In our
homeschooling day, I used the Magic Tree House series to put together unit
studies for my kiddos. Each book takes
the main characters, Jack and Annie, through time to visit different
places. They travel to prehistoric
times, to China, to Egypt, to England and all over where they meet fascinating
people and complete clever tasks. I have
always enjoyed reading this series with my children and with the children I
have worked with in classroom settings.
My two have definitely aged out of the series, but I hold on to my
complete set so that I can keep the stories filled with both non-fiction and
fiction, fact and fantasy, reality and imagination to share with the kiddos
that continue to come into my life.
In one of the
books, Leprechaun in Late Winter, Jack and Annie travel to Ireland where
they are mistaken for servants in the house of a wealthy family where a young
lady with a major attitude resides. The
young lady is appalled at the sight of the children. She asks them what their skills for
housekeeping and farming are in order to see if they are an appropriate fit to
work in her family’s home. At one point
she asks Jack and Annie, “what are you good for?” The last time I read this book was over four
years ago, but that line, that question always stuck with me. In this season in my life, I keep asking
myself that same question over and over.
What am I good for?
I think we all
go through valleys in our lives where we question ourselves. We question what we stand for. We question what we believe. We question why we are here. We question what’s the point of it all. We question what purpose we have.
There has never
been a time in my life where I thought I had it all figured out. Never.
I have always had some insecurity circling in my mind, some doubt
residing in my heart. I look at my track
record, and I am honestly surprised I have made it this far in my life. I look at the teen girls in our home and am
painfully aware of where I was at each of their ages: at 13 desiring to be the
smartest and prettiest; at 14 longing for attention from young men, and being
only a year away from willingly giving away my purity; at 19 giving up a full
scholarship to college to get married.
And, those are only highlights. I
have considered over and over again my first marriage and the contributions I
made to it falling apart. I have looked
at the friendships I have lost or given up on.
I analyze my decisions for the jobs I have had. I reflect on the current challenges of being
a wife for a second time and obsessing on not making the same mistakes twice,
of being submissive and full of grace while learning to not be a doormat, of
wanting to model to my girls the way to be a strong yet gentle lady. I go over every mistake I’ve made as a
parent. How many times have I lost my
temper? I can count the instances where
I used sarcasm instead of patience in dealing with my children. And, step-parenting…I can’t even begin to put
into words how that weighs on my mind. I
look at my score, and I label myself a disaster.
Currently, I am
in a spiritual and emotional valley. My
mind is heavy-laden with questions about my existence, my choices, my
circumstances. I fight with myself to
get sleep, just to wake up in the middle of the night in tears over the dreams
in my head coming from the anxieties of my mind. I am battling my old-self. I am struggling with where I fit in. The sins I have fought against my whole life
are resurfacing. My selfish nature wants
answers now! My controlling spirit wants
a plan. My heart longs for peace. I ache for rest. I am going around and around with myself
trying to determine what I’m good for.
Because of my
faith in God, in His Son Jesus, and in His Word, I am not alone in this
valley. While often I feel completely
isolated in life, I am extremely aware that it is because I cut myself
off. I detach from the God who loves
me. I build up fast, hard walls against
people to protect myself from further hurt.
I opt for solitude over fellowship.
This is my sinful, selfish nature at work. BUT, I do believe several things. Primarily, I believe that God created me with
a delicate design and that He instilled a purpose in my heart that only I can
fulfill. I completely believe that God loved
me (and loves me) so much that He sent His One and Only Son to take the punishments
I deserved for my life saturated in sin.
I don’t fully understand this love.
I don’t understand how anyone could love me unconditionally. I don’t understand how a parent could
sacrifice a child for the greatest of sinners.
I don’t have all of the theological answers that I know many of my
friends want to have. I have a simple
faith, the faith of a child. (However,
if you read this and do have questions that are faith-related, I am blessed to
have many great scholars of theology in my life, and I would love to connect
you to one of them).
I spend much
time in God’s Word. ESPECIALLY when I am
in the valley. When I am wading through
the mire of my mind, I read and read and read.
When I am on the mountaintop, I read and read and read for when I tumble
back to the valley. Being in the Bible
is the one tangible thing that holds me up.
Isaiah 46:3-4 says, “Listen to me…you whom I have upheld since your
birth, and have carried since you were born.
Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am He. I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will
sustain you and I will rescue you”. The
same chapter goes on to say in verses 10-11, “I say, “My purpose will stand…what
I have planned, I will do.” The book of
Psalms is one of my favorite books when I am struggling. In Psalm 71:20, the author says, “Though you
have made me seen troubles, many and bitter you will restore my life again…you
will bring me up. You will increase my
honor and comfort once more.” I know I
struggle with wanting to be in control of the circumstances of my life. I want a plan, all of the time. Here’s what the Bible says to that-“Many are
the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails”
(Proverbs 19:21). Since I am a believer
in Jesus and the Bible, there are words written for me to help me hold on. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all
things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called
according to His purpose.” That’s the
key…it’s not about my plan or purpose; it’s about His plan and purpose for
me. My job is to “continue to work out
[my] salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in me to will
to act in order to fulfill His good and perfect will” (Philippians 2:12-13). The heart of the issue is my heart. I am focused on my failures, my unanswered questions,
my uncertainty and my insecurity. What I
need to be doing is redirecting my thoughts to align with His thoughts, and I
can do that by spending time in the Bible, in prayer, in Christian fellowship,
and under sound Biblical teaching. I am
taking those steps, but because I am human and very imperfect, it’s not an easy
path…it’s actually heart-wrenching, but I am counting on God to bring me peace
and guidance through taking the necessary steps.
I write all of
this for two reasons. 1) If you are
struggling with questions—why am I here?
What is my purpose in life? Why
do I keep making the same mistakes? Why
can’t I hear from God? What am I good for?—I want you to know you are not alone…believer or
non-believer. I would love to know if
you are hurting so I can pray for you. If
you are anything like me, you may want to be active in climbing out of the
valley. I encourage you to reach out to
someone you love and trust who can encourage you and climb beside you. If you aren’t currently in a church or
faith-based small group, look for one and plug in. The fellowship of believers is healing. Pray—even if you think your words are
bouncing off of the moon and back to you.
If you can’t say your prayers, write them down. Read, read, read the Scriptures. I recommend Psalms and Philippians. 2) If you are in the life of someone who is
hurting and in a valley (and I think we all are), you can be a resource of
encouragement. Reach out to the person
you love who you know is hurting. Don’t
make the conversation about you…let them talk, you listen. Pray with that person…if you aren’t
comfortable praying out loud, pray in your heart, but let them know you
prayed. Send them a note of
encouragement. Don’t try to fix the
issue or compare it to your own story. When
people are hurting, what they need most is a patient ear, a kind heart, and a
warm hug.
To my friends
who are reading this, and to those who I may not know who have stumbled across
this, I say to you—YOU MATTER, YOU ARE OF GREAT WORTH, YOU HAVE A PURPOSE, and
YOU ARE LOVED!!!
Leprechaun in
Late Winter, (Magic Tree House series), Mary Pop Osborne, Random House Books 2010. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6425120-leprechaun-in-late-winter
Life Application
Study Bible—New International Version, Zondervan, 2011.
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