Author: Shelia's Notes

Life gets in the way of The Peace that Passes All Understanding.

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Life just seems to get in the way. It sneaks in and steals that perfect peace.

It has been so long since I posted. I think I will get it done every day of two but life happens and it wears me out.

When I last posted school was just getting started and I talked about the twenty-four year olds I have in my class who consume so much of my energy.

We have really become a family in this six-weeks that school has been in session. Where did that six-weeks go? They have learned to respect and love me and I have grown to love and respect them for who they are.

It always amazes me how God hand picks each child to be in my class. At the end of a school year I start praying that God will put the children in my next class that need to be there. I have learned that it is not always the child that needs me, it is sometimes me that needs that particular child.

I learned this lesson early on in my teaching career. The year my Dad was ill and died I had Moses in my class. I do believe he was an angel sent from God to minister to me to get me through a most difficult time in my life. This is when Romans 8:28 is very evident.

Moses was a most sweet Spirit. His smile melted my heart. He was a tiny 3 years old at the time but he had a mature wisdom about him. He started asking me about where my Daddy was. This was on his own, I had not mentioned my Dad to him. Every day he would ask about my Dad. He just seemed to be intrigued about him. He would say, “Do you live with your Dad?” “Where is your Dad?”, “How is your Dad?” God sent this little soul to minister to me to help me survive the death of my Dad.

God always sends the right thing into our life to help us through. Maybe it is His most Holy and High word that we read from the scriptures. Maybe it is a precious young Spirit He sends into our lives. Maybe it is a mission trip to Zambia. Maybe it is just a kind word from another person. Maybe He puts on our hearts to go to the Nursing Home to visit a dear sweet sister in Christ who is in her last days of life. Maybe it is a letter in the mail from your son who is in prison. Maybe it is just being thankful that you are able to deal with life as it happens.

NAHUM 1:7

“THE LORD IS GOOD,

A STRONGHOLD IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE,

AND HE KNOWS THOSE WHO TAKE REFUGE IN HIM.”

Until next time may we have hope and hang on to the promises that God gives us.

How can we maintain the Peace that Passes all Understanding?

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When one works with four year olds there is never any down time. It really pays to stay a step or two ahead of them. This can be extremely tiring and mind boggling too.

I was really stressed after spending seven hours dealing with non-stop behavior issues. All the while trying to actually get some teaching done. Never mind the personal issue I have going on in my family.

I prayed about the bad attitude I had and the way I was feeling. I prayed for God to please help me be the light to those children that He wanted me to be. I felt better as I went to bed but I was still feeling bad about the ugly feeling I had and what it might have done to the children.

God spoke to me from His word the next morning when I opened my Bible to read scripture and pray for two High School students. I participate in Wall of Prayer where I read a scripture and pray for two High School students everyday to keep them covered in prayer.

The scripture was Psalm 19:14
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.”

This spoke to my heart to be sure to control the words and the tone of the words that come out of my mouth because they reflect the meditation of my heart. I must control them so they will be acceptable in the sight of the Almighty God whom I choose to serve. He is my Rock and my Redeemer whom I thank daily.

Until next time think about Romans 8:28 “We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who are called according to His purpose.

Since School started I have been busy.

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I cannot believe that three weeks have passed since I last blogged.
The same title as last time could apply. When one is a teacher there is little free time because there is so much to do to prepare for each day. Add the fact that one teaches four year olds and the work is never, never ending and the energy level is drained dry each day.
I have twenty, four olds in my class. Twelve boys and eight girls. That is a lot of boy power if you ask me. But that is really okay with me because I can handle boys better than girls. Girls are too whinny.
We are practicing a technique I learned this summer in a Brain Power workshop. We take a deep breath. Wrap our arms around ourselves and say I am safe and calm as we exhale. It certainly helps me and I think the kids really do like to do it.
What a charge God has given me to spend my days with these precious souls for 180 days of the year.
Isaiah 55:8-9
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.”
I have to just remember this passage when I try to figure out what I am doing.
By the way I have two boys in my class named Isaiah.

Which way did The Peace that Passes all Understanding go?

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Re-posted 3-1-2012
It seems that the peace that passes all understanding keeps trying to escape me as day to day life happens. Last time I wrote about my computer dilemma. Just exactly as promised, Anthony came on Friday and brought a brand new boxed laptop computer to replace the previous brand new laptop that had already been worked on twice. He worked two hours getting it set up and programmed like I wanted it. He set it up so I could use my desktop programs remotely through my new laptop. This was perfect. He showed me a few things and left.
I used it for about five minutes and jumped up to get ready for a wedding. I turned the computer off because we were to be gone several hours. About 9:30 I tried to turn the computer on to read the e-mail. Nothing would happen. It would not turn on. I thought maybe I didn’t plug it in good enough to charge it. So I checked everything and plugged it in to charge overnight, feeling confident that it would start right up in the morning.
Early the next morning my husband and I were leaving town to celebrate our anniversary at a relaxing, peaceful Bed and Breakfast on the Brazos River. I turned the computer on to check the e-mail. Rather I tried to turn it on and nothing happened. I tried and tried everything I could think of but nothing would turn it on. So we hung around until the nameless electronics store opened. We took the second brand new laptop computer back to get our money back. Anthony said “I can test it and see if I can fix it.” My husband said. “NO, I want a refund.” The manager said, “We can give you another one just like it.” My husband and I both said “NO” at the same time. He said, “Anthony can help you pick out the one you want. Get whatever you want.” Wow, what temptation to go and pick out the most expensive one they had and teach them to sell defective products. Oh, that would not be the christian thing to do at all. Actually, there was one that we had almost bought to start with but it cost three hundred dollars more than the one we bought. We went and looked at it. It was marked down to the same price that we paid for the first one. We said, “We will try this one.” It is actually a more expensive and a better model than the first one we bought. It seems to be working really well. Let’s hope and pray that it keeps up the good work.What is the lesson to be learned in this. Keep your cool and work with people. They are just trying to do their job and sometimes things crumble for them just as they do for us.
God will see us through anything and everything. He wants us to come through the storm with our light shinning. God doesn’t want us to blow our light out so we come through the storm in the dark.

ISAIAH 55:8-9
“FOR MY THOUGHTS ARE NOT YOUR THOUGHTS,
NOR ARE YOUR WAYS MY WAYS,
DECLARES THE LORD.
FOR AS THE HEAVENS ARE HIGHER THAT THE EARTH,
SO ARE MY WAYS HIGHER THAN YOUR WAYS
AND MY THOUGHTS THAN YOUR THOUGHTS.”

Until next time. Romans 8:28

Where Is the Peace that Passes All Understanding I Everyday Life?

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I am going back to work next week. I teach four year olds in a public school. I love teaching these precious souls. However, I love the time I have at home in the summer.

The last several summers we have been away for a month in the summer on a mission trip or traveling. The first three weeks were spent getting ready for the trip. Then we were gone three to four weeks. We were home for three to four weeks before school started after we got home.

This summer has been strange because we were home most of the summer. It has almost been unsettling to me to have so much time at home. I have had too much time to get things done. I have been going through years of accumulations trying to decide what to get rid of and what to keep. There are other factors that have made this an unsettling time. I will write about those at a later time.

I have to keep reminding myself that no matter what is going on in life, I have to stay focused on who is in control. It is my job to claim that peace that passes all understanding on a daily bases. Sometimes it has to be a moment to moment bases. One thing this week has reminded me of that fact. I bought a new laptop computer and had to take it back two times because of problems. This really challenged me to have the peace that passes all understanding. I did though. I picked the laptop up for the second time and brought it home. I turned it on and it did not work. It was nine o’clock at night.
Do I get mad and stew about this all night, planning what I will say to them tomorrow. Or do I claim the peace that passes all understanding. I chose to claim the peace. I prayed asking God to work out the details and guide me on what I need to say and do tomorrow. Guess what? I went to sleep with a splitting headache. I slept like a baby and woke up refreshed without a headache.
I called and spoke to the man who sold me the laptop. He said “I will send a tech guy out tomorrow with a brand new laptop and he will get you set up again.”
Thank you God for the Peace that Passes All Understanding and the wisdom to claim it. Until next time. Philippians 4:7