All things..

...work together for the good of those who love the Lord. Romans 8:28

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. 2 Corinthians 1:7

Today was a very tough day. This morning, after one of my girls decided not to show up at cheer practice, her stunt group (working with a sub) had an accident that resulted in the 7th grade captain having a broken shoulder. There are conflicting reports about what happened. Some say she was being cradled and was dropped, other girls say she was in load-in, and fell out. I personally never saw her in the air, but I wasn't standing right there and didn't see it as it happened, the lady who works at the cheer gym was.

I did not envision my Saturday in a tiny exam room in the ER being told that one of my girls was going to be rushed by ambulance for emergency orthopedic surgery. On my "fun things to do" list, it was right at the bottom, but unfortunately, that's exactly what I did. I am so thankful that her mother was there when it happened, but I am very sorry that it happened at all. It is an accident that I feel could have been avoided if everyone had been where they should have been when they were supposed to be.

Her mother, being very wise, was understandably upset, but said to me "I firmly believe that all things happen for a reason. We may not know what the reason is right now, but there is one, and she will be ok in a few weeks."

I must say I have to agree with her, but I have thought and thought and thought, and I cannot fathom the reason why she had to break her shoulder.

After a long day dealing with this horrendous situation, my youth group went out, and on then on the way home, I had several missed phone calls from the mother of one of the girls in the group. Her daughter was not able to attend our night out due to a prior commitment. Anyway, this mother said that out of nowhere, her daughter became hysterical, saying "My friend is dead! My friend is dead!" They tried to get her to slow down and tell them what she was talking about, but she wasn't able to. All she could tell them was "Tracy will know," so they had been frantically trying to get in touch with me. Clearly, I didn't know.

Apparently, one of the sweet, teenaged girls from our cabin at church camp over the summer was killed in a car accident this afternoon. She and the girls in my youth group had kept in touch, and Lexi had found out when she started seeing RIP messages posted on this young lady's facebook. My girls are beside themselves, as I'm sure are all of this girl's friends and family.

Now, just when I thought things couldn't get much worse than my sweet Cree breaking her shoulder, I found out that precious Kaitlyn had lost her life.

It's a hard time to say that "All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord," because it doesn't seem like much good could come out of either of these things. However, it makes me think of Bethany Hamilton.. Her arm was amputated just where Cree's is fractured, and if so much good can come from the total loss of her arm, then something good must be going to come from Cree's fracture. So far, the only thing good I can think of to come from Kaitlyn's death is the fact that she is now in a better place with our Lord Jesus, and I know this because my sweet Lexi prayed with her when she received Christ over the summer.

Jeremiah 29:11 tells us "I know the plan I have for you, declares the LORD. Plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." In learning about Bethany's life through the Soul Surfer Bible study series, It is easy to see that God does in fact have a plan. What Jeremiah 29:11 does not promise us, though, is that we will always understand that plan. It may be really hard to see the plan He has for us, and it may look like things are just happening in a haphazard sort of way, but God sees the whole picture even when we do not.

Tonight, we saw Lion King 3D. This sort of brings to mind the perfect illustration of God's plan. If we watch a 3D movie and fail to put on the special glasses that have been provided for us, most of what we see doesn't make much sense. It's a series of blurs, odd colors, and varying degrees of light. However, when you put on the 3D glasses, the picture becomes clear. It's vivid, and almost alive; it stands out, and makes more sense than it ever could have in a plain, 2D, or blurred form.

I have to believe it's the same way with God's plan. If we look at the events of life as disconnected and from our own human perspective, the lines get blurred. Nothing is clear, it doesnt' make sense, and it's just a series of "things." But, the moment we begin to dig deeper, seek Him in prayer, read His words in our Bible, and look at things from his point of view, it begins to make sense in a beautiful way. Just like in the movie, we may not know the outcome for quite some time, but the scenes themselves will start to pull together and have a sense of purpose.

I don't know why Cree has to be in so much pain with a broken bone, or why it had to be on my watch. I don't know why Kaitlyn, and her friend Kelcie, had to lose their lives in a car accident. I don't know why their friend Regan survived, but I know that God knows. And if I can do my best to remember that, and try to seek His perspective rather than my own, I will eventually come to terms with it all.

That is when my hope will be strong and secure, because I will know that He, and my Christian family, will share in my sorrows, as well as my comforts. And that is worth all the world to me.

Commitment (and everything that goes with it...)

This is just a little off-the-cuff post because I'm irritated. (3 in one week, you say? Yes!)

 Although my last couple of posts were all about how I loooooove me some teeangers, I am so done with parents in today's society! What ever happened to commitment?! When I was a teenager, when my youth group was doing something, my Mom made sure I was there. When I had dance practice, my Mom or Dad dropped me off and didn't pick me up until it was over. When I had band practice, I went. When there was a ball game I was supposed to play at, or a concert, or dance recital, my Mom and Dad took me, made sure I did what I was supposed to do, and didn't take me home until it was over.

WHAT THE HECK is with these parents who don't make their kids do anything they signed up to do?!?! 2 Cases in point:

1.) My cheerleaders. FOR WEEKS we have had lined up a private clinic at a cheer and gymnastics gym to nail down the new routine for downtown homecoming. This morning, at 8 AM, I get a text from one of my girls saying she has a sore throat and her mom says she doesn't have to come. What the heck does a sore throat have to do with being able to tumble and do a stunt? You don't have to say a word. You keep your mouth shut and pick up your flyer!!! My mother would have told me to eat a cough drop, take an ibuprofen, drink some hot tea, and suck it up! I mean, good grief! They have paid out the butt for this clinc, and then because she sits out in the air at the ballgame last night, she doesn't make her come!? Ridiculous.

2.) My youth group. Since August, we have had lined up that our group was going to Monroe to play laser tag. A ton of them confirmed that they were going. I text around and post on fb for a final headcount, and how many do I have no that don't have something better to do???? The 2 sons of our preacher. Yes, that's right, TWO teenagers have not found something better to do. They have actually written it on their calendars and looked forward to it.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH PARENTS?!

/end rant.

Serious Wednesday

    I love the teenagers in my life. The ones I teach, the ones I coach, and the ones I minister to on a daily and weekly basis. They are fabulous beings, the workmanship of our Creator. They have their quirks, and sometimes I don't necessarily like them, but I love them with all my little heart can muster.

So that means I hurt when they hurt, and I worry when I see them enter into a situation that I feel is not ideal.

Lately, I have had a sweet young lady dealing with some issues regarding her personal relationships. She has not chosen the perfect path (as many of us have not,) and she is angry and bitter, because more or less, it has caught up with her. One of the adults that help work with our youth group spoke with her privately about this matter in such a way that she would be corrected, (not cornered,) and she has come to realize she has much to deal with. It breaks my heart to see this beautiful young girl (17) feel so worthless and broken. You can see it on her face. I personally feel like she has chosen these particular relationships because she doesn't feel like she is good enough to wait around for the right boy. She feels like she should "take what she can get."

I have also become very close with a young man who is dealing with terrible peer pressure. His self-esteem is such that he feels the need to go along with what his "friends" suggest. I sat with him a month or so ago as he cried his eyes out and admitted to things I could only imagine he would ever become involved with. It absolutely ripped my heart out, and I shared my past (not-so-stellar) experiences, and cried with him.

...What a gut-wrenching thing to behold.

My question is: How are these "good" kids who come from stable Christian homes, raised in church with stable guidance and every resource so broken? How are we as adults failing to minister to these kids, meet their needs, and teach them that they are worth so, so, so much more?

I understand that being a "good" person and being "raised in church" does not determine your outcome, but as Christian leaders, it is our job to "train up these children" in the ways of the Lord, and instill in them the beauty of His grace, love, and mercy. I know that they are growing and experiencing harder and harder things each day, and I know that each of us have to make our mistakes and learn from them. I know that we all possess a sinful nature, and that life is not always going to be sunshine and roses. But I do feel like in some ways I have failed them.

No, I can't stand beside them every day, and coddle them, and make their decisions for them; nor can the pastor, their parents, their siblings, grandparents, or the church family. But shouldn't we be guiding them in their decision making process? Isn't that part of discipleship?

I feel so discouraged and like such a failure. I want them to know the love of Christ fully and ultimately; even more fully than me or the other adults.

How do I teach these kids their worth? How do I teach them that they are loved?

*sigh*

Friday Night Lights (as told on a Monday morning)

I love football. Truth be told, if I had completed my original major in journalism, I would absolutely love to be writing a regular column for some newspaper with a woman's take on the game. One thing I look forward to just as much as the thrill of a game, is the Monday morning water-cooler chat, which for me, as a teacher, actually takes place at my pencil sharpener. The conversation usually goes something like this:

Student: "Mrs. Caskey! Did you see the game Saturday night?"
Me: "Which one? Tigers and Demons or Panthers and Cardinals?"
Student: "Tigers and Demons! I can't believe LSU finally gave up a score to NSU!"
Me: "Yeah, it was a moment of weakness. But look at it from NSU's point of view! That was a historic field goal!"
Student: "Well, what did you think about the Panthers and Cardinals?"
....and so on.

I love it. Because as much as I love football on Friday night, Saturday night, Sunday afternoon, and Monday night, I love bonding with my students even more. Sure, I don't talk about football with all of my students, but sometimes, there is a special student, where there is nowehere else your lives can connect. Sometimes, your mutual love of a game that leaves a rush of excitement even after the game is done is enough to make you legit in that 13 year old's eyes. And sometimes, finding just a little common ground, even if it's totally irrelevant, makes all the difference.

Sometimes great days happen in unexpected ways. :)