Yesterday was a very nice day, as is today, so far. Nathan, Nicholas and I went for a short bike ride around the block (our neighborhood - everyone here calls it 'the block') yesterday afternoon. We saw an elderly man - a friend - walking his dog, and we stopped and talked with him for a few minutes. We also saw another one of our neighbors in their car, about to go to the vet. Their cat, Amelia, had almost attacked a baby screech owl! Thankfully they were able to get the owl before any harm came to it. :-) It was really cute - they had it in a box or something with a towel over the box as a lid, and the owl was in the corner sleeping. It had had a very rude interruption to its nap time. :-)
This morning we've been doing - what else? - schoolwork. :-) I've already finished my math and classifying and writing some sentences for grammar. Now I'm about to write an expository essay. What a joy. :-) I like narrative writing much better, along with poems. And this afternoon I'm going to a gymnastics thing with my friend. It's at this place that I used to go to gymnastics at, when I was younger. Today they're having some kind of 'Bring Your Friend to Gymnastics!' thing or something. :-) Oh, and our Grandma and Grandpa (Drees) are coming over tomorrow!! They live up in Michigan. I can't wait to see them.
Y'know, earlier this morning I was really irritated - with trying to schoolwork and concentrate over all the noise (I wonder who was making noise...) and some other stuff. Finally I asked Mom if I could go outside and read the grammar lesson. I grabbed a camping chair and looked around the backyard for a place to sit. I decided to see if the chair would fit in this little fort-thingy that Nathan, Nicholas, one of our friends and I built with sticks, vines, and palm fronds. It's pretty cool, but a little unstable. Anyway, I squeezed the chair into the opening, set it down, turned around to sit in the chair - and bumped a stick that was apparently holding another stick. I carefully put the two sticks back where I assumed they belonged, and accidentally caused a whole wall to come toppling down. Oops.
Frustrated, I snatched the chair, textbook and pencil and moved the chair away from the fort. I brushed off the debris from the seat, and sat down. As I looked back at the damage I had caused by slightly pushing one single stick, I thought, "I don't even know why we thought that dumb fort would work. You can't build something that will crumble at the slightest touch, and then actually expect it to stay firm." Then I had a whisper-thought, "Nicole, you can't expect to stay joyful and peaceful and loving when things go wrong if you haven't built your temple with the right supplies."
Oh. Yeah. I knew that.
It made me think of the verses in Corinthians: “But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.” (Corinthians 13:10b - 15)
If I build up my building - the temple that I am in Christ - with worthless, fragile items like sticks and vines, I will crumple at the slightest poke, the smallest test. Those flimsy items can be anything, like false trust and happiness in things like electronics, outward beauty, fake friends, a ‘comfortable’ environment (your comfort zone at your school, church, work - not looking at people and situations with God’s eyes and reaching out with His love), etc. They can be small things that can widely differ for your life, but no matter how big or small they might be, they will be burned up in God’s holy fire.
I don’t want to have a trashy, teetering temple. I want a shining, sturdy temple, one that gives generously, is peaceful and patient in trying times, and ‘loves the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
God bless!
This morning we've been doing - what else? - schoolwork. :-) I've already finished my math and classifying and writing some sentences for grammar. Now I'm about to write an expository essay. What a joy. :-) I like narrative writing much better, along with poems. And this afternoon I'm going to a gymnastics thing with my friend. It's at this place that I used to go to gymnastics at, when I was younger. Today they're having some kind of 'Bring Your Friend to Gymnastics!' thing or something. :-) Oh, and our Grandma and Grandpa (Drees) are coming over tomorrow!! They live up in Michigan. I can't wait to see them.
Y'know, earlier this morning I was really irritated - with trying to schoolwork and concentrate over all the noise (I wonder who was making noise...) and some other stuff. Finally I asked Mom if I could go outside and read the grammar lesson. I grabbed a camping chair and looked around the backyard for a place to sit. I decided to see if the chair would fit in this little fort-thingy that Nathan, Nicholas, one of our friends and I built with sticks, vines, and palm fronds. It's pretty cool, but a little unstable. Anyway, I squeezed the chair into the opening, set it down, turned around to sit in the chair - and bumped a stick that was apparently holding another stick. I carefully put the two sticks back where I assumed they belonged, and accidentally caused a whole wall to come toppling down. Oops.
Frustrated, I snatched the chair, textbook and pencil and moved the chair away from the fort. I brushed off the debris from the seat, and sat down. As I looked back at the damage I had caused by slightly pushing one single stick, I thought, "I don't even know why we thought that dumb fort would work. You can't build something that will crumble at the slightest touch, and then actually expect it to stay firm." Then I had a whisper-thought, "Nicole, you can't expect to stay joyful and peaceful and loving when things go wrong if you haven't built your temple with the right supplies."
Oh. Yeah. I knew that.
It made me think of the verses in Corinthians: “But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.” (Corinthians 13:10b - 15)
If I build up my building - the temple that I am in Christ - with worthless, fragile items like sticks and vines, I will crumple at the slightest poke, the smallest test. Those flimsy items can be anything, like false trust and happiness in things like electronics, outward beauty, fake friends, a ‘comfortable’ environment (your comfort zone at your school, church, work - not looking at people and situations with God’s eyes and reaching out with His love), etc. They can be small things that can widely differ for your life, but no matter how big or small they might be, they will be burned up in God’s holy fire.
I don’t want to have a trashy, teetering temple. I want a shining, sturdy temple, one that gives generously, is peaceful and patient in trying times, and ‘loves the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
God bless!
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