A God Moment

by Crystal // July 16, 2016 // No Comments

Have you had a God moment? I sure have, actually I’ve had a lot… but I wanted to focus today on one that comes to mind. The power of allowing God to use you is probably the most powerful thing I’ve ever experienced. But that means… you have to let go a little, more out of your comfort zone or face something difficult.

A little backdrop.
I’ve really felt led to help the homeless. Now, this is a more recent (past 6/7 years or so) revelation. Before, I kept on my way. If I saw them, I didn’t want to make eye contact. I recently pondered why and I think it started with the reality I couldn’t solve all their problems, or help them in a big enough way to really make a difference in their life. Also, there was a fear element… and the enemy can just take that and run with it!

Fast forward to the last 6 or 7 years and it has just felt like a complete 180. First thing I do now, is look them in the eyes. Have you ever noticed that eye contact (really with anyone) gives you a sense of being seen, or your existence validated? On the opposite side, can you imagine what it must be like to feel so low, you’re now even worth acknowledgement- yikes.

Ok, so now my God moment.
It was a typical day and I was running errands when I noticed a homeless man sitting on the grass. I sat in the car for a minute as I wrestled with logic and following my heart. He was right next to a McDonald’s so I parked and got out of my car. As I was slowly walking towards him I didn’t really have anything planned but I was feeling led.

Another thing that I’ve changed, is talking with each person I encounter. Again, it’s that acknowledgment I try to offer even though I know I’m not a millionaire and I can’t fix all their problems. I feel like it expresses how the base of how I feel- I care.

So I began a casual conversation with this gentleman. I learned that he had no family really to speak of, and his truck broke down and didn’t have the money to fix it. He was also disabled. Let’s pause for a second as I reflect on something he said- no family. That hit me like a ton of bricks… where would I be without my family, even as an adult. Those people who love you through everything, sigh…thank you God for my family.
What could I really do for him? Well, I don’t believe anyone should be hungry… so I went to the grocery store across the street and bought him a $10 gift card. Yep, that buys you next to nothing, and I wish I could of done more but $10 it was. I drove back and gave it to him, also learning he needed some clothes. He happened to be about the size of my husband- mental note, hubby and I will sort through the clothes and reconnect with him asap.

That was it, my tiny little contribution was done. All the glory goes to God for his direction. I got in the car and was ready to go about my day. Wait, what was that?! It was a lady backing into me with her car while I was still parked. She immediately got out and was so confused. She had a back up camera she kept telling me, how could this of happen she said. I’ll tell you…God.
Because the other part of my story, my husband’s hours were drastically cut at work. In the end, this hardly noticeable scratch on our car provided her insurance to write a check for nearly the amount we were short for 2 months. I was in awe… really my $10 gift card had that much of an impact? No, it was my obedience and allowing God to use me- needless to say, this experience left a mark.

My hope is to encourage you to listen and be led by the Holy Spirit. I’d love to hear your stories as well, if you feel comfortable sharing 🙂

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink…” Matthew 25:35

There Could Never Be A More Beautiful You

by Crystal // July 16, 2016 // No Comments

Aren’t those sweet words to the ears? Well, if your in tune with pop culture there’s usually a different message that is conveyed. It may be size, tighten, hair colr and so much more. So when I heard this song- really listened to the lyrics I smiled. I thought, now this is a beautiful illustration of how our tweens should be comforted and reassured.

Here are a few of my favorite lines:

“Little girl fourteen flipping through a magazine
Says she wants to look that way
But her hair isn’t straight, her body isn’t fake
And she’s always felt overweight”

“I wish that you could see
That beauty is within your heart
And you were made with such care, your skin, your body and your hair
Are perfect just the way they are”

“You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you”

-“More Beautiful You” by Jonny Diaz

So, I will continue on encouraging my daughter to be beautiful on the inside. Reminding her that inner beauty reflects on the outside brighter than anything else 🙂

Teaching with the “What If?”

by Crystal // July 16, 2016 // No Comments

Teaching to Inspire

So, let me intro with a quick story. I have a student…a student who asks many many questions. Maybe you have one or two as well. Just the other day, we had a full lesson to work through and if we stayed on task we would surely finish in just the knick of time. Now, I’ve been teaching long enough to know that sometimes it’s ok not to finish as planned, or to take a student led detour- I fully support those things. We were moving along smoothly, and the questions from my beloved student continued. But without negative intention, I responded with a “Oh the questions” and a smile on my face. You know when sometimes something comes out of your mouth and you truly meant no ill intent. Well, there it was- a look on his face that told me he felt I disapproved of his inquisitive learning style (which was SO far from the truth). I felt bad, thought about it all night and couldn’t wait try and fix my mistake. When the situation presented itself, and we were in almost the same scenario (me teaching, him asking lots of questions) I was eager to respond intentional! I said to him something along the lines of, “I know you are going to grow up and do amazing things because you are excited to learn and figure out how things work” then I listed off a few cool careers I envisioned him at 🙂 Wow, the moment that followed was simple and beautiful- he LIT up. A huge smile and you could see the joy across his face.

Which brings me to the title of this post… teaching with the mindset of “What If?”

What if YOU responded with a genuine intentional one liner to inspire?

What if YOU are teaching the next Mark Zuckerberg? Or President? Or…?

What if YOU are the only encouragement that child will receive that day because they are a handful everywhere else?

What if YOU can prevent that meltdown because you reacted with compassion and sought out alternative solutions?

So as you embark on adventures in your classroom, in life or wherever else you may go- keep in mind the power you hold to influence those around you. In 10-20 years they may still remember that one-liner!

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