I heard my gym instructor say this motivational phrase last week and it has stuck with me. Like all my gym class instructors, she says cute, positive things to motivate us. This past academic year, the word of the year given to me by the Lord is “victory” and with this verse – Then he said, “This is God’s message to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty—you will succeed because of my Spirit, though you are few and weak.” – Zechariah 4:6 (TLB)

As the academic year is closing soon in about three weeks; her motivational phrase made me reflect back on the year. What a harrowing year it has been, especially for my daughter, Alex. I shudder at her state of mind last spring, the eating disorder that was being discovered and her hostility and great anger. Though she is not fully recovered from her eating disorder struggles, she is receiving regular professional care. Her mind is being restored as she is receiving nourishment to her brain and body. I continue to pray and hope for her full recovery and freedom. I believe in the word from the Lord about my daughter’s situation – that she will be delivered just like the SyroPhoenician woman’s daughter was. (See my old post from last year.)

After praying for six years with the MIP ladies for godly leadership in our public schools, our high school got a real believer as our principal this year! I was so very naive, thinking that now my job is done. Haha. 😂 Perhaps it’s a good thing that I was “Pollyanna-like” naive. I saw from the frontlines that the enemy was greatly upset at this new appointment of a godly believer in our public high school. I understood why I was strategically placed as a parent leader at the high school. I was like a “fly on the wall” in closed doors and so that our prayer group can pray for the new principal. I saw the Lord using me to also battle for him in ways that I never could have if I wasn’t a parent school leader, especially at a critical time recently when he was close to being fired. The Holy Spirit told me to be “like a Jonathan to David” for this principal. So in both prayers and my activities inside, I sure did my best. BOE approved him coming back. Praise the Lord!

Another battlefield that I was led to be actively involved in was keeping cannabis shops out of our towns. Praise the Lord Jesus that both towns that I joined other parents in battling, both won and the township council members decided to keep pot shops out due to public outcries of many parents. It’s still readily available in our state now that it became legal, and there is one big pot shop in a nearby town. Nevertheless I’m so happy that our local children and teenagers will not be seeing glamorous pot shops in our two towns.

In the battlefields of this academic year, I didn’t expect to be so active. Whenever I would get scared as I was stepping out to the frontlines; I would imagine what would be the worst thing that would happen? Believe it or not, this thought would help me be braver. For example, when I released my daughter to go away to college in her disturbed, unsettling state because I knew this is what God was telling me to do, I’d imagine what is the worst thing that can happen? She’d faint from lack of food, be hospitalized, and then she’ll just come back home for intensive treatments.

Anytime I was lead to step out in faith and be an active doer and not only as a prayer intercessor, I’d imagine what’s the worst thing that can happen. Once I accepted and made peace with this worst case scenario, it helped me to be brave and just go for it!

This mental exercise even helped with my evangelizing work too. A lady that I was led to reach out to rejected my sharing of Christian messages and she was very harsh about it too. But then later she shared some details with me about her “whys”. She prayed and prayed, but her daughter died from eating disorder. She grew up in an evangelical church too. This is very heartbreaking. Her angry reaction had good reason. By the way, the harsh rejection did hurt but it wasn’t terrible. I survived. 😂 Let’s see what happens if the Holy Spirit leads me to reach out to her again. Lord, have mercy on me. My heart is still too tender when I face rejections. You know I face enough rejections at home. 🙏

I used to be so afraid of making mistakes and trying to be as perfect as possible before attempting anything. I used to be so hard on myself too. I am learning that making mistakes is part of growing up and becoming better. I should have learned these lessons earlier in life. Let’s try to teach these fundamentals to our youth. I like this simple visual sheet found on Pinterest. I hope it helps you too and makes you a better forgiver of yourself and others when mistakes happen.

This devotional is another lady who also overcomes her doubts and fears, having learned to trust God with her mistakes. https://www.ifcj.org/learn/holy-land-moments/daily-devotionals/rise-up-and-keep-going