2020 Word of the Year: MORE

I can’t remember when I first heard about picking a word of the year rather than New Year’s resolutions, but ever since, I have switched my mindset about setting goals.  Some of the words I have chosen over the years include Dwell, Abide, Still, Trust, and Eucharisteo (thanksgiving in Greek).  Often those words defined the year that I spent meditating and focusing on them, even before the year’s events played out.  God is funny that way.

For more on choosing a word of the year, and to hear other Christian leaders explain their 2020 words, watch this video from See Hear Love, a Christian women’s online channel with Melinda Estabrooks.  It’s also Canadian, so that’s an extra bonus.

This year, I have chosen the word: MORE

As I mentioned last post, I have spent the past 6 months trying to edit anything and everything possible from my life.  This didn’t have the expected, or hoped for, results.  So I will try the opposite.  Instead of pursing less, I want more, but more of things that are life-giving, rather than life-draining.  I have three areas that I am looking to focus on:

1. More Nature

A year and a half ago, we invested in building a front deck.  It is my absolute favourite spot in our whole house.  I spend hours out there in the summer, but winter in Canada makes getting outside more difficult (especially as I hate being cold).

So my goal is to be outside more.  Whether it’s a walk around the block after school or heading out for a quick walk to the lake over lunch hour, I want to prioritize having sun on my face and breathing fresh air.  I know it will make a difference for my mental health; I just need to plan for it and schedule it in.  It’s only 5 more months til I will be back enjoying this deck.

2. More Writing/Reading

I am excited to be back at this hobby I have missed.  I thought being creative in the classroom would be enough, but it hasn’t been.  I have done little writing since I finished my Master’s thesis, and it has been even longer since I have engaged in non-academic writing. This just feels right. And fun. And exhilarating.  I am excited to put pen to paper, fingers to keyboard, and to share my thoughts.

3. More Intentional Time with Friends and Family

My goal this year is to prioritize time spent with my family and friends.  I have three very special women who have been my best friends for almost 25 years and I don’t spend as much time with them as I want to.  That will change.  Ben has encouraged me to make plans and be more regular in visiting each other.  We all have kids and jobs that make getting together more complicated, but it is worth the planning.  Time spent with women who love me unconditionally (and they were with me through the 90s hair and fashion) and who challenge and encourage me spiritually, as well as mentally and emotionally; these are friendships worth cultivating.

I will also be more intentional with my time spent with my family.  I was reminded that we only have 18 summers/years with our children- my oldest is almost a teenager and the days are limited.  I want to take advantage of every possible day.

So this is what I hope the year of 2020 looks like- more nature, more writing, more time with friends and family.  You can never have too much of a good thing.

 

Beginning…Again

It seems like every time I think I have enough margin in my life to write on this blog again, a million little tasks steal my attention and this little corner of the internet remains dormant.  This past few months have been a time of reimagining and rethinking about what I need in my life to be whole and well.  I spent much of the past year not well.  I am one whose mental/spiritual/emotional well being takes a toll on my physical wellbeing.  Over the last 12 months, I overextended myself in areas that were life-draining and I cut out all the activities that were actually life-giving.  I did this in the belief that if I cut extra stress out of my life, it would help me deal with the other stressors that I couldn’t remove.  This didn’t work out well.  But I am so very thankful  for Ben.

Not that long ago, Ben looked me in the eye and spoke truth to me- “You are not doing well.  You need to think through why you are not doing well.” Then he gave me time to think through what he said.  We reconvened and I had to admit that no, I was/am not doing well.  Now, I am not the most observant person but Ben is, and I swear he knows me better than I know myself.  He had thought through several ideas he believed would be life-giving to me. One of those ideas was writing again.  Writing anything. Writing something.  But to be diligent and focused in writing.

And so, I am again here in this very dusty corner of the internet, dusting off the cobwebs and hoping that this process of putting words on the page will help me and maybe, just maybe, provide some fodder for thought for you. For those who have continued to ask me about my writing and encouraging me to begin again, I am so very thankful.  You have encouraged my heart.  Let’s begin..again.

 

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Grad Commencement Speech: Part 2

I love these faces.  They make me happy and they spent a good portion of their Grade 12 year making me laugh.  Getting to know amazing young men and women (or as my friend Jill calls them- Baby Adults) is one of the greatest blessings of teaching.  Having to say goodbye to amazing young men and women is one of the worst parts of teaching.

As they prepared to step out into the big wide world, I tried to narrow down everything I wanted to say to them, weeding out the extraneous to get to the most important.

Part 2:

Well, this will be my last time to teach you or give advice, and I am used to a full hour, but I will try to go quickly. I have 7 pieces of advice I’d like to leave with you, so here it goes:

1. Live, work, and love with excellence. Do more than just the bare minimum, even when you don’t want to.  Have high standards for your own behaviour and stick to them regardless of the context.
2. Look for those who need a friend. Look for those who are on the fringes and make a point to reach out to them.
3. Choose to remain in community. Keep in touch with those friends who love you and who aren’t afraid to call you on your sin issues.
4. Never make decisions out of fear- fear of what you will miss, fear of what others will think of you, fear of the unknown. Decisions made out of fear are always bad decisions. I John 4:18 says “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear”
5. Remember that every decision you make has consequences, be they good or bad. Think through all of those consequences before you made a final decision.
6. Ask questions. Ask deep, hard questions that will possibly make you uncomfortable. Cultivate a personal sense of inquiry that forces you to step out of your comfort zone. Don’t be satisfied with pat answers.  Dig deep into Scripture, talk to trusted mentors, and read lots.
7. Develop a healthy fear of God. A recognition that God is a God of justice as well as love will help you make better decisions.

Benediction

I want to end with my vision for you.  My vision is that we will hear reports of the good works that you will accomplish as you step out in faith to do the tasks that God has prepared for you before the creation of the world.  That you will go out from here knowing that the pleasures of this world cannot compare to a life lived for and an eternity lived with Christ. That you will go forth with the head knowledge and the heart understanding that you have been entrusted with the GOOD NEWS for a world full of pain and despair.  That you will take those opportunities given you to speak hope and life over lives that are broken while acknowledging your own brokenness and need for a Savior. You are not done getting prepared to live a life for God.  You are just beginning.

Go with our blessings, our love, and our prayers.  You are loved more than you can ever know by the staff, your family and friends, and by our amazing God.  Go with Him by your side.

Will you please rise and, if you would like, stretch our your hands to our graduates for a benediction-

‘“May the Lord bless you
and keep you;
²⁵ may the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
²⁶ may the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”’  Amen.

I am so proud of each and every one of these (former) students and the hard work they put in to reach their goals.  I am excited to see where God will take them and how they will become world-changers.  What an exciting thing to get to see.

Grad Commencement Speech- Part 1

This past spring I was asked to give the graduation commencement speech for our Grade 12 class at the school.  To be honest, I was a little shocked and nervous.  There are other teachers/parents who are much funnier than I am and the kids know that I have a tendency to cry, so I was anxious.  But, things actually went better than I could have ever hoped for.  Over the next couple days, I will post the speech in two parts.  Hopefully it is a blessing to you.

Part 1:

One of the most commonly cited complaints I hear about Christian school is that it is a bubble.  I much prefer to look at it like greenhouse.  You have had years, some more than others, to allow your roots to go down deep into a firm Biblical understanding.  Now, you are on the verge of walking out of these doors for the last time as a student and you are being transplanted into a world that desperately needs what you have.

I was told that your class verse is Micah 6:8- “He has told you what is good and what does the Lord require of you? But to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God. 

This is a big mandate and I am excited that you have chosen this verse for yourselves.  Have you thought about what this verse means in your life? I have spent some time think it through over the past weeks.

In our culture, we have a tendency to do the reverse of what the verse says.  We have a tendency to love justice, and do kindness.  We have a culture that loves to see justice dealt out, that is quickly offended when we are hurt and we love to see the people who hurt us get what they deserve.  We love to love justice when we are hurt, but are we as quick to apply that same sense of justice as we evaluate our own faults?

We do kindness when it is organized or when it is convenient.  We plan random acts of kindness days and often feel either put out or proud when we do show kindness.

This verse is actually pointing out the flipside of our natural tendencies.  We are to do justice, but we are to LOVE kindness. The hallmarks of a follower of Jesus should be kindness.  Loving kindness means that we will default to being kind to others as it will flow out of the wellspring of our hearts.  Our need for justice will diminish in our desire to be kind and merciful.  We are able to forgive those who have hurt us because we recognize that Christ has forgiven us and that living a life of kindness and mercy is much more freeing.

The last part of the verse invites us to walk humbly with our God.  Each one of you, whether you are heading to Bible college, to university or college, or choosing to take a gap year and work, have the opportunity to choose whether you will walk through the coming years with God, humbly acknowledging that He is God and you are not.  Recognizing that He has promised you wisdom and understanding if you will submit your life, will, and heart to Him.  But, as with everything in this Christian journey, it is a choice which you will have to make daily.  It is not easy, but it is so very good when you know the Creator of the universe is walking beside you.

Amy, the class Valedictorian, giving her speech

See you tomorrow for the second part of the speech.

A New Chapter

Welcome, friends, to my new blog.  A friend regularly blows up her blog and starts again depending on life’s circumstances.  I started In the Shadow of Grace in 2010 as I struggled with being a stay-at-home-mom to two littles under 3 and I missed the rhythms and measures of being creative daily as a classroom teacher.  We were in the process of moving and beginning on a grand adventure and I wanted a forum to share those experiences with others.  Writing became cathartic in my life as I shared life with friends, old and new.  It was special and life-giving.

I technically started this blog three years ago when we moved back home in the midst of a significant life change.  Ben and I were switching roles- he was going to stay home with the boys and I was going to be the main breadwinner.  Three years in, we have both really enjoyed our new roles and God has blessed us in our new context.  In the midst of the daily chaos, however, I was never able to find time to actually write on this blog that sat neglected.  I have missed writing and so I am excited that life again has enough margin available that I can again focus some of my time on this small corner of the interwebs.

Words are life giving to me.  Whether they are read, written,  or spoken.  A well timed word can breathe the breath of life into a desperate situation and give perspective where lacking.  I look forward to sharing these words of mine with you.  I am not one hundred percent sure where this blog will go.  It will be filled with random stories and pictures and musings, but my hope is that you will be encouraged from your time spent on these pages.