Doing this should be easier . . . but it's not

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, 

with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. - Philippians 4:6

One of the main reasons I worked so hard on losing weight was for my health. I didn't (still don't!) want to develop Type II diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, or a host of other ailments that come with lugging around extra pounds. After a lifetime of being overweight, it's probably too late for my joints, but according to my doctor my cardiovascular system is now in tiptop shape.

The rest of me, on the other hand, is a different story. All that effort to "get healthy" and my health decided to take a nosedive shortly afterward. Since May of this year I've been diagnosed with kidney stones, renal tubular acidosis (a blood condition that leads to recurring stones), osteoporosis (most likely caused by the RTA), Vitamin D deficiency, and in just the last couple of days what I thought was another stone has turned out to be a likely ovarian cyst.

Despite my sarcasm and dry sense of humor, I have a naturally optimistic personality. I like being happy. I like looking on the bright side. I don't see anything wrong with being slightly Pollyanna-ish about life. Occasionally, I'm downright idealistic. It's easy for me to obey the Scripture from Philippians: "What, me worry? I'm not worried!"

Well, duh. Of course I'm not worried. There's nothing to worry about when things are going well.

What I've learned - and am still learning, to be honest - from all of this health stuff is that my lack of worry says more about my control issues than it does about any great amount of faith I have. If anything, it's shown me how weak my faith is. Sitting in a doctor's exam room, waiting for test results, is a scary moment that reveals a lot about where my trust is. Is it in CT scans, bloodwork, and outpatient surgeries (which are all amazing, life-saving tools, by the way)? Or is it in the knowledge that God knows what's wrong with me and, no matter what, has promised that I will never be abandoned?

There is no neat and tidy ending to this blog post. I haven't figured out how not to be anxious. But maybe constant, necessary reminders of how faithful and loving God is will help me AND you.

"You're a mean one . . . "

Why did Max stay with the Grinch? It's a mystery for the ages.

Yesterday was the last day of classes for the term (can I get a hallelujah?). Students have 4 weeks off from classes and have slowly been trickling away, taking flights back home to see their families, rest, and probably forget most of the English they've learned this semester. Sigh.

I knew that my last class - a listening and speaking class for high beginning students - was going to be VERY sparsely attended and that those who did come weren't going to be too excited to conquer another chapter in their textbooks, no matter how interesting I made the material on "Verbs for Daily Living." So I thought it through and decided that an educational, instructional movie was what was needed. The good thing about ESL? It's all educational and instructional. :) (Of course you have to prepare good materials, yadda yadda yadda . . . I'm just saying that authentic language is everywhere.)

In the spirit of the season, we watched a classic. No, not "A Christmas Story" - too advanced for these students, and I really don't think they would have understood the humor of "a major award." Instead, we watched "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." The original cartoon version, of course, none of this Jim Carrey nonsense. We went over some vocabulary first, and I presented the characters and a basic plot outline. We made predictions and summarized and paraphrased - all the necessary teacher stuff that makes students hate books and movies shown in class. But, despite me trying to take all of the joy out of it, my class loved it.

They laughed when the Grinch put antlers on Max and he tipped forward. They ooh-ed and aah-ed over the beautiful decorations in Who-ville. I gave them the lyrics to the songs beforehand, and they spontaneously began seeing "Fahoo foray, dahoo doray, welcome Christmas come this way," with all of the Whos in Who-ville every time it came up. Seriously. Three grown men from different countries, un-ironically singing along with a cartoon. Reason #23871 I love my job.

I've seen the Grinch so many times I could quote whole stanzas, but seeing it with people who had never seen it before and didn't know the story was so fun. It helped me see things I had forgotten (or never realized). For example, the Whos absolutely love Christmas, right? They sing odes to it, for Pete's sake. But even the Whos don't decorate until Christmas Eve. No crazy three month run-up to Christmas for them. Also, I realized how vile the Grinch himself actually is. He's not some cartoon villain - he steals food! He lies to toddlers! He abuses animals! I really wouldn't touch him with a 39 and a half foot pole.

Watch a Christmas classic with someone who hasn't seen it before this holiday season. It's a guaranteed good time. I have some students I can lend you, if you need someone. :)

Have a great day!

Don't get confused

I heard an important truth the other day, and thought I would pass it along:

Simple does not mean easy.

Because I'm a teacher, I'll illustrate this with some examples:
- It's simple to wake up when my alarm goes off at 5:30 (but not easy).
- It's simple to run 2-4 miles (but I'm NEVER going to call that easy).
- It's simple to avoid overeating dessert (but not easy, especially if you happen to be near my mama's amazing Magic Cookie Bars).
- It's simple to keep in touch with old and dear friends (but not easy, and getting harder for me the older I get and the more spread out we all are).
- It's simple to do things that will lead to spiritual growth - prayer, Scripture reading and meditation, study and thoughtful discussion (but not easy when I allow myself to become busy and burdened).
- It's simple to turn off the TV and do something more productive instead (but not easy to break out of old habits).

I'm sure you get the point.

When I get these two things confused, it becomes so easy to get discouraged at the first sign of trouble. Because I expected my simple problem to be solved easily, I have no reservoir of  perseverance when hard times come. And come they do, sooner or later.

What's your simple problem that won't be solved easily?