Fighting the Natural Urge to Protect Our Wounds

So blessed this morning by a book excerpt by Kristen Strong on Dayspring.com (affiliate link). Just read the title, and you'll understand: "When Wounds from Women are Hard To Forgive." Kristen relates how a conference with another child's parent about a bullying situation went wrong and the hurt she felt from another woman's words.

This part stood out to me:

"You find yourself picking those slights and slanders up one by one with your hand and stacking them like firebricks around your heart. With one brick you say, 'This will teach me not to open up to friends.' And then with another you say, 'Lonely is better than looking like a loser.'"

Haven't we all been there? I know I have. It happens in teaching situations and in our lives outside our jobs. It even happens in churches.

Kristen's answer to the urge to build up a firewall to protect our hearts is forgiveness.

In a recent situation, I felt hurt by something another woman said to me. My natural inclination was to protect myself, to defend, to defy, to prove. But I believe fundamentally that Christ-likeness demands a humbler response. It demands a heart that forgives. Right now, I'm still in a conversation with God about it all. "Help me forgive," I'm praying. "Help me lay aside pride so that I can be an example of the believer in Jesus. Help me be a channel for your spirit to work healing on both sides."

Dear Lord, work in our hearts and keep them tender to your leading. Don't let us build walls around our hearts to protect ourselves, but let us remain open to loving and forgiving as you have loved and forgiven us. Amen.

For further reading:
Showing Compassion
Coming tomorrow, Amy Ballard guest blogs on Carry Fancett Pagels's blog; she'll give away a free copy of her poetry chapbook, Landlocked.
Find Amy's poem "A Feather" on p. 18 of the newly-released Winter Poetry Issue of GNU Journal

Encouragement Through Cards

"Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing."    

                                                          I Thessalonians 5:11 (NASB)

In my community this July, it's a busy time for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and baby showers. I found myself yesterday going through my greeting card organizer, desperately seeking the perfect card for each occasion looming on the calendar. With Idaho Core Coach Network meetings coming up and teacher work week starting on the 15th, I don't want to get behind on the celebrations.

Chalkboard Blessings Anniversary Cards

I had cards that would work for most of the special events coming up, but I couldn't find a single anniversary card in my hoard. Fortunately, Dayspring Cards had the perfect box of cards for me. I chose the "Chalkboard Blessings" set of 12 cards for just $5.99. With the Customer Appreciation sale going on, I was able to use a coupon code (THANKYOU) and save 25%.

I hope you take advantage of the sale to replenish your card supply, too. Using the affiliate links here helps support this blog. Dayspring also offers many beautiful and free eCards in their studio.

Let's keep encouraging one another in Christ.

5 Ways to Create a Summer to Remember

We’ve looked forward to these days for months. After wishing and planning, hoping and waiting, summer is finally here! Long days of outside fun, road trips, and ice cream dripping down sticky fingers are ahead of us.

But before you know it, August will roll around again. We’ll wave goodbye to summer days while waving hello to routines, packed lunches, and new beginnings. Instead of dreading the eventual end of summer, let’s live purposely during the days we have. Let’s create a summer to remember, one that we’ll look back on fondly when the next season arrives.

Read Kaitlyn's 5 Ways to Create a Summer to Remember at Dayspring.

Using our affiliate links like the one above helps support this blog. Thank you!

Find Christian Teacher, Public School Elsewhere on the Web

Christian teachers belong in public schools as a ray of sunlight in a darkening world, an example of the believer to a world that is seeking. They can't thrive without God's help, though. They need the Holy Spirit to guide and to go before them. And they need encouragement from fellow believers who know that the struggle is not in vain. That's why Christian Teacher, Public School is here. To offer encouragement and light for dark days.

If you agree with the message of this blog, won't you follow us by email? You can also follow the Christian Teacher, Public School board on Pinterest and find us on Facebook.

8 Encouraging eCards for Teachers, Summer and Fall Collection

Support this blog by shopping at Brevity on Teachers Pay Teachers, where I offer many freebies in addition to resources on bullying prevention, literary elements in Shakespeare, and classroom management. See my latest eCards for back to school!

You can also help support Christian Teacher, Public School by shopping with our affiliate links for excellent products from Dayspring Cards Inc. and Dover Publications. I don't advertise for companies I haven't used and loved for years. Right now, both companies are having summer sales. Dover is offering up to 75% off on summer clearance through July 25, and Dayspring creates a sense of suspense with their Secret Summer Sale (shh!!), where you can use code SUMMER30 to get 30% off their top ten summer gifts.

Best of all, you can share this blog with teacher friends. Thanks for reading and blessing me! Teachers need encouragement, and I hope this is a great place to find it.

More Goodies in the Mail

I must not be checking my mail often enough. Somehow, all these goodies keep arriving in batches. Today's mail brought me three special blessings!

First, the July/August issue of Christianity Today. This issue alone is enough to make me urge you to subscribe (and no, I'm not an affiliate of theirs!). The focus for July/August is "Meet the Makers: 20 Leaders Mixing Faith and Innovation." Featuring creative people like Pete Docter, story creator and screenplay writer of Inside Out, and Lara Casey, who founded Southern Weddings magazine, the issue has my creative juices flowing already, and I've only just skimmed it. Even my four-year-old finds it inspiring. He's making me repeat the names of the art tools on the cover to him over and over again!

Second treat in my mailbox: my new business cards from Vistaprint (nope, not affiliated with them either). Love them!

Single-Column ESV Journaling Bible

And third, my order from Dayspring (yes, I'm proud to be affiliated). As soon as I saw the Single-Column ESV Journaling Bible, Summer Garden, I had to have it. It will be a Christmas present for me from my husband. (Surely I'm not the only one who Christmas shops this way?) And my other Dayspring goodie was Sadie Robertson's Scripture Shareables. They're business card-sized, cute, and perfect for tucking in a card or putting out on the table at conference sessions like the ones I'm presenting in July. Fun surprise when I got them, they have cute heart-shaped cut-outs in the corners. I guess you could put the cards on a ring for easy memorization. I think these and the journaling Bible would both make great gifts.

Scripture Shareables

That's all for now. If you'd like to give someone else "Goodies in the Mail," I love Dayspring's eCard Studio. It's easy to use, and the cards emphasize encouragement and the light of the Word.

After two spontaneous day trips to the mountains, I'll soon be free to wrap up Unstructured Play Week. Hope to see you here!

Unstructured Play Week
Day 1 Paper dolls
Day 2 Kitchen Chemistry and Cooking
Day 3 A Hike Up the Creek
Day 4, Part 1 Every Child an Artist, including 12 Suggestions for Grown-ups in the Lives of Young Artists