Back in November I gave a quick children's sermon one Sunday morning. I spoke with the children about reminders. I encouraged the children to look around them and take notice of the reminders that God places in their lives. Reminders of him and his greatness.

God brought this word back to me this week. Over the last year I lost my grandafther. Him and I were very close and for many years he was the only man in my life. My grandparents, mom, and husband had planned a cruise for that summer. Sadly my grandfather died prior to the trip. Instead of canceling the trip we convinced my grandmother to go on the cruise. We often don't know why things happen like they happen, but keep in mind that God uses all things for good.

Going back to school this week was exhausting. At the end of everyday I sat at my desk and listened to some music that reminded me of the cruises that my family has taken together. I sit their laughing and smiling and to someone walking by I probably look ridiculous. I don't care! At this momemt God is filling my heart with so much joy. God takes this time to remind me of the blessings in my life, of the great times he gives to my family.

It all started with the loss of my grandfather. I could sit there and mourn the fact that the year we went on our first big family vacation was the year my grandfather died, but God shows me the blessing that still remains here with me. My grandmother told me the other day that the trip saved her life! 

Aren't reminders great? They show us God's goodness and faithfulness to never leave us no matter what happens. I thank God everyday for the opportunities he gives to me and the ones I love.

Your challenge this week is to stop and think. Think of a time that God gave you where you laughed until you couldn't breathe or laughed so hard you cried. Maybe your memory has to do with a trip you took with your family or maybe it was a time when you just sat at home spending the evening with your loved ones.

There are reminders all around! Are you looking????

For 14 weeks I have the privilege of hosting an intern from UNF. The intern teaches as least 10 of the 14 weeks full time. My job is to mentor this person and to give them a real life experience. Unfortunately this means that I have to take a step back from one of my passions and allow the intern to assume many of my teaching responsibilities. She gets to teach (the part I love) while I get to do the paperwork (which I don’t love).

The other day I was able to teach the afternoon as my intern went to a meeting. WOW!! Did I have a fantastic afternoon!!! I forget how much I really really really… love my job. I love the influence I have over my class. I have the ability to open doors, windows, and the world to them. What a blessing that is!!!

A parent emailed me and told me she asked her son why he doesn’t answer my questions as fast and he does when she asks him. His reply was, “I am shy because I love her and my brain needs to think.” This statement made my day. This is why I love to teach. I have the opportunity to positively affect children’s lives.

Whose life do you positively affect? Is there a person in your life that when you are around you can’t help but know you are loved and accepted no matter the circumstance. God has blessed me not only in being that person to 17 children, but with 3 amazing friends who inspire me every day.

The world is filled with negativity. It is overflowing with people who complain because NOTHING ever goes right. How many times can you honestly say that you have consciously said, “I want to go see that negative person?”  My guess would be probably never. The other day I was in such a good mood and all I wanted to do was to be around people who were going to make me laugh. A group of us planned to get together and slowly people began to back out, until I talked to them and told them that I needed to be around them. We all ended up meeting and had a blast!! It made the next day so great!

My challenge to you this week is not to surround yourself with positive people (although I think you should do that), but be that positive person. Be the person that when there is a situation, because let’s face it are there really any problems, that others want to be around. They know that if you can’t solve it there is no use griping over it. Besides doesn’t God know that it was going to happen? Doesn’t God have the answer? I have better things to use my energy on than something I can’t do anything about. Be the positive person you were meant to be!!

Well, I hope all of you reading this would say, yes! Francesca Battistelli is a Christian artist with an amazing song called This is the Stuff. Francesca sings about losing her keys (AMEN!), losing her phone (Amen!), getting pulled over for speeding (AMEN!), getting impatient (AMEN!), being frustrated (AMEN!). Are you able to relate to any of these as I clearly do?

The term “when it rains, it pours” comes to mind when I hear this song. Doesn’t it seem that when life hits you, it hits hard? We dwell on the roly poly effect that begins to happen. We sit with a bag of chocolate, ladies drowning our sorrows and then feeling guilty for eating all of that. Just one more thing to add to the list, right? The chorus of the song says this is all the stuff that drives her crazy, but “in the middle of my little mess, I forget how big I’m blessed… But I gotta trust you know exactly what you’re doing. It might not be what I would choose, but this is the stuff you use. “

I don’t know about you, but the two words that hit me were “little” and “big.” All the stuff that drives us crazy is so small. Why do these little things cover up the huge blessings we have?  As humans we tend to replay everything that is wrong in our heads over and over and over. A blessing comes along and we may thank God and move on. Get excited about your blessings!!!! Tell the world about the great things God is doing in your life!  What a world this would be if Christians went around telling every one of the great things God is doing in their lives, instead of everything that is going wrong. The most wonderful part about all of this is that God knows what is going to happen to you. He knows the “crazies” and he promises that he will use it for his good. Who else do you know who can take a “crazy” and turn it in for the good of people.

Dear one, you are blessed beyond measure! Do you see it? Look at your life this week! Find your blessings. Make a list of all those things that drive you crazy, and then make a list of all your blessings, big and small. I bet that your list of blessings will far exceed the “crazies.” Let me get you started... You are deeply loved by the Creator himself!!!

As a teacher I see many notes. Some of the notes are written to me others I see from parents to their children. These words contain all sorts of information. Sometimes it is informative other times it is inquiries, but the best notes I see are those that encourage people.

If you're a parent I'm sure you have left notes in your child's lunch box. Maybe it said, "Have a great day! Love mommy and daddy xoxo" or "I Love You! Love mommy, daddy, and (the name of all the pets in the house) xoxo" The part you don't see is their faces when they read it. Such a simple gesture brings the biggest smile to your child's face. They show it off like they have the winning lottery ticket. What took you 2 minutes to write created a feeling of joy that will last the next 4 hours. People think that to express  true feelings we must write or do something extravagant when all it takes is a few words not 1000. I find myself doing this when wanting to show my husband how much I appreciate him. When all it takes is a simple note to let him know I am thinking about him.

Children are amazing when it comes to this. As adults we have resources that children don't. We have money, a car, and independence. Children have none of these, but yet they find ways to let you know they care. We sometimes overlook these gestures. Maybe we dismiss them as "just things that children do," such as drawing a picture for you. Admit it half of the time we don't even know what it is. Maybe we say a quick thank you when they pick something up that you dropped or clean a mess they didn't make or even when they say something kind because we are too busy to stop and really appreciate what they just did for us.

God showed me a few years ago the importance of recognizing children and their notes. This one night before school I was extremely worried about something. I don't remember what it was about or even how it turned out. I just remember I had the most horrendous feeling and I did not know how I was going to make it through 6 1/2 hours of teaching the next day. I am not a worrier so this was very odd for me. I went to school the next day, holding back the tears trying not to let the children see what a mess I was inside. I was doing a pretty good job until the children entered and a little girl came and handed me a piece of cardboard that had probably been cut off of of a box. I thanked her for it and asked her to go get ready for the day. I had been handed many notes and pictures from the children in the past so I didn't think anything of it. After getting the children settled I looked at it so to let the child know that I read it and appreciated her thinking of it. As I read it I could not hold back the tears anymore. In kindergarten writing, she had written all by herself "I love you Mrs. Bautista! Don't worry." I cried so hard and I hugged that little girl so tight. She had drawn and written this picture the night before as I sat at my house crying and worrying over something she knew nothing about. Boy, did God know what he was doing.

The power of words consoled me that day. Words not from a colleague, not from a parent, not from anyone we would consider wise, but from a five year old child. Nothing else had to be said or written. Just those seven words were all I needed to hear.

Don't discount the power of a few simple words whether it's to or from your child. I challenge you to take a moment next time your child writes or does something for you. Really look at the gesture, you will find it is just what you needed and you didn't even have to tell them. This week be inspired by this little girl, write a quick note or send a quick text. Let someone know that you were thinking about them or that you appreciate what they do for you. You will be surprised how few words it takes to write 1000! Hey, you never know you might just be what someone needed this week!!

I have a question that when you read, you might question why I would even ask this because the answer seems so obvious, but stay with me on this.

Do you love your children unconditionally?  

Now, do your actions reflect your answer?

In the book, I Love you, Stinky Face, a child gives his mom many different scenarios. In these situations he portrays himself as big, smelly, and scary. Sometimes he gives his mom the picture of a crocodile with huge teeth that could eat her. Each time he ends it with the same question,”would you still love me?” The mother responds, "I would still love you even if you were big, smelly, and scary..." But she doesn't stop there, she continues, "I would give you a bath with lots of bubbles until you were all clean and didn't smell." She takes what looks like a negative situation and turns it into an act of love.

This love that the mother shows is not one that comes and goes. It doesn't see a hopeless situation or a child who is so far gone that there is no coming back. She sees a beautiful gift that with unconditional love she can see past these situations and love the person her child was created to be.

So often times in relationships, especially with family members, we speak this type of love and then we turn around and speak harshly or in a condemning tone.

God wants us to teach our children right from wrong. He wants us to be firm at times, but he also wants us to be moved by loved. A child needs to feel that no matter how bad he/she messes up that his/her parents will be there. That doesn't mean condoning actions that are wrong. It means loving them so much that you will lift them up and the two of you will grab God's hand.

What would your children think if your actions reflected your heart?

Would they truly see God's heart for them? What an honor it is to be a parent and have the power to reflect the unconditional love of our Father through grace!!!!

I hope you will take some time this week to reflect back on situations that could have been handled with more grace. Maybe there are things that you need to ask forgiveness for or forgive someone else. Make it a point this week to not only tell someone you love them unconditionally, but show them your heart.

Isn't it amazing, that we have the perfect example! You are blessed beyond measure, my friend!