alone

What’s is that in your hand?

/ bekoepke / Leave a comment

The world has gone absolutely mad lately. I have gotten to the point where I don’t even feel like I can have the news on when my girls are in the room because of the mass shootings, riots, gender issues, abortion talk, and everything else that I really don’t feel that they need to be exposed to just yet. It’s heartbreaking to see how much the world has changed just since 2020. Not only is the evil in this world reaching an exponential level, but the amount of depression, anxiety, and general unhappiness of people seems to also be increasing.

Technology has made things so much easier, however, the easier life seems to get, the less fulfilled people seem to be. This is blaringly evident as a public school teacher. I see each year the damage social media does to kids. The comparison mentality, the need to fit in, the absolute desire for something to go “viral”, and the willingness to do just about anything to be a part of the crowd. Now, all of these things (minus the going viral thing) have always existed among humanity, but until recent years, the ability to see other people parade the best parts of their lives 24/7 has not always existed. Sadly, the need to compare ourselves to others tends to keep so many people from fulfilling their God-given calling, in my opinion anyways. If you are chasing a dollar or chasing likes and fame, you may be missing out on the hidden place God may want you to be.

It struck me the other day how often God met with people in the middle of nowhere all throughout scripture. As a matter of fact, I have yet to find the verse stating that we have to be inside a church building to hear from God. Abraham was in his tent when God told him to step outside and look at the stars before promising him descendants (see Genesis 15:5), Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit (see Matthew 4:1), Hagar met with an angel of the Lord in the desert (see Genesis16:7), Elijah was in a cave hiding when God sought him out (see 1 Kings 19), and Moses was spoken to out of a burning bush in the middle of nowhere when he was tending sheep. As far as I can tell, God likes to meet with us in the places where there are no distractions. That isn’t to say He can’t speak to us in the middle of a crowd, He definitely can, but there are some really tremendous encounters that we may be missing out on if we always allow ourselves to be distracted.

I love what God does with Moses in Exodus 4. At this point, God has told him that he will go back to Egypt to set free the Israelites. Moses proceeds to argue with God about how he is not the right man for the job and God does something incredible. He says to Moses starting in verse 2, “What is that in your hand?”, referring to his shepherd’s staff. He used the very tools of the trade for Moses to perform a miracle (hint: it turns into a snake). I think that little story is maybe something cute that we have colored a picture of or saw it flannel graphed in children’s church, but maybe we are missing a little something from the story. Moses wasn’t a preacher, he was a shepherd (also a murderous fugitive if you recall). God doesn’t require all of us to go to seminary to do great things for Him. He will use the tools of our trade, just like the staff of Moses, to accomplish His will. As a teacher, I try to keep this in mind. It doesn’t matter if I am not teaching Biblical studies, He can use a math or science lesson or simply a conversation with a student to speak His truths. The same is true of any job. Maybe you feeling alone in your job or position, is exactly the wilderness that God needs to have you in so that he can reveal His truths to you.

So, let me ask you the same question God asked Moses, “What is that in your hand?”

Maybe an even more important follow-up question: What will you use it for?

Tough Days

/ bekoepke / Leave a comment

Frazzled Mom Cartoon Clipart | Tired mom, Frazzled mom, Busy mom

We are living in a very strange time right now. I have to admit, I am a little bit of a hermit in my normal life (as much as is possible as a public school teacher surrounded by people all day). I cherish the moments I get alone with no one demanding of me, whether it is a high schooler needing help on a math problem, or my own 3 children. However, this is different. This “social distancing” isolation thing is not the same as me shutting my classroom door during the lunch period to get work done and have a few moments alone to listen to my podcasts. No, this world that we are in proves what God himself said in the very beginning, “It is not good (beneficial) for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper [one who balances him- a counterpart who is] suitable and complementary for him.” Genesis 2:18 AMP

As humans, we need each other. We thrive when we are together and able to interact. On the other hand, when we are alone we tend to struggle. That is when depression and discouragement take hold. We need others to build us up.

Today was one of those tough days for me. I am fortunately not alone in my “social distancing”, I have my husband and 3 girls who keep me on my toes. However, I do miss the “outside” world. I miss my rare date nights going out with my husband. I miss having coworkers to talk to and joke around with without staring at a computer screen to do it. I miss going to the grocery store without feeling like you are in a war zone because everyone around you is wearing masks.

Today was one of those days where I looked around the house that I have cleaned 3 or 4 times already this week that looks like an explosion of crumbs, toys, shoes, and dirty laundry…again. It was a day that I have already done two loads of dishes, and probably need to do another. Today was a day where I should have been at church hugging friends and instead, I was stuck in the messy house staring at a screen pretending like it is the same thing. We all know it isn’t.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am so thankful for the technology we do have to be able to interact virtually. As a matter of fact, I have loved getting to “attend” other churches in neighboring towns because of the fact that everyone is now live streaming their services. I have really enjoyed that. I also appreciate that I have the means to text or call someone. But like I said, it’s not the same.

So what’s the solution?

I have no idea. To be honest with you, I am only writing this because I felt like I am probably not the only one feeling the same way. I think that we all now realize how much we have taken human interaction for granted. I never valued the interruptions I had when I was trying to get work done at school like I do now. I also never valued how good it felt to go to a grocery store or restaurant without feeling like I may just be swimming in a sea of germs (even though we always have been, just never thought about it).

If nothing else, I hope that we all come out of this appreciating each other a little bit more. I know that even though my kiddos are messy, I do appreciate the fact that I get to experience more little moments with them, like today when my sweet 4 year old finally mastered pedalling a bike. I have also loved seeing them learn more about reptiles because of the lizard, horny toad, and frogs they have found while playing outside. There are definitely blessings coming out of this pandemic.

My prayer right now is for every lonely person whether they are surrounded by family or don’t have anyone else around. I pray for the depressed and the discouraged. Know that even in your loneliest moment, God is there.

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39