This morning at church I was told by the ever-direct Chris that I should update my blog, because "even Joel has found time to update his blog". Apparently the life of a doctor is the true measure of busy-ness, and as I am not a doctor, I should be able to at least match his blog updates. So with this in mind, I thought that I would write to you, dear reader, about what has been on my mind lately. Competitive blogging aside, finding out that people actually read your blog is always a nice little motivation to write more often! :)
Something that has been on my mind recently is music. Yes, I can hear your disappointed sigh from here. You were probably expecting something out of the ordinary. Anyone who knows me will understand that music frequently features in most, if not all, of my day-dreaming sessions. Most things that people say remind me of a song, and rarely a minute will pass by when I am not humming along to a song in my head. So if you are having a conversation with me and I suddenly get a faraway wistful look in my eyes, chances are that something you have said triggered a song that is now playing on repeat in my head. Now would probably be an ideal time to notify the good people at the TTH psych ward. (Just as an aside, why does 'The' feature in the acronym for our public hospital?! How silly... it makes the word 'the' seem repetitive and redundant, yet the sentence feels incomplete without it). Anywho... music is such a huge part of who I am. It is intrinsically linked to my conscious being. My arts lecturer would be proud of that sentence. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I kind of like that I have such an indefinable connection to music.
You don't have to be a music connoisseur to appreciate that music is strongly emotive. However I am struck by how the emotions that music can produce sometimes contradict the emotions embedded in the lyrics. Two songs that I really love are "Why Georgia" by John Mayer and "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman. As soon as I hear the opening riff to either of these songs I cannot keep the smile from my face. There are so many good memories attached to both of these songs, and listening to them reminds me of how I felt at those times. Although both of these songs are not exactly uplifting. Throughout "Why Georgia" John Mayer sings of frustration, discontentment and a fear that he isn't living life 'right'. Tracy Chapman in "Fast Car" tells the story of a one woman's dreams (the pursuit of a 'better life' and the desire to belong) that are brought to a halt by the heartbreaking realities of life. The tensions that are explored in both of these songs are acutely felt by many people throughout the course of their lives. Not exactly a cheery thought. Yet, because of the memories attached to these songs, they make me want to dance! Maybe I just need to pay closer attention to lyrics.....
The other music related pondering that I have been mulling over recently is the calming effect that music has on people. When I am feeling nervous about something, listening to Coldplay or Switchfoot always makes me feel better. Christian music is particularly helpful here, although that is another blog topic for another time. Recently, when I have had important and intense conversations with people, strumming quietly on the guitar seems to help to create a calm setting. It can also be a little distracting, but I am a pretty distractable person. I came across a good example of the calming quality of music this week at work with our beautiful P.I. (physical impairment) kids. A physio came in to see if we could encourage one of our little ones to stand in an upright frame for a portion of the lesson, so I was working along side her. The little girl DID NOT like the standing frame one bit! She cried and cried, the poor darlin. After trying everything to calm her down, we figured that it would be better to give the standing frame a miss a try again another day. So the physio went to work with a different client, and I was left with a thoroughly distraught little girl. Again, I tried everything I could think of to calm her down, yet nothing would work. Maybe this is an unhelpful teaching approach, but in situations like this, when none of the strategies from my 'teacher's toolbox' are working, I sometimes think about what I would do if I was the child's mother. So after about 15 minutes I unstrapped the little girl from her wheelchair and cuddled her on my knee. Whenever I was sick as a little girl, my Mum would sing "Kum By Ah" to me until I fell asleep. I always feel calm whenever I hear this song, I think that I have been conditioned to feel sleepy whenever someone sings it. So, with the little girl snuggled on my knee, I sang "Kum By Ah", over and over again. Before too long, her crying stopped and she fell into a deep sleep. She may have fell asleep simply because she had reached the point of utter exhaustion, but I like to think that "Kum By Ah" at least helped to create a calm environment. When she woke up again, she was a completely different little girl, smiling and laughing at nothing inparticular. I was exhausted, yet I couldn't help smiling at this little girl's sudden show of joy.
* The astute of you will realise that the title is a quote from a Rhianna song. Not that you would admit knowing this. I was struggling to think of a song quote that had something to do with music. Cam's suggestion was "Doh a freakin' deer", but I didn't think that it went with the tone of the blog so I settled for Rhianna. Alternative suggestions would be appreciated.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Everything is Meaningless
"Everything fails, everything runs it's course"
"Everything is meaningless, I want more than simple cash can buy"
Recently I enrolled in the University of Southern Queensland in order to complete an external subject this semester and count it towards my compulsory elective. At the beginning of this week I received a letter from USQ which simply stated "Congratulations for choosing to study at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ)!" along with a USQ username and password. Other than feeling slightly bemused by the ridiculous exclamation mark, I thought that 'congratulations' was an odd choice of words. A few days later I received a USQ student pack, which contained some brochures which I briefly glanced at, a magnet, some stickers (how novel) and a wall calendar. After deciding that most of the pack was useless I figured that the wall calendar could at least tell me what day it was, so I opened it out and had a squiz. The background of the calendar looks like intergalactic pish posh; lots of stars, bright lights and electric sparks. Towards the bottom of the calendar is a large orb which seems to be radiating quite a lot of electricity. The orb is suspended by two hands (incidentally the manicured hands of a woman). The picture reminded me of pictures that you often see in Christian literature that depict the hands of God lovingly supporting the world, His creation. However this orb isn't the world, it's just a confusion of colour and light. I suppose that is significant of the humanistic view that 'the world is what you make it'. Anywho.. plastered across the top of the calendar is the slogan "Fulfilling Lives". I had a flick through some of the other USQ paraphernalia and realised that this phrase is used on all of their letter heads. I was quite taken aback by this. Although I now understood why I had been congratulated for having the wisdom to enroll in USQ. Clearly my life is about to be fulfilled. I can't help but wonder, why would a University claim to fulfill lives? Especially a University in Toowoomba. Furthering one's education through institutions such as University is certainly a good thing, but it will not fulfill your life. It may increase job prospects, allow for the development of discipline, facilitate personal and academic growth, provide opportunities for social networking and grant you a four year reprieve from full time work, but it will not fulfill your life.
Switchfoot would have to be one of my favourite bands. The two lines at the beginning of this post are taken from their song "Happy is a Yuppie Word" which features on their album "Nothing is Sound". This song is inspired by the book of Ecclesiastes, which I have just finished reading. For those who aren't familiar with Ecclesiastes, the chapter begins with:
"The words of the Teacher, son of David, king of Jerusalem: "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."
That's a pretty confronting way to start a chapter. Everything is meaningless. How encouraging. However it does motivate you to continue reading. I really enjoyed reading through Ecclesiastes. Particularly with the onset of another Uni year close at hand, it has been helpful in shaping my perspective on work. The tension between the temporary nature of work completed 'under the sun' and the undeniable necessity of work is highlighted throughout the chapter. As I was reading Ecclesiastes I couldn't help but ponder the USQ slogan "Fulfilling Lives". Many people enroll in University in an attempt to achieve prestige and wealth. Yet these are essentially meaningless.
Ecclesiastes 2:11: "Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun."
Chapter 3:10 states: "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless."
Isn't this so true of our Western culture? The more we get, the more we want. Contentment is an unfamiliar concept to most people. We look to things like University degrees and high paying salaries to fulfill our lives, but this only amounts to a chasing after the wind.
So what does this mean? Should we become unmotivated hippies who misquote passages from Ecclesiastes as a convenient excuse to forfeit the labour force? As appealing as I find the hippy lifestyle, that probably isn't the best solution. Eccesiastes 2:24-25 says "A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without Him, who can eat or find enjoyment?".
What gives our toiling under the sun meaning and significance? Seeking to give God the glory that He is due through our every action. How do we achieve this? By "remembering our Creator" in all things (Ecc. 12). Work cannot fulfill our lives because it was never designed to. It is temporary, a vapour in the wind. Only something eternal has the capacity to fulfill our lives, and provide a hope that will not fade.
"Everything is meaningless, I want more than simple cash can buy"
Recently I enrolled in the University of Southern Queensland in order to complete an external subject this semester and count it towards my compulsory elective. At the beginning of this week I received a letter from USQ which simply stated "Congratulations for choosing to study at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ)!" along with a USQ username and password. Other than feeling slightly bemused by the ridiculous exclamation mark, I thought that 'congratulations' was an odd choice of words. A few days later I received a USQ student pack, which contained some brochures which I briefly glanced at, a magnet, some stickers (how novel) and a wall calendar. After deciding that most of the pack was useless I figured that the wall calendar could at least tell me what day it was, so I opened it out and had a squiz. The background of the calendar looks like intergalactic pish posh; lots of stars, bright lights and electric sparks. Towards the bottom of the calendar is a large orb which seems to be radiating quite a lot of electricity. The orb is suspended by two hands (incidentally the manicured hands of a woman). The picture reminded me of pictures that you often see in Christian literature that depict the hands of God lovingly supporting the world, His creation. However this orb isn't the world, it's just a confusion of colour and light. I suppose that is significant of the humanistic view that 'the world is what you make it'. Anywho.. plastered across the top of the calendar is the slogan "Fulfilling Lives". I had a flick through some of the other USQ paraphernalia and realised that this phrase is used on all of their letter heads. I was quite taken aback by this. Although I now understood why I had been congratulated for having the wisdom to enroll in USQ. Clearly my life is about to be fulfilled. I can't help but wonder, why would a University claim to fulfill lives? Especially a University in Toowoomba. Furthering one's education through institutions such as University is certainly a good thing, but it will not fulfill your life. It may increase job prospects, allow for the development of discipline, facilitate personal and academic growth, provide opportunities for social networking and grant you a four year reprieve from full time work, but it will not fulfill your life.
Switchfoot would have to be one of my favourite bands. The two lines at the beginning of this post are taken from their song "Happy is a Yuppie Word" which features on their album "Nothing is Sound". This song is inspired by the book of Ecclesiastes, which I have just finished reading. For those who aren't familiar with Ecclesiastes, the chapter begins with:
"The words of the Teacher, son of David, king of Jerusalem: "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."
That's a pretty confronting way to start a chapter. Everything is meaningless. How encouraging. However it does motivate you to continue reading. I really enjoyed reading through Ecclesiastes. Particularly with the onset of another Uni year close at hand, it has been helpful in shaping my perspective on work. The tension between the temporary nature of work completed 'under the sun' and the undeniable necessity of work is highlighted throughout the chapter. As I was reading Ecclesiastes I couldn't help but ponder the USQ slogan "Fulfilling Lives". Many people enroll in University in an attempt to achieve prestige and wealth. Yet these are essentially meaningless.
Ecclesiastes 2:11: "Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun."
Chapter 3:10 states: "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless."
Isn't this so true of our Western culture? The more we get, the more we want. Contentment is an unfamiliar concept to most people. We look to things like University degrees and high paying salaries to fulfill our lives, but this only amounts to a chasing after the wind.
So what does this mean? Should we become unmotivated hippies who misquote passages from Ecclesiastes as a convenient excuse to forfeit the labour force? As appealing as I find the hippy lifestyle, that probably isn't the best solution. Eccesiastes 2:24-25 says "A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without Him, who can eat or find enjoyment?".
What gives our toiling under the sun meaning and significance? Seeking to give God the glory that He is due through our every action. How do we achieve this? By "remembering our Creator" in all things (Ecc. 12). Work cannot fulfill our lives because it was never designed to. It is temporary, a vapour in the wind. Only something eternal has the capacity to fulfill our lives, and provide a hope that will not fade.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Trip, fall, I'm down again....
Trip, fall, I'm down again,
Lying on the ground,
Deep sigh, my elbow hurts
Trying not to cry
I look upwards for help
He's waiting to oblige
Cause all He wants is me
That's easy to define
One of the bands that I am really into at the moment is Maverick. I was only recently introduced to their funky sound and I really dig it. The rationale behind the name is:
"A maverick is a cow that isn't branded - and 'Maverick' doesn't want to be branded either!" It's a little lame but I'm happy to overlook this because their music is so unique. Here's the link to their site: http://www.mavericksound.com.au/index.php
Worth a look.
The lyrics at the beginning of this post are from Maverick's song Toddler written by Bronwyn Hart. Here are the rest of the lyrics from the song:
Dirt, mess, my plans undone
Like my undone shoes
I've tried and tried again
shoelaces I can not do
I just want to help Him out
Like a toddler pushing two
But His plans are so much more
Following them I cant loose
So small in his tender care
No Love equates
My life is loose bows needing His repair
But all my plans are in the way
As He ties my undone shoes
I keep getting in the way
And if only I would let
Go I could run and play
As He ties my undone shoes
I keep getting in the way
And if only i would let
Go I could run and play
(run, run, run, run, I could run and play run, run, run, run, in His Will I'm safe)
Trip, fall, I'm down again
Lying on the ground
Deep sigh, my elbow hurts
The story of my life
I look upwards for help
He's waiting to oblige
Can I sit back and wait
While my shoelace He ties
I was listening to this song on the way to soccer last night and found myself chuckling out loud. I think that I find the song so enjoyable because I can relate to it for a couple of reasons. As someone who works with children, this struggle between the plight for independence and longing for help from a more capable other is quite amusing and something I encounter often. However I was also chuckling because this is exactly how a lot of us continue to live. Sometimes our relationship with our Father is so child-like. I'm not talking here about having 'faith like a child' - but rather the parallels that exist between how a young child interacts with their parents and how we interact with our Father.
Please don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to patronise you by saying that your faith or relationship with God is immature and self-seeking. But isn't it true that sometimes we get in the way of our own lives, like an impatient child? We try to tie our own shoes when we lack the skills and knowledge needed. We are ill-equipped to tie our shoes; therein to sort out our lives independently. Therefore our shoelaces remain untied, and we continue to trip and fall time and again. If only we would stop squirming and pulling and pushing away God's help, we could go run and play. I really like the picture this song paints. There have been so many instances in my life where I have been impatient and eager to control the direction my life is headed in, when really I've only needed to give my life over to the One who created it. My feeble plans only get in the way of the plans that God has for my life. Instead I will be content to sit back and wait, while my shoelace He ties.
Lying on the ground,
Deep sigh, my elbow hurts
Trying not to cry
I look upwards for help
He's waiting to oblige
Cause all He wants is me
That's easy to define
One of the bands that I am really into at the moment is Maverick. I was only recently introduced to their funky sound and I really dig it. The rationale behind the name is:
"A maverick is a cow that isn't branded - and 'Maverick' doesn't want to be branded either!" It's a little lame but I'm happy to overlook this because their music is so unique. Here's the link to their site: http://www.mavericksound.com.au/index.php
Worth a look.
The lyrics at the beginning of this post are from Maverick's song Toddler written by Bronwyn Hart. Here are the rest of the lyrics from the song:
Dirt, mess, my plans undone
Like my undone shoes
I've tried and tried again
shoelaces I can not do
I just want to help Him out
Like a toddler pushing two
But His plans are so much more
Following them I cant loose
So small in his tender care
No Love equates
My life is loose bows needing His repair
But all my plans are in the way
As He ties my undone shoes
I keep getting in the way
And if only I would let
Go I could run and play
As He ties my undone shoes
I keep getting in the way
And if only i would let
Go I could run and play
(run, run, run, run, I could run and play run, run, run, run, in His Will I'm safe)
Trip, fall, I'm down again
Lying on the ground
Deep sigh, my elbow hurts
The story of my life
I look upwards for help
He's waiting to oblige
Can I sit back and wait
While my shoelace He ties
I was listening to this song on the way to soccer last night and found myself chuckling out loud. I think that I find the song so enjoyable because I can relate to it for a couple of reasons. As someone who works with children, this struggle between the plight for independence and longing for help from a more capable other is quite amusing and something I encounter often. However I was also chuckling because this is exactly how a lot of us continue to live. Sometimes our relationship with our Father is so child-like. I'm not talking here about having 'faith like a child' - but rather the parallels that exist between how a young child interacts with their parents and how we interact with our Father.
Please don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to patronise you by saying that your faith or relationship with God is immature and self-seeking. But isn't it true that sometimes we get in the way of our own lives, like an impatient child? We try to tie our own shoes when we lack the skills and knowledge needed. We are ill-equipped to tie our shoes; therein to sort out our lives independently. Therefore our shoelaces remain untied, and we continue to trip and fall time and again. If only we would stop squirming and pulling and pushing away God's help, we could go run and play. I really like the picture this song paints. There have been so many instances in my life where I have been impatient and eager to control the direction my life is headed in, when really I've only needed to give my life over to the One who created it. My feeble plans only get in the way of the plans that God has for my life. Instead I will be content to sit back and wait, while my shoelace He ties.
Friday, February 6, 2009
I am too tired to think up a creative and witty title for this blog, I will take the best suggestion...think of it as a little competition...
How do you handle challenges when they inevitably arise? Do you thrive on the adrenaline rush that comes with being pushed above and beyond your comfort zone? Or do you fight the urge to go foetal at the mere thought of a challenge? Or possibly both depending on the nature of the challenge?
This week has been pretty huge. I have been working at the Vincent Early Childhood Development Program from Monday to Friday, and will continue this over the next two weeks. After having been on holidays for 3 months (or thereabouts), I knew that any form of work would undoubtedly be a shock to the system. Babysitting can be tiring at the best of times, however I have access to coffee and morning tea and spend the day playing with well-behaved children in the comfort of an air-conditioned lounge room. Not exactly a high stress scenario. As you can imagine there is a significant contrast between babysitting and working at VECDP. From Wednesday through to Friday this week I spent the afternoons and evenings at the Walker's house for the CU leaders retreat. It is a shame that I wasn't able to attend the entire leaders retreat due to work, however I am so glad that I was able go for a portion of the time! There were so many things about the retreat that I found deeply encouraging. It was just awesome to spend time with my brothers and sisters in Christ who love the Lord Jesus and share a desire to serve Him with their lives. However running between work and the leaders retreat was fairly exhausting, and for various reasons extremely challenging. I think that it is safe to say that this week has been emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually challenging. So this got me thinking about how I approach challenges, and what the appropriate response to meeting new challenges should be. I have said in a previous blog that the children I work with teach me much more than I could ever hope to teach them. This is completely true here. The children at VECDP know what it feels like to face challenges each and everyday.
Tashie has cerebral palsy. She can walk with the support of a walker however for the most part is confined to a wheelchair. Tashie has significant language and processing delays however displays great eye contact. She has gorgeous curly red hair, blue eyes and a cute cluster of freckles on her nose and cheeks. Tashie turns 3 this Tuesday. Starting school this week was quite overwhelming for Tashie. She had previously been to playgroup however this was at a different centre with different teachers. It was all a bit much for Tashie. Every time we approached her with a new toy or activity her bottom lip would quiver and big tears would roll down her cheeks. This is sometimes how I feel when faced with a challenge. Overwhelmed to the point of tears. Completely helpless and inadequate. Longing for someone to comfort me and make it all better. Sometimes this is appropriate for a short term response, however it will never suffice as a long term solution.
Melanie turns 3 in three months time. Her brother and sister also turn 3 in three months time; triplets. Melanie, Spencer and Bridget are all experiencing language delays and significant behavioural concerns. Melanie is the most domineering of the three. She loves to play the role of the leader, and the other two follow in her shadow. Melanie is not impressed when her position as leader is threatened. It is amazing how quickly an otherwise placid girl can morph into a screaming and crying ball of noise. Hopefully most of us have progressed from the tantrum stage, although aren't there still things in our lives that we stubbornly want to control? That we hold onto with both hands and refuse to let go of? I find it ironic (possibly a poor choice of words here) that the things I most need to let go of are exactly the things that I desperately cling to. The things that I cannot and should not control are the very things that I try to control. Most of us have to learn the hard way that we are ill-equipped to play the role of 'leader' and dictate the course of our lives on our own.
Armani has huge brown eyes and gorgeous long eyelashes. I've discovered that he is particularly fond of the "Round and round the garden, like a teddy bear..." game, especially the "tickle you under there!" part. From what I can tell (I haven't really been told much at this stage) Armani has an intellectual impairment, language delays and gross motor concerns. Armani is incredibly unsteady on his feet and can't walk more than a few steps unaided. He has to be watched constantly whilst sitting in chairs as he frequently slumps forward or slides off the chair. Armani has started having seizures during the day so he is noticeably docile. Today our class was going outside for a bubble blowing activity. The other children were already making their way across the yard while Armani and I stayed behind so I could help him into his stroller. I sat Armani down on the lino in the classroom while I went to find his stroller. As I walked across the classroom, I turned just in time to see Armani clamber to his feet and start moving swiftly yet VERY unsteadily through the door that had been left open and across the concrete in the direction of the other children. I have never moved so quickly in my life. Horrible visions of Armani falling and hitting his head on the concrete flashed through my mind as I sprinted across the room and caught him under the arms just as he lost his balance. God is so good, that could have gone horribly wrong. It's incredible how we can rise to meet a challenge when we have a significant motivation. What motivated Armani? He didn't want to be left behind in the boring classroom while the other children got to play with bubbles. So what did he do? He got up and walked. Amazing. Sometimes it takes a strong motivation to convince us not to dissolve into a ball of tears but rather to face a challenge head on.
It's all very well to consider what we can learn from children about facing challenges, yet what does the Bible tell us about this?
When we feel like doing a Tashie, Deuteronomy 31:6 tells us: Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.
When we feel like doing a Melanie, Philippians 4:6 tells us: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. We don't need to fight to control our lives, but rather willingly trust our Father with the things that are close to our hearts.
And when we feel like Armani; in need of a motivation to face the challenges that life throws our way, 1 Peter 1:3 speaks of a motivation and hope that is entirely sufficient: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
This week has been pretty huge. I have been working at the Vincent Early Childhood Development Program from Monday to Friday, and will continue this over the next two weeks. After having been on holidays for 3 months (or thereabouts), I knew that any form of work would undoubtedly be a shock to the system. Babysitting can be tiring at the best of times, however I have access to coffee and morning tea and spend the day playing with well-behaved children in the comfort of an air-conditioned lounge room. Not exactly a high stress scenario. As you can imagine there is a significant contrast between babysitting and working at VECDP. From Wednesday through to Friday this week I spent the afternoons and evenings at the Walker's house for the CU leaders retreat. It is a shame that I wasn't able to attend the entire leaders retreat due to work, however I am so glad that I was able go for a portion of the time! There were so many things about the retreat that I found deeply encouraging. It was just awesome to spend time with my brothers and sisters in Christ who love the Lord Jesus and share a desire to serve Him with their lives. However running between work and the leaders retreat was fairly exhausting, and for various reasons extremely challenging. I think that it is safe to say that this week has been emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually challenging. So this got me thinking about how I approach challenges, and what the appropriate response to meeting new challenges should be. I have said in a previous blog that the children I work with teach me much more than I could ever hope to teach them. This is completely true here. The children at VECDP know what it feels like to face challenges each and everyday.
Tashie has cerebral palsy. She can walk with the support of a walker however for the most part is confined to a wheelchair. Tashie has significant language and processing delays however displays great eye contact. She has gorgeous curly red hair, blue eyes and a cute cluster of freckles on her nose and cheeks. Tashie turns 3 this Tuesday. Starting school this week was quite overwhelming for Tashie. She had previously been to playgroup however this was at a different centre with different teachers. It was all a bit much for Tashie. Every time we approached her with a new toy or activity her bottom lip would quiver and big tears would roll down her cheeks. This is sometimes how I feel when faced with a challenge. Overwhelmed to the point of tears. Completely helpless and inadequate. Longing for someone to comfort me and make it all better. Sometimes this is appropriate for a short term response, however it will never suffice as a long term solution.
Melanie turns 3 in three months time. Her brother and sister also turn 3 in three months time; triplets. Melanie, Spencer and Bridget are all experiencing language delays and significant behavioural concerns. Melanie is the most domineering of the three. She loves to play the role of the leader, and the other two follow in her shadow. Melanie is not impressed when her position as leader is threatened. It is amazing how quickly an otherwise placid girl can morph into a screaming and crying ball of noise. Hopefully most of us have progressed from the tantrum stage, although aren't there still things in our lives that we stubbornly want to control? That we hold onto with both hands and refuse to let go of? I find it ironic (possibly a poor choice of words here) that the things I most need to let go of are exactly the things that I desperately cling to. The things that I cannot and should not control are the very things that I try to control. Most of us have to learn the hard way that we are ill-equipped to play the role of 'leader' and dictate the course of our lives on our own.
Armani has huge brown eyes and gorgeous long eyelashes. I've discovered that he is particularly fond of the "Round and round the garden, like a teddy bear..." game, especially the "tickle you under there!" part. From what I can tell (I haven't really been told much at this stage) Armani has an intellectual impairment, language delays and gross motor concerns. Armani is incredibly unsteady on his feet and can't walk more than a few steps unaided. He has to be watched constantly whilst sitting in chairs as he frequently slumps forward or slides off the chair. Armani has started having seizures during the day so he is noticeably docile. Today our class was going outside for a bubble blowing activity. The other children were already making their way across the yard while Armani and I stayed behind so I could help him into his stroller. I sat Armani down on the lino in the classroom while I went to find his stroller. As I walked across the classroom, I turned just in time to see Armani clamber to his feet and start moving swiftly yet VERY unsteadily through the door that had been left open and across the concrete in the direction of the other children. I have never moved so quickly in my life. Horrible visions of Armani falling and hitting his head on the concrete flashed through my mind as I sprinted across the room and caught him under the arms just as he lost his balance. God is so good, that could have gone horribly wrong. It's incredible how we can rise to meet a challenge when we have a significant motivation. What motivated Armani? He didn't want to be left behind in the boring classroom while the other children got to play with bubbles. So what did he do? He got up and walked. Amazing. Sometimes it takes a strong motivation to convince us not to dissolve into a ball of tears but rather to face a challenge head on.
It's all very well to consider what we can learn from children about facing challenges, yet what does the Bible tell us about this?
When we feel like doing a Tashie, Deuteronomy 31:6 tells us: Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.
When we feel like doing a Melanie, Philippians 4:6 tells us: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. We don't need to fight to control our lives, but rather willingly trust our Father with the things that are close to our hearts.
And when we feel like Armani; in need of a motivation to face the challenges that life throws our way, 1 Peter 1:3 speaks of a motivation and hope that is entirely sufficient: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
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