a pearl for dessert

Phillipians 2:3-4
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

I realize many of my reflective thoughts that have made it on our blog have been about school, but I am finding it hard to turn my mind off and think about hardly anything else- even when I should be sleeping. I am hoping this is a learned art that comes with experience that I will one day master.
I am a little over 5 months into my first year saga and still learning every day through trial, error, and observation. With the TAKS test rapidly approaching, I am trying every new and/or creative tactic I can muster to get my students to pay attention, learn, practice, ask questions, participate, and stop talking during class! Do they not realize that I am teaching them for their own good? They pretend like they are being tortured when they are given an assignment that involves writing or reading which is a problem when you teach ELA. This is a normal daily struggle that I am accustomed to by now. What I have had a much harder time adjusting to is the expectation of humility that comes with being a teacher. It is quite humbling to stand in front of a 7th grader while they throw disrespectful grenades with the intent to destroy and still be responsible for teaching them. Sometimes I want so badly to "put them in their place" or "teach them a lesson". I do not want to be a prideful person, but being refined into a humble one is so much more stressful and irritating than I thought. I identify and sympathize with that poor oyster who never asked for the grain of sand; and yet what a painful process.


In my first teaching post, I marveled over how much my students had taught me about how God must see us. I now think that Jesus included, "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth (Mt. 5:5)" because God embodies meekness. How else could he even stand to have a relationship with us in the first place? I am thankful that he has not thrown in the towel on me. And, in my gratitude, I will return to school on Monday and try again to teach those who do not wish to be taught because one day they just might decide to learn something and I want to be ready.

ἐπιεικες

I know this makes me a nerd, but I have a new favorite Greek word. ἐπιεικες - pronounced ep-ie-kase - meaning "not insisting on every right of letter of law". It's kind of an interesting word for Greek students. It only occurs a few times in the New Testament; most notably the NIV translates it as 'gentleness' in Philippians 4:5, "Let your gentleness be evident to all." The problem is 'gentleness' does not give justice to what Paul is probably saying here. The following is my interpretation of what Paul is getting at here in Philippians 4:5... lets see if it changes anything inside you like it has inside me.

ἐπιεικες has a legal quality. William Barclay gives this example:
There are two students. An educator corrects their examination papers; applying justice, one has the grade of eighty per cent and the other has a fifty. From the point of view of justice there is nothing to be said against these marks. Each student receives his or her due. However, if we go a little further; we find that the student who received an eighty was able to do his work in ideal conditions; he has books, he has leisure, he has peace to study, a room where he can have quiet, he has no worries and no distractions, everything has been in his favor. Moreover, we find the other student, the one who scored fifty per cent comes from a poor home, where his equipment is the bare minimum, or he may have been ill and in pain, or he may have recently come through some time of sorrow or of stress or strain, that in fact, all the conditions were against him. In justice this man deserves fifty per cent and no more; but ἐπιεικες will value his paper higher than that.

ἐπιεικες is the quality of a person who knows that rules and regulations are not the last word; it is the quality of a man who knows when not to apply the letter of the law

Jesus is just setting down to teach in the Temple courts when some really religious men brought before him a woman who had been caught with a man other than her husband. The religious men, who knew what they were talking about, reminded Jesus that under the law this adulterous woman should be killed, and then they asked Jesus what should be done with her. Jesus ponders for a bit; then effectively replies, "How about the first person who can claim they have done no evil in their lives, that person can kill her." Amazingly no one took up this offer.
I believe that Jesus (being without sin) could have applied the letter of the Law, and she should, according to the law, have been killed. However, Jesus went beyond justice and introduced mercy.

In the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament you can find this word, ἐπιεικες , used in Psalm 86:5 to proclaim God's quickness to forgive.

With all this said, I have yet to come up with a better translation of ἐπιεικες than 'gentleness'. But now 'gentleness' has become something I strive after.

"Let your gentleness be evident to all."

Preach Jesus

In college we used to play a little game where we would take any random object and try to find a way this item or subject could "preach Jesus". The game was silly but the content was pure. This game, however, seems completely pointless after our recent trip to Colorado. I never cease to be amazed and restored by the beauty of God's creation.
Mother Theresa famously quoted St. Francis of Assisi for having said, "Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary use words." I understand the message here, but I happen to love the art of preaching and of course so does my husband; I also have found standing in humble majesty leaves me utterly speechless.

Love

A poem by Emily Dickinson

Love is anterior to life,
Posterior to death,
Initial of creation, and
The exponent of breath.

Merry Christmas from the Arnolds. May this truly be a season of Love.

Surveying in Awesome Wonder

This post is a bit of a backtrack. After I graduated from college, I went to New Zealand as a live-in babysitter for a family who had just recently moved there to be missionaries. They were looking for someone who might help them with their kids as they organized their affairs and I was excited for the opportunity to travel! This ended up being an incredible time for me to desperately desire and depend on the Lord as well as learn to reflect. Below is a journal entry I wrote one morning completely energized by the greatness of creation. I have included a few pictures but of course they do not come close to justice!

June 2007

This morning I stepped out the front door of the temporary house where we are staying and crossed the street to the mixture of sand and shells at low tide, ready to enjoy an early run. Running quickly turned into exploring because there was just too much to take in at a quick pace. Exploring turned into Appreciation followed by a deeper Love for my Father who created every bit of this that I would call Spectacular. Yesterday at church there was a guest speaker who suggested the deadliest thing to the human heart is pride. As with everything, there are two sides to every story and I am feeling prideful today. Proud of God and His imagination, proud to be called His daughter. Honored to be included in this incident of Beauty.

I pressed on in my expedition, not sure of what I was looking for but certain it was not yet time to turn back and immensely enjoying the time alone to think and listen. And then I found it. To a runner, this would simply be another large rock. To an explorer, this was a jewel. I started toward the formation and noticed a descent size hole. Hoping I might fit through it, I ducked and crawled. Caught off-guard by the slippery algae-covered other side, I almost went swimming, which reminds me- never leave home without your chacos! As I attempted to regain my composure, I felt a little bit like the Little Mermaid experiencing her first few awkward steps on human legs.

I began to breathe deeper and truly take in where I was. Inches away from the sound and spray of rolling and crashing waves, there was a sense of awe combined with this fragility of life. And still this place I call Peace.

holy satire batman...

thanksgiving benediction

In light of tomorrow's sermon and the season in general, I wanted to share with you the closing benediction for Adamsville Presbyterian Church in the morning. Maybe on Monday I'll write about the sermon. I must also confess I "borrowed" the meat of the benediction from Joe Shere pastor of Mount Joy Mennonite Church (it's amazing what google can do).

May the Lord bless you and keep you, May He make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.

May the eyes of your heart be open to all the blessings which surround you; may this awareness produce a harvest of generosity in your spirit.

May thankfulness rise up within you, not just during this short season, but day after day, from the early morning watch until you retire for the night.

May your prayers reflect gratitude, while also acknowledging the needs of others whose situations are so drastically different.

May thoughts of Jesus fill your mind, and thanksgiving be your response.