First of all, please know that I’m still laughing about that padded bra story. That’s pure greatness.
But anyway…
I teach Sunday School at my church. It’s one of the greatest joys in my life, and also one of my greatest stressors. There’s that verse in James about teachers being held to a stricter accountability, and I take that really seriously. It’s tough coming up with a new lesson, week after week, and being constantly reminded of areas where I tend to struggle. It’s scary to have 20 girls staring back at me as I teach, probably thinking “This girl is such a whacko…” as I spill my coffee in class and expose myself for the real goober that I am.
But it’s also one of my greatest joys because I get to dig deep into scripture, strengthen my relationship with Christ, and then help other women my age catch a glimpse of all his greatness. And forgiveness. Grace. Peace. Hope. Love. Protection. (I could go on and on.)
Plus, I’ve already made a bazillion mistakes, and hopefully my own former mess-ups, insecurities, and overall stupidity might help the next girl avoid them. It is my unique privilege to encourage other girls, and I end up being blessed by watching behind-the-scenes as girl after girl matures and enjoys walking side by side with Christ. The girls in my class are such an encouragement to me… they really have no idea.
Each week I send out an email to my class with prayer requests, church announcements, and I try to include whatever random scripture I happen to be obsessed with each week. Sometimes you just can’t get enough of a promise, and I’m tempted to tape it to my forehead so everybody else can enjoy it as much as I have.
Here’s the scripture I have sent out in my past two weekly emails. I’m sure you may notice a theme… praying expectantly. These verses bring me such hope.
“In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and He answered me by setting me free. The LORD is with me, I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The LORD is with me, He is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies.” –Psalm 118:5-7
“O LORD, hear me as I pray. Pay attention to my groaning. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I will never pray to anyone but you. Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.” –Psalm 5:1-3
I love that the first one says Christ answered my prayer by setting me free. It gives me goosebumps. And then the second verse… where it says I pray, and then I wait expectantly. (sigh) LOVE it. I plan on memorizing both, so that the next time I hit a rough patch, I can start spouting these promises of hope. In the meantime, I think I just might have to tape an index card to my forehead. If you see me with a big red welt on my forehead, you’ll know that it’s just scripture memorization. Or another curling iron mishap. Either way, nothing to worry about.