Is Something Burning?

We had some excitement in the hood the other day. Kathryn came home and said a branch had fallen on a power line and it was smoking. The Bray girls sprung into action and went to check out the situation.  When we arrived on the scene, our neighbor had already called the fire department and was anxiously awaiting their arrival.

Here's how it all went down. A small tree had uprooted and fallen on the power line. It was sizzling and popping and smoking.  Sparks were flying, and we just knew any second the whole thing was going to burst into flames.

Just as we heard the fire truck coming, the tree fell again and landed on the bottom line, which is a neutral line. (Who knew???) And just like that, the whole thing was over. No more sparks. The fire truck turned around and went home, as did all the neighbors who had stopped to watch the scene unfold.

Matthew 5:16 says:

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

The tree incident turned out to be uneventful,  which, as far as trees are concerned, is a good thing.  I am happy the tree didn't ignite into flames.  But what about my own life? If I don't stay rooted in God's word, I may start to topple over. There may be a time when I spark, but without Jesus Christ as my main power souce, I will simply crackle, pop, and then fizzle out. I don't want to smolder, I want to be on fire for God.

What about you?  Are you plugged in to the right Power Source?  They say, "It only takes a spark to get a fire going." Shine your Light so others may see you burn for God.

Waiting for the Flowers to Bloom

Did you know it's sunflower season? I always marvel when I see the beauty and splendor of sunflowers dancing in the breeze.

When Troy and I first got married and started our home, we made multiple attempts to grow sunflowers. Every year we would prepare the perfect patch for them, and every year we would have a gully wash of rain the day we planted. The tiny seeds were always carried away from their perfect patch to some unknown destination.

Sometimes life seems like those washed away sunflowers.  We have this grand picture in our head of how life will unfold. But every once in a while, no matter how hard we try, we find our life on a different path than we imagined. Many times the path is beautiful, but other times the path is difficult.  Sometimes the rains of life beat down on us. It shakes us loose from our comfort zone and maybe even changes our location.  We may even feel like we are being carried away by life's torrential downpours.

Two years ago, we made a new flower bed in my backyard. We planted some iris bulbs a friend had given us, and we hung a bird feeder.  Until the other day, I had decided hanging a bird feeder in a flower bed is a terrible idea, because the birds are not very careful, and they often drop seed everywhere. This results in an enormous amount of weeds growing in the bed.

God changed my mind though, because I found a welcomed, unexpected surprise among those weeds.  My heart soared when I discovered a beautiful sunflower growing voluntarily in that bed. My brain immediately started thinking about how my life was very much like the sunflower before me. What I thought had been missed opportunities in my life, were really just God's way of taking care of me because He had something better in store for me.  And what about those sunflowers that got washed away all those years ago? I am sure they brought beauty and joy wherever God sprouted them.

Are you struggling with something right now? Does it seem like God is saying no to things or shutting doors for you when you feel like you want to walk through those doors? Maybe He's not really saying, "No." Maybe, like my sunflowers, He's saying, "Not yet." Jeremiah 29:11 says: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
 
 So remember this: God always has us right where He wants us.  We just need to trust Him and  know His ways are best. Sometimes it will rain, but many, many days the sun will shine. So always remember to bloom where you are planted.

Lessons from a Dragonfly

It was a great day on the beach,  but the wind was blowing approximately 900 miles an hour. Every once in a while, we'd be sand blasted, but other than that,  it was perfect.

As I sat there, a dragonfly caught my attention. He was perched on a little twiggy thing sticking out of the sand.  It was probably something spewed up by the sea. Though it didn't seem important to me, it was a perfect anchor for this dragonfly. He hung out there the entire day. There were other twigs that would have seemed ok, but he had his sights set on this particular twig.

It was so windy I really don't know how he remained anchored to it, but somehow he did. Oh he flew away from time to time, if something scared him or caught him off guard, but he always came right back to that same spot. People buzzed around him, but he just hung on. Waves crashed and birds swooped,  but he just clung to the twig. Dogs barked and little kids giggled and screamed with delight,  but still he just hung on. It didn't matter how hard the wind howled, he just remained latched to that twig.

Here is what I learned from the dragonfly.  We need to allow God to be our anchor. Sometimes the waves of life will crash around us, and people will be going about life doing their own thing,  but we just need to keep clinging to The Anchor. Many people won't understand why The Anchor is so important to us, but we should never let that sway us. Sometimes we may even let go and flit away, but we should always keep The Anchor in sight, and never too far from our grasp.

I am not sure dragonflies always spend so much time in one place, but that's a great lesson too. Sometimes you need to slow down, relax, and enjoy the scenery around you. Just hanging out on The Anchor may give you a fresh perspective on life. Even if life leaves you feeling sand blasted, you can take comfort in knowing The Anchor will never move. I'm pretty sure the dragonfly had a great day; I know I sure did. So I will try to remember the lesson from the dragonfly as I flit through life: Slow down every once in a while, and just hang out and rest in God, the one true Anchor.

Don't Forget to Dance in the Rain

I have a file I have been building for the past 19 years. It's labeled "Memories" and it contains photos, drawings,  cards, notes, and other items I've received during my teaching career.  This file contains things that have really touched and encouraged my heart over the years.

This week I took time to sort through each item in the file, because after 19 years of teaching,  I have accepted a new job as the Coordinator of Gifted Education for Mathews County Public Schools. It's hard for me to believe I am leaving the classroom after all these years, but I am really excited about this new opportunity. 

During this quest to pack up my classroom and move to a new location,  I found a precious letter one of my students wrote to me about 12 years ago. One line from the letter read, "Thank you, Mrs. Bray, for teaching us to dance in the rain." I have thought so much about that letter, and for the life of me I can't remember a single time I ever took my students outside to dance in the rain. 

But then I decided, it really doesn't matter whether I remember dancing in the rain or not. She remembered it, and it was important enough for her to write to me about it. If I had to guess, we probably got caught by an unexpected rain shower on the playground,  and we giggled and acted silly all the way inside. I can't be sure about that, but it sounds like something I would do.  What I do know is that 12 years later, the lesson from a first grader rings loud and clear in my soul.  Embrace each moment and make the most of it, because you never know how your actions will impact another, and you never know if you will ever have another opportunity cross your path again. We always have a choice as to whether we focus on the good or the bad in all situations.  Some of the greatest life lessons I have learned have come from my students.

I have loved teaching at Lee-Jackson Elementary School. The friends I've made and the lessons I've learned have shaped me, and I am blessed to have spent so much time there. I cannot thank the parents enough for supporting me and  for sharing their precious babies with me.  It has truly been a joy.

Now it is time for me to move on to this new adventure. Sometimes change can be hard, but mostly it's exciting.  I've had an amazing ride over the past 19 years, and I cannot wait to see what happens next. I don't know what each moment will hold, but I do know I will always have the opportunity to dance in the rain.

A Change of Heart

Do you ever get an idea in your head about the way a certain situation will go, only to find out God is trying to teach you a different thing? That's exactly what happened to me last week in Louisville, KY.

As we approached the playground where my group would be working, I immediately starting forming opinions of the people who lived in this neighborhood and the lives they must lead.  And my eyes told me my opinions were correct.  I saw adults who should be working, but they were just hanging out in the neighborhood doing nothing. There was fighting in the streets and all kinds of strange, questionable activities happening all around us.   I saw kids coming and going, with no adult supervision.  They were sent to the playground with nothing to eat and nothing to drink, and probably no one even knew where they were. After one hour at the playground, all of my suspicions were confirmed.  The neighborhood bully was actively tormenting the other kids,and the only mother at the playground sat off to herself and wouldn't interact with anyone. Yep, I clearly had it all figured out.

But then I took time to chat with that mother who sat alone.  I asked God to help me connect with her, and that is exactly what He did.  But God did way more than that.  He also used that mother to change me. We wound up sitting under a shade tree and talking all afternoon. In that time we spent together, I got way more information than I knew how to handle. 

 She explained to me how she had grown up in the projects and was struggling to break free from the life she had always known.  She desperately wanted to show her daughter a new way of life, but she didn't have the means to get out. She shared stories about things that happened in her neighborhood, and the things she said absolutely terrified me. I felt like I couldn't even relate to anything she was saying.  Yet all the while, I was touched by her passion for life, and by the way she encouraged the children on the playground to be kind and to react in love to all situations rather than anger.

As the afternoon wore on, she shared part of her life story with me, and God opened my eyes and showed me we were actually not all that different. We both were mamas and we both loved our children very much.  We both loved Jesus, and we both wanted what was best for our children. Finding that common bond allowed me to see her in a different light.  I no longer wanted to judge her, but I wanted to love her.

At first I was a little ashamed at my negative reaction to the people in that neighborhood, but then I remembered God doesn't judge me the way I judge others.  He extends grace to me, and He asks me to extend that same grace to others.  No, our problems are not the same, but we all have problems.  We are all broken in one way or another, and we are all in need of a Savior. But we serve a God who loves us, and He wants us to love others in return. 

Unfortunately, I am very good at judging others,which is why I am so thankful for the beautiful experience I had in KY. Life is a journey, and as we travel, we must strive to be more like Jesus.  Our life experiences shape us, and we always have the choice to either learn from our mistakes or just move onward.  I am sure my judging problem is far from over, but with God's help maybe I will put my time and effort into getting to know the people around me rather than judging them.

A Close Call

I am big on perspective. People view things so differently.  Let me give you an example.  This morning on the way to school, I was running 55(ish!!!!) when suddenly a car turned in front of me.  I slammed on brakes and had to bring the car to a complete stop to avoid smashing into that car.  My only focus was getting my car stopped in time, and my heart was just about to beat out of my chest! My perspective was keeping everyone safe and being ever so thankful we weren't involved in a wreck.  

Caroline was eating a piece of sausage with cheese.  When I slammed on brakes, her sausage went flying.  It landed on her pants.  All the stuff in the back seat turned upside down.  Once she realized we were all ok, she was mad because she had cheese on her pants and the back seat was a wreck.

Kathryn didn't say anything at first.  After a while she said she was very thankful she had not been driving.  Right before we turned into MHS, she said, "Well here is a funny story.  Right before mom almost killed us, I looked at the man sitting at the stop sign.  His eyes were about to pop out of his head and his mouth was hung open like a cod fish!" 

Four perspectives, same story! As you go through this day and through life, remember this.  God has a much bigger plan for us than we can even imagine.  We just need to follow Him.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says:

Rejoice always. Pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 

Rain Delay

Spring is always such a busy time.  We leave at the crack of dawn and often don’t get home until dinner time or later.  Every Sunday evening I check the calendar to see what the week holds, and every Sunday evening I find the entire week is packed with an activity every single night.  Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining.  I am just saying life in the Bray house is very busy.  Social media tells me many, many people keep a schedule that is just as hectic, or maybe even more hectic, than ours. 

Psalm 55:6 says:

 I said, “Oh that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.”

How glorious does that sound? Can you imagine?  All you have to do is fly away.  I am about ready to take flight just thinking about it.  Then I remember all of my responsibilities, and I realize I really don’t have time to fly away and rest. But God knows all of our needs.  He knew tonight would be a great night to rest, and so He sent rain, which cancelled all practices and all evening activities.  Instead of running around like a chicken with my head cut off, I am relaxing in my favorite chair feeling ever so thankful for a break.  I know the craziness will start again tomorrow, but tonight I am thankful for the rain delay.