Letters to Kindergarten: My Favorite Things

Dear Kindergarten,

We have known each other for awhile now. I can't believe that we only have nine more weeks together. I can still remember how scared I felt on the first day of school. But, now, I am not scared anymore. There are still things about you that feel strange and uncomfortable, but I trust you. I know you won't hurt me.

I am excited that I finally get to be the "very special person" this week. It seems like it took forever for me to have my turn. It will be fun to share some of my favorite things and pictures of me when I was a baby, with my friends.

Friends. That reminds me. One of my favorite parts of kindergarten is playing cops and robbers with my friends during recess. We ride bikes and chase each other. I like to be the good guy. That means I can catch the bad guys and put them in jail. It is so much fun!

Thursdays are great because that's when I get to do my show and tell. It is fun to "stump the crowd" with my clues. My mom always helps me think of clues that will make it hard for my friends to guess. Most of the time it works, unless I pick a friend who is already six or who is what Mrs. Smith calls a "brain stretcher". These kids are smart and can sometimes guess my sharing, even when my clues are tricky.

I also like getting homework from you, kindergarten. Some days I don't like all the writing and drawing, but my mom says I only have to do two or three pages every day, so that helps. I have been learning so much...I can even read now. I feel proud when I read to my mom and dad. They feel proud, too.

Also, I'm proud that I can walk into school by myself now. My dad or mom can stay in the car and watch me, but they don't need to go into class with me anymore. This is how most of the kids do it. I can be like them now.

Even though some days I am very tired when I get home, I still love you, kindergarten. I know I will miss you when June comes. But, for now, I am happy that we get to be together a little while longer.

Love,
O

P.S. Tell Mrs. Smith that she is one of my favorite things too!

To read O's other letters to kindergarten, click here.

Crazy Good

Life right now, is good. Not perfect. But, good. I have been finding time to do a little bit of everything that makes my life full. Prayer, deep thinking, writing. Quiet reading. Family, friends, kids' activities. Speaking, encouraging and loving.

That's not to say that I haven't been wrestling with God about a few things (more to come on these later). But, I think that God-wrestling is positive. It means that He and I are communicating. That He's not just a presence, but an active presence. 
Isn't it in the struggle and questioning that we can see more of what God desires for us? Just like Jacob, who said, only after wrestling with an angel of God and being blessed by him, "I have seen God face to face..." (Genesis 32:30)

As much as I wish that I could spend the majority of my life in the times of quiet, deep thinking and wrestling, life is moving. And, I must move with it. So, that's what I've been doing. Taking advantage of this motion, and looking for joy in each of the movements.

Saturday night I had the opportunity to see, a live stage show, Secret Keeper Girl, with both my girls. 

The message of the show is for moms and girls, ages 8 to 12. It's a message that normal is overrated and that our value is found in God, not in following the crowd. In other words, as Christians, we were created to live and act differently than others in this world. 
The evening was fun, inspirational, and a little bit crazy!

I didn't know what to expect going into the evening. My decision to buy tickets for the event was based on an advertisement I heard repeatedly on the radio. I simply thought it would be a fun night for the girls and I to be together. 

But, as usual, God surprised me. The key verse of the night was:
If I acted crazy, I did it for God...Christ's love has moved me to such extremes.  His love has the first and last word in everything we do.

2 Corinthians 5:13-14 (MSG)

That's a little how I've been feeling lately...God-crazy. I loved that my girls were getting that lesson, too!
In order to live out God's purpose for our lives, we must be seen as different. After all, my belief is only sincere and evident to others if it changes my behavior. If not, I'm just like everybody else. And, as I've said before...I don't want to hide anymore. 
I want to be light in a dark world. I want to bring Jesus to you. Do you see him?

Searching for Joy

Tonight I will be leading a group of women in a discussion on the book, One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp. One of the things God laid on my heart was to write a letter of encouragement to these women. Something that they could take with them and read at a time when joy seems elusive or impossible. 

If that is you today, I pray that you will find peace, encouragement and joy in these words...

To the One Who is Searching for Joy,

I am you. I am searching for joy too.

Aren't we all looking for joy? Even if it's just for a little more than what we already have.

Yet, I also possess a desire for control. To know my circumstances and my future. To hold tight to the idea that I can make joy happen myself. But, isn't it this desire that actually kills joy?

If you're anything like me, this is a daily battle for you. You feel like God is constantly bringing you to that place where faith meets fear, where there is a battle between worry and anxiety and peace and joy. It is a fight. It is a choice.

My friends, in order to experience joy, you have to want to see it. It is there. We just have to look for it, to recognize it. However, instead of leaning into joy in times of stress or struggle, it is in our nature to try and escape and pull away from the very thing, the very One, who brings joy.

In Genesis 16, after Hagar became pregnant with Ishmael, she ran away. But, the angel of the Lord found her and told her to return from where she had come. After that, Hagar had a new perception of the Lord. She had experienced His seeking and been in His presence.

After that, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.”

However, she also asked, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?”  (Genesis 16:13)

My prayer for you, is that you would see the one who sees you. That you would seek His face, so that you may experience the fullness of His grace. There is joy in His presence, in His gifts.

God is in everything - every time, place and circumstance. In times of certainty and waiting. Not only that, but He is always good and always loves. If you believe this about God, how can you not make the choice for joy? How can you not act, accepting all the gifts He has given you, daily?

So, whether you're searching for joy or success or peace or provision, choose God first. Choose Him. The rest will come. In His way and His time.

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

- Matthew 6:33 (NLT)

May you see joy today!