Dare 10: Love Makes Good Impressions

Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.  Greet one another with a holy kiss. 2 Corinthians 13: 11-13

Dare 10: Love Makes Good Impressions

It is interesting to me how often scripture speaks of how we should greet one another.  We teased my husband a while back when he told our LifeGroup that we should be greeting each other with a holy kiss.  We decided that a group hug might be more acceptable.  But the reality of it is, is that Paul has taken time out of many of his books to instruct us on how to greet each other!  He even takes time at the end of Romans to ask them to individually greet 27 of his friends and loved ones for him. 

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus speaks about loving your enemies.  He says, "And if you only greet your own people, what are you doing more than others?  Do not even Pagans do that?" (Matthew 5:47)   It is easy for us to address the people we like graciously, but Jesus says we also need to address our enemies with this kindness.  

Until I started working on this week's dare, I didn't realize how much attention was paid to how we should GREET each other! I think it's kind of neat actually.  

So, what does that mean for us as teachers?  I'd say a lot, don't you think?! In a day I have 130 possible first greetings with my students.  Not to mention my coworkers!  

"When someone communicates that they are glad to see you, your personal sense of self-worth increases.  You feel more important and valued.  That's because a good greeting sets the stage for positive and healthy interaction.  Like love, it puts wind in your sails." 

Harry Wong (the First Days of School guy) always talks about the importance of greeting your students before class with energy.  I think some of my better days with my students, especially when I've had a tough group of kids in the past, started with me standing outside the door and giving each student a high five or a big smile and "How are ya!?" as they walk into my classroom. 

"It doesn't have to be bold and dramatic every time, but adding warmth and enthusiasm gives you the chance to touch [you students'] heart in subtle, unspoken ways."  

This Week's Dare

This week is an easy dare!  Think of a few ways you would like to greet your students.  Remember, you probably greet your students several times a day, even if you have the same group of kids all day long.  Practice greeting them with a smile and enthusiasm.  Each one of them.  Remember... you might be the first person who has ever shown excitement to see any particular student.  You might be the first person who is truly working to love that student.  Do it well. 

<3

First John

I won't be posting a new dare this week.  I was out of town for the weekend and now I seem to be coming down with something.  But I do want to encourage you all to read through 1 John.  It is only five chapters and an easy read... and its all about LOVING PEOPLE.
  
Let the Word encourage you to love this week. 

<3

Dare 9: We LOVE because He first LOVED us

Here we are, on week 9 of the Love Dare and I was beginning to get that feeling again... that why am I doing this feeling.  And again God has told me very loud and clear that even if I'm only doing this for myself, this is what He has called me to do.  I have been so challenged with the calling to LOVE this past week that I am completely overwhelmed by it.  Where do I even begin? 


We are doing a series over 1 John at church right now.  And if you are familiar with 1 John at all, you know it is ALL about loving people.  And if you've ever studied it very much, you also know it can be hard to not become overwhelmed with feeling like you just aren't getting it right.  But that's where the sweetness of it all comes in: You aren't; but Christ did.   He is our advocate and BECAUSE He first loved us, the light is already shining.  We've already won.  LOVE has already won.  Amen!  


So, we talked about this at Lifegroup and we decided that to become good at anything, for anything to become second nature, you must practice first.  Love is NOT going to come easily; people are difficult to love.  So at first, practicing loving your students may seem forced, but after you've practiced for so long, you'll start finding that it comes a lot easier, and a bit more naturally.  

And it just so happens that I have a perfect example of a teacher loving her students this week.  My cousin, Lisa Baker, is a middle school teacher in Webb City. One of her students has just been diagnosed with cancer and Lisa decided to start a fundraiser to raise money for this students' traveling expenses for his medical care.   The catch? If the school raises $5000, she will shave her head.  They raised $4000 in a week.  She loves her students.  Obviously, we won't all have the opportunity to do something quite like Lisa, but would you if you were in that situation?  I've been struggling with that question all week...


The Story (If you'd like to read more about Lisa and her student)

And God continued to challenge me to love in a bit harder ways this morning.  During the opening worship at church today it was pretty apparent to me that something was "heavy" in the air, but I hadn't heard the news yet. Josh hinted at it when he when he was opening, but continued on with his sermon... on LOVE... and shared with us at the end of the service that three Bolivar students were killed in a car crash during the night last night.  One of them was my student when I student taught 4th grade in Bolivar 5 years ago.  
Life is fragile.  And unpredictable. 
I'll preface this with saying that we should never live a life of "What ifs" but I feel like this is an important question to ask...

What if I chose selfishly not to love a student (or anyone) and something happened? 

But instead of focusing on the answer to a what-if question, I just want to focus on the solution: 
LOVE.  
Love because He first loved us.  
Love because if we love God, then obedience will follow.  And what does obedience look like?  LOVE.  




Praying for the families who lost their daughters and the friends whose hearts are broken.  
Praying that we can all learn to love, for no other reason than He first loved us. 

Dare 8: Love is Not Jealous

"Jealousy is one of the strongest drives known to man.  It comes from the root word for zeal and means 'to burn with an intense fire.'  The Scripture pointedly says, 'Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood, but who can stand before jealousy?' (Proverbs 27:4)"

To clear up a misconception of God and jealousy first it is important to recognize that there are two forms of jealousy: a legitimate jealousy and an illegitimate jealousy.  When scripture speaks of God being a jealous God it is referring to the legitimate jealousy which means that God is longing for us, desiring that we keep Him as our first love.  

Unfortunately, the jealousy that we struggle with is typically the illegitimate kind.  It is very clearly in opposition to love.  It is rooted in selfishness.  "This is to be jealous of someone, to be 'moved with envy.'"  

This week's dare will focus a little more on our relations with our coworkers.  While I'm sure it is possible to become jealous of our students, I imagine that jealousy of our coworkers is a far bigger issue.  Jealousy happens when someone else has something, or gets something, that you want.  Instead of feeling happy for them, you get angry. It's so important to harness that anger and let love win out.  If that doesn't happen, that jealousy can take a deep root in your heart.  The book of James says that envy leads to fighting, quarreling, and every evil thing (James 3:16, 4:1-2).      


"Because love is not selfish and puts others first, it refuses to let jealousy in.... It is time to let love, humility, and gratefulness destroy any jealousy that springs up in your heart."     

This Week's Dare

Determine to become your coworkers, and your students, biggest fans.  Reject any thoughts of jealousy.  Last week I asked that you make a list of the positive and negative things about some of your students.  This is where you will throw out the negative list--a way of showing you are ready to only look at the good in people.  Encourage your coworkers and students in their successes--rejoice with them!
What are some positive experiences you can celebrate in the life of your coworkers and students?   How can you encourage them toward future successes?  


Sidenote: Sometimes I look back on a week and wonder how well I have actually done with that week's particular dare.  It is easy to get caught up in the business of the day and forget to focus on one thing in particular.  What I'm trying to say is, don't get to caught up in the particulars.  The goal of this is to love our students better.  If you are striving to love your students (and coworkers, and family, etc.) then you're striving toward the right goal.  I hope God is showing you new ways to love and is placing people in your lives that show you His love.  

Dare 7: Love Believes the Best

...Love believes all things, hopes all things...1 Corinthians 13:7

Dare 7: Love Believes the Best 

It can be very easy to become discouraged by our students' "failures."  At points it may be hard to remember that inside our students is something good.  Maybe its the desire to learn, or maybe the ability to be kind, or the desire to be good. 
We can  create excuses for them or possibly give up on them. And in the process we add to what the Love Dare refers to as the "Depreciation Room."  It is full of weaknesses and failures of students.  It can house very hateful thoughts or feelings toward students and make a teacher ready to fire when that student "fails" again.  

Luckily, there is also an "Appreciation Room."  This is where we keep all of the successes of our students.  All things true and good about our students... ALL of our students, not just the ones who are easy to appreciate.  

The items in both rooms may be true for the student, but it is important to focus on the Appreciation Room.  Love lives in the Appreciation Room.  Love chooses to believe the best in people.  To give them the benefit of the doubt.  And when our students fail us, love chooses to move forward to agree to focus on the good.  

"It is time to let love lead your thoughts and your focus.  The only reason you should glance in the door of the Depreciation Room is to know how to pray for your [students].  And the only reason you should ever go in this room is to write "COVERED IN LOVE" in huge letters across the walls."  


It is SO important to develop the habit of throwing away your negative thoughts and focusing only on the positive ones.  I know that in the process of the day, this can feel very difficult.  I've experienced some very, very unlovable kids... and I know I definitely haven't always done my best in my attempts to love them.  But they still deserve love. 

This Week's Dare

For this week's dare, get two sheets of paper.  It would be great if you could do this dare for each of your students, but I realize that is not always possible.  So, if it isn't possible in your world, choose a few of the hardest to love students.  On the first sheet of paper, spend a few minutes writing out positive things about the student.  Then do the same with negative things on the second sheet.  Place both sheets in a secret (and secure!) place for another day.  There's a different purpose and plan for each.  At some point throughout the remainder of the week, pick one positive attribute and thank your students for having this characteristic.  



I hope you all are doing well. Praying for you and hoping your week goes smoothly.