Teach

Students are returning to school, virtually. Teachers are trying to maintain some sense of normalcy. Parents are adjusting to homeschooling. We all have the same goals in mind. We want the best for our kids. Teachers want the best for their students. We just have to take a more active approach. We have to engage our kids. We have to reinforce what the teachers teach. We have to check schoolwork and homework. We have to assist with projects. We have to make sure they are dressed and ready for virtual school day with no classmates and recess. We have to encourage and remind them that this isn’t forever. We have to teach them how to live despite circumstances. We have to teach them how to thrive in uncertainty. We have to teach them it’s okay to be frustrated and angry, but to utilize healthy outlets. We have to teach them the same lessons we are learning ourselves.

Regret

Woulda. Coulda. Shoulda. We all have some things we regret. We all have some things we wish we would have done differently. Since time travel is not possible, we have to live with those mistakes. We have to glean the lessons and chalk them up as life experience. Every experience is not going to be positive. Every opportunity is not going to the end they way we may think it should, and that’s ok. Regret is a part of life. We just have to make sure we don’t live there. Forgive yourself and others.

Correction

I have never been a fan of rules. I was definitely a child who challenged authority and tested limitations. On the flipside, I despise consequences. I learned at a very early age how to glean wisdom. I learned that I could learn from the mistakes of others. I did not have to repeat the sins of my father or mother. I prayed for wisdom. I prayed that generational curses ended with me. I prayed that I learned the lesson the first time. I've made a lot of mistakes, but for the most part, I haven't made the same mistake twice. Correction is not something we should run from. Correction is wisdom, sometimes wrapped in hard lessons. Correction is God allowing us to change directions. Correction is God saying, "there's a better way." 

Pull the Weeds Up!!

I never thought a Saturday morning of yard work would be so profound. Let's get this straight. I have allergies. I don't do outside. I don't do bugs. I don't do dirt, and I'm not a fan of heat.
I'm not completely new to yard work, but let's just say it's been a while. I used to help my grandfather in his garden in exchange for playing in the sprinklers afterward.

So, here I am with my face mask, gloves, and hoe... and God starts to speak.

My grandfather always told me:

1. Pull the weeds up straight.
2. Make sure you pull the roots up.
3. Use the hoe to help you.
4. Repeat.

Pull the weeds up straight.
Lesson: So, you have to get the whole weed not just what's visible. Weeds have strong roots. What you see on the surface is only a tiny bit of what's happening underground. If you just pick what you see, you're not really dealing with the issue only what's visible. Go deep!

Make sure you pull the roots up.
Lesson: Get to the root. Take the time. Do the work. Put in the sweat equity. Don't let those roots stay in the ground. They will produce and multiply and overrun your garden. They will choke out your plants and whatever else you are trying to grow.

Sidenote: Some weeds look like grass and you can't tell the difference until you pull it out and see the root.

Sidenote 2: Be careful about who you keep close. Some of them are weeds. Their sole purpose is to grow with you to ultimately hinder you. All weeds don't stifle growth, some just stifle your maturity.

Matthew 13:24-30 The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares

Use the hoe to help you.
My Native New Orleanian is screaming, "there are some hoes in your life who can help you." Cue my organ.

See Joshua 2 Rahab and the Spies. (Rahab was instrumental in God's plan for the Battle of Jericho)

Lesson: There are people in your life who have learned the lesson....the hard way so, you don't have to!!! Glean from their experience and understanding.

Sidenote: A hoe is a garden tool. Its sole purpose is to be used. I'll stop right there.

Repeat
Lesson: You can't just stop because you pulled up one weed. There's more. Gardening is messy work. Your hands will get dirty. It requires strength. It's uncomfortable. It's a process, but the results are worth it.

Pull the weeds up from the garden of your heart. Get to the root. Use the tools that God has given you and ask for help if you need it. Pull the weeds up!!!









 

Lesson

I've been watching Black Love and Red Table Talk. If you haven't had a chance to tune in, it's worth the time. There are so many jewels about parenting, love, life, and relationships. Someone said, "I've learned as much from my failures as I have from my successes. Maybe more." Someone else said, "there are lessons to be learned from your pain." I began to think that maybe we don't learn the lesson from our pain. Maybe we get caught up in cyclic and toxic relationships because they are comfortable. Maybe we enjoy being a victim because there is less responsibility in it. Maybe it's easier not to learn the lesson.

Heed

As a child, I loved reading Aesop's Fables. I loved storytelling with lessons embedded within them. I always wanted to know, "what's the lesson?" Even in life, I find myself asking, "what's the lesson?" I've always believed that you were bound to repeat something if you didn't learn the lesson. For a season in my life, I dated the same person over and over again. They were different people, but the results were the same. They all had the same character flaw. I had to learn to pay attention. I had to take heed. I had to learn not to ignore the red flags. Is there something you need to take heed of? Is there someone you need to take heed to? Pay attention. Slow down. Don't ignore the signs. Take heed. Proceed with caution.