To say that this week has been overwhelming would be an understatement. I don’t know if I told you, but I will begin my first year as a teacher this month and I have been busy all summer with summer courses, summer school (work), and summer travel. I have so much running through my mind right now that I can barely focus on any one thing. But here I am now.
Last week I wrote about the ‘nalia that I wear, better known as the identities that I bear, and I invited you to remember that whether we are decked out in Jesus paraphernalia or not, we are still representatives of His kingdom and we must always represent Him well. Today, I want to share something short and sweet with you, Beloved, and it begins with this shirt of mine.
I saw this shirt at Five Below and instantly decided that I had to have it… because it was purple and had a butterfly on it. To be honest, the words were not the first thing to catch my attention but they seemed fitting (and the shirt was $5) so I bought it. I wore this shirt on Saturday but it wasn’t until much later in the evening that I recalled all that had transpired throughout the day. I was nicer, I did smile more, and I did go out of my way to be kind to others.
But it wasn’t the shirt that changed my behavior. It wasn’t even a consciousness that made me nicer….
Yesterday in church our pastor gave an amazing analogy that I want to share with you here. Imagine that you have a bowl of water and a sponge. If you place the sponge in the water, it will absorb the water and, under pressure, the water will come out of the sponge. Like the sponge, we, as God’s children, should be so saturated with Jesus that under pressure, He and His teachings flow out of us.
On Saturday I was under pressure. I was tired and desperately trying to enjoy my last day of summer vacation. It was a day with no work, no school, no church, no family- it was supposed to be a free day- but it turned out to be a day of obligations. I was tired and I pressed through the day, clinging desperately to the fact that rest would soon come. Under pressure, the only thing that could come out of me was the goodness of God.
I’m not perfect. I struggle a lot and oftentimes kindness is not my first resort. But I am grateful for the moments when God whispers to my heart and His goodness, grace and mercy flow out of me.
This is the ‘nalia that I wear; wrinkled, flawed, but permanent.
Be blessed.
God Happened To ME Ministries, LLC 