Hidden: Five Minute Friday

Wow. I've been unable to join in the last two write-ups and have sorely missed it! One week I was at Vacation Bible School in Egypt with Joseph, dressed up to the nines as 'Tammypatra'. That prompt was 'create' which is one of my favorite words!
Last week's prompt was 'help' and though I desperately wanted to chime in, had to focus on my online college class I've been taking to make me a better math teacher. I was attending a workshop during the day all week, so I had no extra time to complete my work in the evenings. We also had a delightful dinner guest last Thursday who prayed such blessings over our house, I wish I could share them all.

This week's prompt is 'hidden'. Here's the link to Kate's page. Next week is the two year anniversary of her hostessing the FMF party, and we're going to celebrate! Don't miss it!

Hidden.
I first thought of 'thy word have I hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.' (Psalm 119:11)
I then thought of 'For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light.' (Mark 4:22)
Finally I thought of '
'For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.' (Psalm 139:13-16)

Have you ever thought about hidden treasure? That elusive, yet-to-be-found treasure that's worth great effort and cost to unearth?
Perhaps you feel like a lump of coal or unusable granite. That you are unappealing. Sure, coal under extreme pressure can turn into a diamond, but the squeezing just doesn't seem worthwhile.

Can I tell you? You are a hidden gem.
God has every day planned for you. He is with you, and in control of every bit of pressure surrounding you. Sometimes you think you're off His radar and in way over your head, but He knows what circumstances will bring about your greatest good in the long run.
Imagine an unpolished chunk of granite. Nobody knows what it has inside, but He does. And little by little, He allows a break here, a chip there, and once in a while, a glimmer of the real stone inside begins to peek out and shimmer. We're so used to looking at our stone cases that even when we do start to shine, we just don't see it.
The people who don't know Jesus are dazzled by the fool's gold all around them.
I just did a non-five-minute read on pyrite. Guess I should admit that my five minutes is up.
But what I found? So worth the detour!!

"It is distinguishable from native gold by its hardness, brittleness and crystal form. Natural gold tends to be anhedral (irregularly shaped), whereas pyrite comes as either cubes or multifaceted crystals."

So, when we, who are real gold, are compared to those who are not, we will be irregularly shaped. We will not fit into a box! Pyrite is a cube, easy to manipulate, doesn't need any work.

Your real worth is hidden. But your Savior longs to show you what you're worth. You were worth dying for. Your life is worth living. Every second!

-Tammy

Build: Five Minute Friday

Twitter party: when you type the same tag as everyone else and then read their posts. It's like a chatroom, only better, because it's the Five Minute Friday friends. #fmfparty
This week, we're over with Kate Motaung, talking about the word Build.

And, Go!

Immediately, my childhood memories flooded in. Attending a small private school with my sisters and brother, my mom was a first grade teacher. Your words can either build somebody up, or tear somebody down. How are you using your words??

That concept is based on this passage in 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11
"For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing."

More building continues in verses 12-18
"Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.

Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.
See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."

And I present to you the formula for a Christian body, built on a good foundation.
We on the internet have much to say. When a tragedy occurs, we are blindsided. We want to make sense of evil. Evil does not make sense.
We try to speak to gain some sense of control, but often we don't know what we are saying.
And? Sometimes we can make it worse.
If ever you are offering comfort, please, in all good intentions, say NOTHING if your sentence begins with "at least".

"At least you have your other children..."
"At least it wasn't..."

Instead, try "I'm so sorry you're going through this." "I'm praying for you."
Better yet? Just be there.

Life is not a competition among believers. Life is a PR. Are you doing your best? Will your muscles (faith) be stretched and pushed and challenged, so that you build stronger muscles?
No perfection necessary. If we were perfect, we'd have no need for a Savior.
His faith was tested, and ours will be too.
Let's encourage and build each other up, shall we?

~Tammy

P.S. Thanks for stopping by! Tell me your url or your linkup # at Kate's this week and I'll return the favor.

And, here's a video of 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18, just for fun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgOYArq1FY8

Protect: Five Minute Friday

Every Week, a one-word prompt, some thought given, and then a timer set. Five minutes later, you stop. That's Five Minute Friday. Some of the best writing on the internet in only five minutes. Poetry, passionate thoughts, hearts that welcome new friends. I love being a part of this community! You can check out the link at Kate's page.

This week's prompt?

Protect.

Tonight, for the third week in a row, I ran short distances at the top of my ability on the track with some middle school students. Last week, I experienced some pain in my left thigh (quad) on my first of four laps, so I had to try to protect myself.

I stretched, took a "power shot" of Gatorade at home. (3 scoops, one part water instead of 3 parts)
I ate bananas and strawberries together. (Vitamin C can help your body absorb potassium)

I wanted to protect my body from a deeper injury. I wanted to be able to show up again and run again this week. I didn't want to be siderailed.

If I, an out-of-shape mathematics teacher, can put this much care and effort into my leg, then how does that relate to my spiritual life??

Am I also an out-of-shape Christian? Do I need to start hanging out with younger Christians who are exercising their faith and re-train? Or, do I energize and inspire other Christians around me to keep exercising their faith?

We protect ourselves by being prepared. By knowing what to do.
One of my passions with my daughters is to protect their innocence. I hope wholeheartedly that they will have innuendo flying far above their heads for many years to come, just like their dear old mother. I want them to feel safe asking me any question about anything, but not give them more than they need.

I'm re-reading Corrie Ten Boom this summer and something I love about her story with her father, is that he always put things in a way she could understand. She asked him "what is sexsin?" He asked her to go pick up his suitcase (full of tools-essentially his toolbox). "Why father, it's too heavy." "Some knowledge is too heavy for you to carry, so I will carry it for you until you are ready."

*end of time*

Sorry I can't give you more, but those were my thoughts tonight.
And, as promised, here's a video of me doing a bridge/backbend. This was how my daughters and I entertained ourselves this afternoon.

~ Tammy
P.S. Without your linkup number or URL, I can't find your post! :)