Father, as I look over this day, there really wasn’t anything too much out of the norm. Yet even on these kinds of days, I pray that I am open to your direction. I pray that I am a good reflection of You, whatever the case may be. Amen.
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I started to continue in Acts but decided to go another route for this week’s last post. As I thought about that, a few recent incidents on my bus came to mind.
First, let me share a verse that came to mind while pondering these things. (And just for the record, I am not Super Bible Man. The first phrase of this passage came to mind, but I had to look it up. That gave me the specific reference and filled in the rest of the passage.)
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable and pleasing in Your sight,
O Lord, my [firm, immovable] rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14 AMP
One of the things that bother me most on my bus is when kids are nasty to each other. For the most part, I don’t hear what they say but never fear, tattlers are always near! I regularly have students come up to me and tell me so-and-so said such-and-such – many times they are breaking the rules by walking up to me while I am picking kids up or dropping kids off. (They’re supposed to stay safely in their seats!)
I don’t appreciate tattling but pretty regularly it helps me address issues, even if it’s in a more general way.
There was quite a lot going on on my bus this afternoon on my elementary route. Some things have been brewing and today and a few of them boiled over! I don’t appreciate kids saying hurtful things to other kids. Oft times, they are being mean, just to be mean. I had one girl get off in tears yesterday. (I tried to address it this afternoon while we were waiting to leave. It’s not easy talking to kids to any great extent while they are getting on or off the bus – I have to maintain a pretty tight schedule.)
Anyway, the whole bus is probably going to get a lecture tomorrow. It will basically be a Golden Rule sermon minus the religious terminology. God’s truths can be communicated without it being all gussied up in church-speak.
So, as my mind is going down this trail of thought and what I need they need to hear, the Lord looks me square in the eye and says, “What about you?” Uh…me? “Yes…you.”
Well…it didn’t take long to figure out what He was referring to. I have shared before that one of my ongoing struggles is dealing with my attitude when I drive. Sometimes I don’t say things out loud but far too often I do. And when it comes right down to it, words like “idiot”, “buffoon”, “idjit”, and “dufus” aren’t any better than any curse words out there. They’re just different. It still expresses a disdain for others…other individuals that were created and loved by our Heavenly Father. There’s no place for that mindset and I needed a Golden Rule sermon…and the Holy Spirit was happy to oblige.
Lord Jesus, once again I would ask that You help me to see people with Your eyes. May there be love and not contempt for others. May Your love fill me and overflow! Amen.
Dec 2nd, 2021, Thurs, 7:12 pm
