"I'm Not giving up on you!"

And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls. (Joel 2:32 NIV)

I have the great joy working with teenagers. I don't always get the best and the brightest. I love getting these kind of kids. I love taking the kids no one else wants, helpings them see some success, and watching them thrive. It brings so much joy to my heart to see them work hard. I have found, in over twenty years in education, if you can get kids to believe, they can do anything. Most unsuccessful students have a terrible self-esteem. They often have no friends, are socially awkward, and have very little in the way of parental support and leadership. So, when you give them that support and unending patience, they will grow in leaps and bounds.

The key is letting them know you will never give up on them. The you must follow through. Most poor performing students don't want to fail. They have no hope. They have no way out. My job is to give hope to teenagers.

God never gives up on us. He will accept us into his kingdom even until the last days. He will accept us like the prodigal son. He provides hope and a way to eternal life. He will treat me like one of my special students. He won't give up and will be with me forever. That kind of grace is just the grace I want to show others. Praise God for his grace, love, and patience with me. I don't deserve it, but he doesn't care! He loves me anyway. He will never change.

Two Faces!

Psalm 28 (New International Version, ©2010)

 ³ Do not drag me away with the wicked,
   with those who do evil,
who speak cordially with their neighbors
   but harbor malice in their hearts. 
⁴ Repay them for their deeds
   and for their evil work;
repay them for what their hands have done
   and bring back on them what they deserve.

I much prefer people who are blunt and straight to the point. I just can't deal with people who are two-sided. On one side they treat you like their best buddy and when your back is turned, they are the first ones to criticize and ridicule you. David agrees with me. Sometimes, we forget we are to love our neighbors. We can't love them to their face and stab them when they turn their back.

Do you have two faces? Do I? I try hard not to do this, but if I look back over my life, I know I have been guilty of this sin. "If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all." This should be true to all us at all times. This is true when the person is in front of you and is also true when they are nowhere to be found. The worst part about this, I'm not sure we do a good job of covering up our true feelings and I think that eventually we will be found out. There is nothing that destroys a Christian testimony than not being real. Nothing is worse than being a two faced, back stabber. How do you feel about those who are "fake"? How much do you trust them? How long does it take to restore that trust?

Dear Lord, Please Lord, help me be the person you want me to be. Help me to be true to who you have made me to be, even when it is easier not to. Help me to truly love my neighbors and treat them "cordially" at all times. We are your witnesses, we are your hands, feet, and voice to a sinful world. Help us to be an example of Love, not hate, not bitterness, and not evil. Amen!