Valentine's Day

So, today I found out that the Educational Assistant position may not open up to full-time after all. However, the lead teacher is working on it for me and she is trying to make some things happen. So, again, time will tell. A year ago, this would have really affected my emotions, but one thing God has helped me with during this time is to trust Him in all things. I know that He is working things out for my good, so I no longer quickly label things as "blessings" or "curses". I just say "time will tell." This reminds me of a cool parable that I read in a Max Lucado book years ago, but I can't remember it too well. I'll have to go back to see if I can find it.

Today is Valentine's Day and we aren't doing too much. Dina was awesome and made me a great dinner, even after a long day of hauling all four kids around a museum today. Money has been tight, so we can't really afford to buy things or go to dinner. But, I have been, as usual, trying to show her how much I love her over the last several weeks (our anniversary, her birthday, etc.), so I'm almost a little out of creativity. I know she knows that I love her, but I don't know if she really knows how deeply that love goes and how much I want to be with her all the time. She is truly a part of me and I can't imagine life without her.

Our cohort meeting is this weekend, but we will be in Abilene. So, I had to cancel the meeting. We've had an influx of new members since our mention in the Emergent Village newsletter, so I hope we'll all get to meet the new folks at our March meeting.

I'm also learning a lot about stepping out of my religious "comfort zone" and embracing people and ideas that my upbringing has told me to shun. I just can't get behind any system of belief that automatically counts someone out if they don't live up to a certain standard. In my reading of the Bible, I find that Jesus first loved those he came into contact with (both sinners and the self-labeled "righteous"). It was only after loving them, accepting them, and meeting their needs that he then called them to a higher standard of walking. I was ingrained in a system that demands that people quit sinning (as if anyone could do that anyway) and walk at a higher level before they could be loved and accepted. To me, that just isn't walking as Jesus would walk (I John 2:6).