
Heroes rarely get recognized for all of their sacrifices. Heroes don't often get to see the true extent of their impact, but heroes make a difference every single day.
How can you make a difference in someone else's life today? Where can you be a hero?
I finally dragged my sorry self to school, still having NO desire to be there, or anywhere. Still not rocking the hero title! Anyone else have those embarrassingly pathetic days?? I sure hope I'm not the only one!
Anyway, I got to school and jumped into productivity mode. I was actually able to get a lot done before school started, which is surprising considering I got to school a full hour later than I intended!
The bell rang, and the kids started coming into the classroom. By this point, I had FINALLY snapped out of my funk. My brain was racing with ideas for how to help my kiddos. This week has been really tough with several students in my class. Yesterday I was pretty near my wits end with several students, but somehow today my mindset had changed to making these kids my mission. ((Thanks, God!)) I set goals with three students to be able to earn lunch with me. I encouraged them galore. Rather than expecting them to fail, I looked for how I could help them succeed. I made a huge deal out of their successes. And you know what? It was probably the best day I have had with a couple of those kids. I'm not expecting a miracle turn around in their behaviors, but it's a start! A good start. And a kick in the pants for me...
These kids need me to be a constant in their lives, where so little is constant. They need me to cheer them on. They need my love. Yes, they even need my discipline. These kids need me to leave my funk at the door, and be on a mission to help them succeed. It's not about me and my stress. It's about seeing the smiles on their faces when they realize that they can work hard and succeed. It's not about my to-do list that continues to grow a mile every day. Rather, it's about stopping to love a child who has very little going for him in the world. A child that needs me to be his hero.
How can you be a hero? A hero is someone who in the face of adversity, displays courage and/or self-sacrifice. Maybe for you, being a hero means loving on your own kids. It might mean cleaning up the fifth spill of the day without raising your voice, or taking time to play in the snow with your kids even when there are 6 loads of laundry to be done. Or maybe for you, being a hero is being kind and helpful to your customers, even when they are being particularly obnoxious. Self-sacrifice. It's not natural. It's not easy, but it matters! It may seem small at the time, but it is so incredibly important.
Heroes rarely get recognized for all of their sacrifices. Heroes don't often get to see the true extent of their impact, but heroes make a difference every single day.
How can you make a difference in someone else's life today? Where can you be a hero?