Several years ago I found myself on a massive yacht in the
middle of Lake Texoma with friends. Our
group was up on deck admiring the view, but I ended up in the living quarters
down below with the two young children whose father owned the boat. I spent my
time aboard the luxury liner with the kids playing games. I was teaching 7th grade in Mesquite
Lesson #1: I
introduced a group of fifth graders to the concept of being proactive or
reactive in life. One fifth grader said “Mrs.
Monico, I am not very good at this game because of my brother.” It seems that she was trying so hard to be
proactive and calm, but her little brother got the best of her. She restated what our previous lesson had
covered and admitted she was more like a coke bottle exploding than a cool,
calm bottle of water.
To be honest, none of us are very good at “THIS” game she
mentioned. We often fail and react. Our only hope for proactivity and peacefulness
in situations that drive us crazy is the truth found in John 16:33 that says “I
have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world”
Lesson #2: Another
day this week my son, Brazos, said something that was worth me immediately
writing down. He glanced up from his
trombone and paused from the extended, and I mean extended, practice session
and said “Only one kid can play this and I want to be that kid, Mom.”
How great is that? He
wanted to be the one who could do it. He
was willing to work and make it happen. He
played the song over again and again until he got it. I was inspired.
Lesson #3: The setting
of my last lesson was in front of our refrigerator late one night. I have attempted to use up food from our
pantry and freezer instead of just running out to buy more. I must have done a decent job because by
Tuesday night, it was bare in the fridge.
My daughter started looking for something to put in her lunch. She opened the fridge and looked, and looked,
and looked. She then motioned me over
and said “What do we have in here other than water and BBQ sauce, you just tell
me…what?”
After I stopped laughing because her facial expression was
that of a typical teen and her wit was as clever as ever, I looked in the
fridge and discovered she was pretty correct in her observation. I put on my thinking cap and offered her a few
suggestions. Our search lead me to the
bottom of the pantry and to the back corner of the fridge. I discovered several consumable items that
would work. She would not starve. The
world would keep spinning. I saved the day, and she in a way saved my night
because she made me laugh and think about my role in life.
My role right then with her was to make something out of
nothing. We often have to do that in
life. Creativity and a good attitude can
make something out of nothing on any given day.
Come to think of it, when God made us, He made something out of nothing
for sure.
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