Pirate Ponderings: CHOSEN

Every year our admin chooses a word or phrase

that she feels God is giving her for our staff.

I love our word this year :)

CHOSEN

CHOSEN "for such a time as this"

CHOSEN for this time,

CHOSEN for these kids,

CHOSEN for this generation,

CHOSEN for this place

CHOSEN to proclaim HIS excellencies.

I am in awe of the fact that I am chosen by God.

I know me,

so to know that HE chose me for ANYTHING is humbling.

And then to think of what HE chose

in order for me to be chosen.

HE chose to leave heaven,

HE chose to become a baby, born in a stable,

raised in poverty and oppression,

HE chose to buck the system in order to speak truth,

HE chose beatings and humiliation,

HE chose the cross,

HE chose death and the grave.

And yes, praise God for HIS resurrection, but

let's not skip over all the stuff that came before that.

HE chose a lot of hurt and suffering.

Knowing it would happen, 

HE chose to do it anyway, for me and for you.

HE chose all of it so that we could choose.

We can choose to reject HIM or

we can choose

to believe in HIM

to love HIM

to follow HIM

to worship HIM

to serve HIM.

We all get to choose what we will do with HIM.

I'm praying that our response will be

Colossians 3:12-17 (ESV)

12) Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, 13) bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. 14) And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15) And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17) And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

HE calls us CHOSEN, HOLY AND BELOVED :)

and then we are given some instructions for how we should live in light of what HE has done for us.

When we walk into our schools and meet with students, we all get to choose how we will treat them (and each other).

I'm praying that this school year, for our students, our families, our schools and ourselves, we will all choose to 

 be hopeful

be kind

be humble

be patient

be encouraged and encouraging

be compassionate 

be comforted and comforting

be worshipful

be joyful

be committed

be thankful.

I'm praying that we all stay faithful to our calling and that everything we choose this year will be honoring to HIM.