Defeated, Helpless, and Hopeless

Isaiah 64:8New International Version (NIV)

8 

Yet you, Lord, are our Father.

    We are the clay, you are the potter;

    we are all the work of your hand.

Isaiah 43:18-19bNew International Version (NIV)

18 

“Forget the former things;

    do not dwell on the past.

19 

See, I am doing a new thing!

   

Hebrews 12:1b-2aGood News Translation (GNT)

1…So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us. 2 Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross!

Fixed vs Growth Mindset

Being Frustrated vs Being Enlightened

Looking into the eyes of a student who has given up on themselves can rip my heart in half.  They feel defeated.  They feel helpless.  They feel like a failure.  I will continue to believe in them and I will differentiate the instruction until I’m blue in the face, but unless they make the change within, no learning will occur.  They have a hardened heart.  I don’t give up on them.  I will continue to believe in them. I will continue to mold their minds pushing harder at times when they are ready to be pushed, but being very cautious when they are needing a delicate touch.  Because in those moments they are very fragile and can break.  

I came home after a day of being defeated and really had to sit and reflect.  I felt less than perfect.  I was frustrated and had a fixed mindset.  I had a choice to either stay that way, have a hardened heart OR I could reflect on why I was feeling this way.  In the midst of my reflection, because I chose not to sit and wallow, I realized that God wants me to grow.  He is molding me into HIS image.   He continues to believe in me.  He continues to mold my heart.  He continues to push when I need to bend and hold me delicately when I am fragile.  So, daily He is the potter who wets His hands, molds my heart, and creates me in His image.  He wants our hearts to grow and be enlightened.  Then we can reflect His beauty through us and our master piece we call life.  He is my teacher and I am His student.  

 Big Daddy Weave’s song “Jesus, I Believe” speaks belief on a deeper level than what I can put into words.  Even the impossible is HIS reality.

Be Blessed!

What if...

Mark 6:49-52New Life Version (NLV)

49 When the followers saw Him walking on the water, they thought it was a spirit and cried out with fear. 50 For they all saw Him and were afraid. At once Jesus talked to them. He said, “Take hope. It is I, do not be afraid.” 51 He came over to them and got into the boat. The wind stopped. They were very much surprised and wondered about it. 52 They had not learned what they should have learned from the loaves because their hearts were hard.

Proverbs 3:5-12The Message (MSG)

5-12 

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;

    don’t try to figure out everything on your own.

Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;

    he’s the one who will keep you on track

Fear can take over our minds so quickly.  When we have fear, we tend to be blinded so that we can’t see beyond the current moment.  Fear can harden our hearts to the point that we can’t see or feel what HE is wanting us to see or feel.  

In Mark, the storm that was surrounding the boat that the disciples where in, was fierce.  They were overcome with fear.  They had no control.  They were in a moment of uncertainty.  This caused anxiousness and fear to build up within them.  

Fear causes us to fight or flight.  Anxiousness is what causes us to start asking the “what if” questions.  If we trust and stay focused on HIM,  “He does not save us from outside our situation, but from within our situation.”  The disciples were scared by what they saw.  The fear welled up inside them due to what they were seeing.  Then anxiety fell into place when they thought, “What if we get swallowed up by the storm?”  

“Faith does not arise from external circumstances, but from internal circumstances. It might be sparked by events, but ultimately is something that wells up within us.”  

We have to stayed centered and focused even when life brings us storms.  Those storms can rage around us and cause us to loose focus so easily.  That is when we need to find extra time to just “be” and lay it at His feet.  

The quotes above were taken from https://www.sermonwriter.com/biblical-commentary/mark-645-52

Also, I’m excited about a new read that focuses on anxiety and fear.  This might find its way in my stocking ;)  Below is a trailer for Max Lucado’s new book Anxious for Nothing.  

https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-iry-fullyhosted_011&hsimp=yhs-fullyhosted_011&hspart=iry&p=max+lucado+anxious+for+nothing#id=4&vid=065f476999379aace033cf760e5a557f&action=view

Be Blessed!