Unworthy

Working at a Christian school, going to church every week, having a faith-filled husband, and hanging out with Christian friends has led me to examine faith and the growth of faith. A certain problem has been put on my heart lately. As Christians we are constantly examining our faith and looking for ways to improve our lives for Christ. Lately, I've been thinking about the way people compare themselves to one another. The subject has been popping up in several areas (devotions, Bible scripture, talks, even in my class at school), and God has been laying it on my heart during prayer.

I recently heard a great message about pride and how it often relates to comparing ourselves to others. As humans, it's natural to compare ourselves to one another, in all areas of our lives. "He has a bigger house, she's happier, I'm smarter, they're making more money, their sins are worse than mine," are just a few ways we can compare ourselves. Pride is often the leader of these thoughts, the promoter of, "I want to be the wealthiest, happiest, smartest, most liked, and best at this or that." Especially in the area of sinning, I am often temped to say, "Hey, I know someone who is doing something worse than my sin, so mines not so bad." These are not the right kinds of thoughts to have in my head, but I'm able to find them in there, especially if I go searching for them.

However, when we compare ourselves to the one true God, we realize how short we fall. Any sin, no matter how small, separates us from our God. And it is only by the grace and love of that God that He chose to close the gap that separates us from Him, by sending His son Jesus to die on the cross for us. So when I start to compare myself to others, I've started to try and think about how loving, humble, gracious, and amazing our God is, and how that should be my comparison. To be more like Him, more Christ-like in my behavior, not comparing myself to other humans. We listened to our friend preach this last Sunday about love (which he did an excellent job of!) - and how the greatest virtue is love and how we can show this love to others through the gifts God gave us. Jesus is the perfect example of love, and there can be no comparison between Him and us; but we should strive to be like Him, although we know we will never attain it. So one word, unworthy, can describe our lives here on earth, and some people despair in that knowledge, thinking they can never be good enough for God or that God does not love them. However, once you know the amazing grace of God, you are set free to follow Him and do the best you can during your short time on earth.

On a lighter note, I went on a night-dive last night and it was pretty fun. We saw a scorpion fish, and I found out after the dive that their venom can possibly kill a human, so it was a good thing I didn't explore it further or try to get close enough to take a picture. I also saw a few different kinds of fish that I haven't seen before; bright blue ones with black stripes and rainbow colored ones. We saw a huge lobster and tons of orange, blue, purple, red and yellow coral, so it was beautiful. The creepy part is only being able to see what your flashlight is shining at. I struggled a bit trying to manage my flashlight and my camera at the same time - each one is connected to your wrist via a string, and I kept getting the two twisted - so there I am, 80 feet down, with my hands tied together in almost absolute darkness. I started to panic, then realized I just needed to take the strings off my wrist and untie them, which was still a challenge with such little light. And I had to make sure I didn't shine the flashlight in my face (or anyone else's) while I was trying to untie the strings, since it temporarily blinds you, and to not let go of one of the strings, as the camera or flashlight would shoot to the surface and be lost. Needless to say it was a little bit of a struggle, but I reminded myself that as long as I could breath I would be okay - even if my hands were tied together and I was blind. I still want to see a shark, so more diving is on the list of to do things before I leave in a couple months.

On a funnier note, I've got to share what one of my kids said to another kid at school. It's pretty funny, something you'd hear in a movie - the kid said, "You're so ugly that if you were in a monster movie you wouldn't have to wear a mask." I had to stiffly my laughter when I heard about it. But these are the things you remember as a teacher - the funny moments that remind you that the kids are just that, kids, and most just want some one on one attention to let them know they are special and loved.

Hope you've had a couple of great weeks and that something made you smile today!

Blessed Beyond Measure

We have been blessed beyond measure. As I sit here reflecting on all the great things that have happened over the past two years, I feel a little over-emotional. If you're a guy, you probably don't want to read much more. If you're a , well, you know where I'm coming from.

Recently, we had the wonderful news that 3 of our friends are expecting their first child, and 3 of our other friends have recently given birth to healthy, beautiful children (one was named Jennifer - nice to know the name hasn't gone out of style). This is all such exciting news, as 3 years ago everyone was getting engaged and married, and now everyone is starting to have children. All of these couples are strong Christian believers who have given control of their pregnancies over to God. It is so fun to hear about that first pair of pants that won't fit anymore, the crazy food cravings (or foods they can no longer even stand the smell of!), and the first baby gift. What's even funnier is the way the husbands turn to mush when they talk about their wives and future child.

One of our good South African friends has had her art work displayed at the Ritz hotel, which is quite a big deal down here! We went to the grand opening last Tuesday night, and all the big artists were there, and it was so fun to see our friend with them now that she is one too! Her husband is also the one who just finished his Masters Study. So we are all so proud of them! They will be leaving the Caymans this summer as well, as they are heading off to Malaysia.

So there are only 31 days of school left . . . it makes me sad and happy at the same time. It's been so fun teaching my first two years down here - I have so many good memories, and so many interesting memories . . . I've survived six throw-ups, 4 "bathroom s," 3 cuts that needed immediate attention, 8 field trips (one to the beach - tell me that's not scary!), 1 missing child, countless disagreements, and what makes it all worthwhile? The million hugs, the "light-bulb" moments, making a kid believe they can do better next time (and they do), being a comforter to a crying child, having a box full of drawings and colorings with the words, "To Mrs. Fher" (because none of them can spell my name!), and being the first and most important person in the world to tell that they lost a tooth, got a haircut, caught a frog, scraped their leg, fell off their bed and hit their head, or scored a goal over the weekend. The blessings continue on, as I have had such a supportive and Christ-centered staff to rely on through my first two years of teaching, which are supposed to be the hardest ones. It will be hard to say goodbye to all these wonderful people!

Even as we think about my job situation, truly that was God's blessing as well. When I went home for Christmas last year, I dropped of resumes at several schools. I thoroughly enjoyed all the schools I visited, but one school really stood out in my mind, and low and behold, it was the only school to contact me back for an interview. So I had the interview, and it apparently went well because they offered me the job! So, what are the chances that the one school I had a great feeling about is the one I get offered a job at? Totally God's planning! Kelly is looking for a job, but there are no shortage of CA jobs (another blessing!) in Calgary, so we are not worried. We know the right job will pop up eventually.

I've also been very blessed to have such a great husband that is able to take care of all the things that I'm not good at . . . booking plane tickets, rental cars, planning a trip, thinking about all the things we need when we move back (VISA's, car, house, drivers licenses, insurance, transferring our money back to Canada, etc). I am completely hopeless when it comes to that kind of stuff, so I am grateful that my husband is not only great at that stuff, but he actually enjoys it (must be an accountant thing - organizing and pre-planning). So for those couples who are complete opposites (as we are), there is hope that it is all for the best. Also, we celebrated our 2 year anniversary last weekend at a fancy Italian restaurant named Ragazzi (the date was actually a Monday, but who wants to celebrate on a Monday?) and I'm marveled at how fast they have gone by and how enjoyable they've been. I've learned so many things about marriage, friendship, love, and of course, Kelly, and it's only been two years! I am looking forward to the rest!

Anyways, that's about enough for now - it's been a while since I posted, so what can you expect? Have a great weekend!