John 8: 31-47

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." -John 8:36

This was a post on Facebook today who read it on Joyce Meyer Ministries. As I read it I immediately wanted to read it in context. 

John 8: 31-47 NIV 

³¹ To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”   ³³ They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” ³⁴ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. ³⁵ Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. ³⁷ I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. ³⁸ I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.” ³⁹ “Abraham is our father,” they answered.  “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. ⁴⁰ As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. ⁴¹ You are doing the works of your own father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.” ⁴² Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. ⁴³ Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. ⁴⁴ You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. ⁴⁵ Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! ⁴⁶ Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? ⁴⁷ Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

Wow is all I can say!  Let's look at the last part: "the reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God." That really gets me thinking to today's time and why so many find it hard to believe in the unknown of God. They don't really "hear" what is being told to them. (Wonder if it all of us who say one thing and act a different way?) Makes me want to take back all the times I tried to argue God with someone. I bet both of us were not really hearing. 

In this scripture Jesus is talking to Jews who are trying to find a way to bust Jesus. Here Jesus is not speaking in parables, but being honest with them and asking them why they don't understand him. They also did not understand the concept of being a slave to their sins. As I continue to reread these verses I  see how Jesus is trying to reach them using their lineage to show them how they claim one thing, but act on another. There is so much here that I truly cannot follow it all. I am going to have to take more time, but again wow. 

I do want to go back to the concept of being a slave to sin. How true do we humans fall into traps and become a slave to a sin. That's how the devil does it sometimes. He takes something we do or like that may not even be a sin and uses it to get us off our path a little bit. Think about it this way I love playing games on the computer sometimes I will spend all day on the computer ignoring necessary things that need to be done or skipping time with God. See how something can be turned into an idol. 

To read on in scripture the Jews go on to accuse Jesus  ⁴⁸ The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?” Really they called him a Samaritan? I encourage you to study these scriptures for yourself. 

Today I was on facebook and in a little post I found God speaking to me! 

                                                                               Let His word speak to you today!

Who am I?

It's a late night for me. I'm babysitting for my cousin. It's been a trying couple of days,weeks, months I don't know how to pin it down. God is truly speaking in so many ways. Tonight I am a little down and questioning a lot of things and as I was just spacing out I heard "who am I?" in my spirit. Who I am? I am a child of God's who is asked to do nothing on my own accord. Daily I face struggles, but I do not face them alone. I have God right beside me carrying the load.
Many times I let my anger get the best of me and I speak out of turn and I speak my mind without filters, but who I am to get upset? It is not my place. I'm not to seek revenge, I'm not to speak ill of others, I'm not to show my butt to anyone but God, I'm not to take on the world and not ask for help, I'm not to expect others to read my mind, I could go on. God is showing me so much that is IN ME! It's time for me to take a long look at things that are not right in myself and make a conscious change. 
God why do I let my flesh get the better of me? Why do I take things way to personally? Why do I feel the need to let everyone know when I feel like I have been done wrong? Why can't I just let You, God handle it like I know you will in Your time? It seems to be so easy to jump in on the gossip or to tell others what has happened to me, but so hard to be the positive one speaking good and reminding others of the good that has come. I want so much to bring joy into a conversation. I want so much to stop the negative in it's tracks and not agree with others and add to it. I don't want to walk away I want to speak up and bring God into the room.
I am so thankful for where God has me. He knows me, knows what I need, and even though I truly don't see why I have to "suffer" with some things I know there is a reason for it all. As I sit here wondering "who I am" I know I am a child of God.

Ramblings of a Special Education Teacher! Praising God.

I am a beginner teacher. I have been teaching for 5 years and am working in special education. My undergrad was in teaching grades pre-k to 5th, but God had a different plan for me and I ended up teaching special ed while getting my masters in it with a focus on severe to profound. I worked 3 years to get my masters all the while trying my best to figure out how I was to reach each blessed little child God put in front of me to teach. It was easy to plan lesson from a core content (reading, math, science social studies) mind set, but trying to figure in all the varying needs like sensory issues, fine motor issues, gross motor issues, language issues, social skills, and so much more was truly a day by day if not minute by minute. I am known for changing up my room at least once every 2 months (for the first couple of years once a week) to find the best set up for my students. I can and will continue to teach while a student is laying in their desk with their head upside down on the ground and others making noises. I often cry on Friday when I go back over my lesson plan and realize we didn't get to half of the great things I wanted to because I had to help clean up a blow out, or my students just couldn't keep up with me that day, or they didn't master the skills needed to go on. I have taught the letter Kk to death and a student with the letter K at the beginning of her name still can not tell you that she has written a K on her paper. I plan and think about ways to enhance my teaching and activities for hours upon hours. I love creating new things and ways to help my students make gains. I often start a project and stop and ask "what was I thinking?" I get frustrated when I think my directions were clear and the child just stares at me or wonders around trying to do what I asked even though she has no idea what I asked. I try so hard to find ways for my non-verbal kiddos to communicate. Sometimes I think I hear mumbled words in the "noises" my kiddos make. I see the joy in a child when you hug and appreciate them.

Anyway these ramblings are getting to a point I promise. See I have been doing this for 5 years now and today I saw how God has molded me, allowed me to fail, allowed me to be cut down when I started to brag, and is always shown me how much He loves me. I have had such big dreams and hopes for each school year and assumed it would just come to be, but I now realize that I am still learning. I am thankful to the students who had me for a teacher while I was learning how to be a teacher. They allowed me to make mistakes and still loved me. I am sorry I didn't know what I know now, but also know I will always be sorry if I dwell on that. God has a perfect plan and He put in to play the exact kids I would have while He was molding me. The kids who He knew I could reach and make gains with. I often hear of how past students are doing and feel that sense of why could that teacher get him to do that and I couldn't, but God stops me and reminds me it's because that how God has designed it. Yes this is not the best of news for some. Sometimes we have to realize that why things are happening are for a reason and they will not hurt us. For example: Your child got the brand new teacher this year and your child isn't making as many gains as you hoped. Instead of blaming the new teacher thank God for choosing your child to help make that teacher a better teacher.

I see where I can make improvements and I pray that I do make the necessary changes and not just talk about them like I have done in the past. Amazing how that news flash/light bulb really can hit ya right out of the blue. I have been complaining about things for far to long. Especially since I have the power to change the things I have been whining about! Way to go Carrie-Anne way to go. Thankfully God showed me today what I need to do.

Like I said I am a beginner in the field of education, but I have done all that I could to be the best educator I knew how to be. I will continue to seek new ideas and ways to reach my students. I will rearrange my classroom until I get it perfect for that time. I will make mistakes and I will have successes. I will have God on my side.

So parents of whom I have taught I'm sorry I wasn't the best teacher, but I thank you for helping me to be better. I cannot go back and talk to some whom I would love to talk with to let them know how much they have inspired me. I pray that God has shown them how much I am sorry and how much they have made me who I am.

Today a lady shared about forgiveness and what God says about it. I cannot quote the scripture, but it really hit me. There are some people I cannot go back to and say "I'm sorry," but I want to. God I'm sorry I didn't ask like a lady of God to those people. I'm sorry I let my flesh rule me.

Thank you God for molding me and please continue to work on me! Amen.