Audio version: Read by Mackenzie
Let me tell you about a week that held complete victory over unthankfulness and bitterness. A week with a bomb threat, conflict that had to do with a lioness, and practicing thankfulness while cleaning up vomit.
May I encourage you to journal your days. Whether it just be a quick recap of something God did or a novel that I am sure some of you book junkies can write(you know who you are). It just helps you retain whatever it was that you would like to reflect on and remember. Why, if it wasn't for my journaling... I would have never remembered that all three of those events happened in the same week! In fact, I did forget until I opened my journal a couple of days ago!
It all started with a journal and a prayer...
I was invited to sing at a Ladies Christmas party and it was there that I met my present day piano teacher/mentor. She is truly a lady who loves Jesus! I always feel encouraged as a christian every time I visit with her. We get so excited talking about the things of the Lord.
Back to the Christmas party... It was there that I received a journal. It was a moment that I knew God was speaking to me. The front of the journal had a word that would become a ray of light in knowing that nothing that I had recently experienced would be where I'd have to stay. The word was Hope. This verse about Hope was listed on the back.
Romans 15:13
"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."
And the very first verse in the journal was what I had been claiming during the season of disappointment that I was in.
Psalm 37:4
"Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."
I am glad I said yes to singing at a Christmas party instead of wallowing in my current emotional state of mind.
That Sunday I had asked my friend, Dani, to pray with me before we went home to prepare for our Monday. I knew I needed prayer, because I wanted things to change within me. I didn't want to dread work or have the attitude that I could be doing something better. Something that I felt was taken away from me. A dream that had seemed to be coming true, but ended with heart break and disappointment. Dani was so sweet as we prayed together. All I desired was to love Jesus more and to get the victory over my unthankfulness and bitterness.
Fighting the demons...
I had a nightmare that Sunday night and I remember in my dream that Satan was after me.
I came face to face with him...
I was so scared and all I knew to do was to cry out Jesus' name! I remember so vividly that I cried out to Jesus and woke up. It was a strange feeling that night. I was encouraged to know that even in a nightmare I can call on Jesus.
I took a look at my journal and this is what I wrote;
"I had an evil dream last night, but I remember calling out to Jesus asking Him to deliver and protect me. I woke up. Now I realize that perhaps that was a battle within. Perhaps the demon of bitterness and unthankfulness was coming to attack me. I clung to Jesus that night, and my time with Him this morning was so precious. I do not fear, because I am His."
The vomit...
Monday. It's a day that most people dread, but it wasn't for me that day! Thanks to the time of prayer and my time with Jesus that morning. I was determined to enjoy and to be thankful for every experience at work that day! I got to experience smiling at the children that were waving through my office window and just think how blessed I am to serve these kids. Some come and give me hugs. Some come to tell me stories that leave me laughing. God was opening my eyes to the joys around me. One of the children came into the office that day letting me know that they needed to go home due to not feeling well. This child went on to say that he threw up in the bathroom. I just naturally figured that they made it in the toilet or trash can. Nope. It was all over the entry way of the bathroom. My mind had an arrow of comparison shoot at me as I realized that I'd have to clean it up. The comparison to someone else is dangerous. The thought of not getting what I wanted and having to clean up vomit instead. I could instantly feel unthankfulness sweep over me. I had a decision to make in that moment. Fight the thoughts with God's Word or allow it to take me over with an attitude. I chose to fight. I started saying things that I was thankful for and singing some christian songs. The vomit was cleaned up in no time at all and I had a smile on my face that no one could wipe off! Victory in Jesus! It feels so good to win a battle!
The lioness...
Tuesday. I was going about my regular duties during the lunch hour and I was told by a teacher that I should check up with a situation. I thought I heard the teacher say that a little child was accusing a high schooler of lying. I went over to this little girl and her friends and asked them what happened. They pointed at the high schoolers and said that they were telling them what to do. I talked with the high schoolers and I was informed that the little girl was going to try and eat noodles off the ground(you'll know why in a little bit). The high schooler proceeded to tell me that she let the little girl know that she could get sick from eating off the ground. The high schooler continued to explain that the little girl proceeded to go over to the high schooler and said she is "lying" and "clawed" her arm(the high schooler was not harmed as you will found out what happened). I was so confused, because this did not seem normal for this particular little girl to act like that. I asked the high schooler one last time and re-stated the information to the student. The high schooler corrected me and said, "No, she didn't say I was lying. The little girl said that she was half "lion." In that moment, I couldn't help, but start laughing. I looked at the high schooler and confirmed what this little girl is claiming to be. The high schooler started laughing too as she realized how hilarious kids can be. I went over to the little girl and told her that I had heard that she was half lion. I asked if her brother was half lion as well. She went on to say that she is the only one in the family who is half lion. I went on to explain to her that it is not sanitary for half lions to eat on the ground and that we can only have tame half lions on campus. She wasn't sure what a tame half lion was and so I gave her the definition and helped her see that we need to be kind to everyone despite being half lion. I love my job. No one can make stuff like this up. Kids have the wildest imaginations, and sometimes, I don't mind jumping back on that boat of imagination. It's fun, and it reminds me of times I used to play games that seemed so real. God blessed me with a sweet memory of my childhood imaginations.
The bomb threat...
What a day. It was a great day that took an interesting turn. I enjoyed some good conversations and the work that I loved doing. It was catch up day with inputting attendance, answering emails, phone calls, and supporting the campus.
I remember.
I was at my desk and as I looked out the window I could see a police officer talking to the church secretary below. I watched and realized that something must be wrong. I informed my mom that something was going on and so she went down to see. I remember that the police officer came onto our campus and started taking a look around. My curiosity was getting the best of me. I finally had a moment to talk with my mom, Pam, and she informed me of what was going on. There was a mass email sent to multiple businesses and schools about a bomb being placed on site. Keep in mind that we were not aware that this was a nation wide email until later. All we knew is that an email was sent to the church secretary. The staff was shockingly calm. All of us. I went into leadership mode of informing teachers and making the staff aware of what was happening. Before we knew it a group of firemen went to each classroom and asked everyone to line up outside for immediate evacuation. I grabbed my phone, emergency binder, and rosters of all who were present that day. The children still had no clue as to what was going on. I gave a smile to the kids as I informed them that we were doing something different that day while expressing excitement in my voice with the hopes that the children would enjoy the experience of being escorted by firemen down to open space. What child wouldn't enjoy the opportunity to see firemen, a fire truck, police cars, skip class, and hang out all together in the lower parking lot? Maybe I'm just strange, because I would have been excited as a kid. What is really funny is that the only concern that was expressed from a child was that their ramen was in the microwave. Haha! One of the teachers assured this little girl that no one was going to steal it. The Presbyterian church below was so kind to offer their facilities to us! They led us down the hallway to a huge gymnasium with loads of balls, roller boards, and games. They even pulled down a screen and played fun music videos for the kids. It literally turned into the best day ever for the kids! We were able to contact families to pick up at the Presbyterian Church in no time at all. The whole staff did amazing with helping contact families and supervising the children. I am still so thankful for all the people that God had brought to the Palm Desert Campus. God's peace and blessings were definitely present and fully seen! Our local news showed up and interviewed a few of the staff(including my mom). You could probably still find it through google :)
The reality of working for education.
Whether you realize it or not, educators are the first to put themselves at risk when emergencies happen. My mom stayed up at the campus to help show the firemen and police officers all the rooms, closets, and potential places. I am so thankful for those who know and have sacrificed for their students. I am truly thankful. That is a hero.
Hailey's birthday.
Well, we won't ever forget this day as it was my sister's birthday! Haha! Our very sweet coworker and friend, Milaine, bought Hailey a delicious cake that conveniently arrived as we had just got back to campus. There was caution tape up everywhere and the person that delivered the cake didn't have any questions. It felt weird to have someone deliver cake after the day we had. It was an eventful day to say the least. My head wanted to take a rest from all the problem solving and parent questions. I sure was thankful for the sweets after the event! :)
Thanksgiving.
May I say that focusing on God's goodness and giving thanks to Him will definitely help with times like this. It is almost as if I was prepared for this moment through giving thanks. God fills us with joy. Joy unspeakable and full of glory! Thanksgiving and praise is the greatest antidote against bitterness, fear, anger, and worry. It fills your heart with trust towards a very good Father who has never left us! Our sins tend to darken our surroundings and keep us from seeing the good that our Heavenly Father has bestowed all around us. We are currently in times that leave us feeling unsure about what the outcome may be. Let me tell you that everyday is like that whether we have a life altering virus or not. We have NO idea what tomorrow holds, but we sure do know who holds our tomorrows and that is where our comfort is found.
God will prepare you for whats to come... if you seek Him daily.
He will not leave you and I am amazed how He prepared me to be thankful for His goodness prior to all the craziness. It brings sweet peace to my soul and it frees me to know that my Heavenly Father has my back. I am His. He is mine. His banner over me is love. He frees me to live my life with the gifts and talents that He has blessed me with to glorify and honor Him. To brings others to HIM. To KNOW HIM more. You have talents and gifts that God has given you. May I encourage you to ask God to show you how to use those gifts for Him?
Is God your Heavenly Father?
Please read this post below if you don't know if you are a child of God. It is through simple faith and trust in Jesus Christ that you can be saved, adopted into God's family, and have an eternal home with HIM in heaven.
How to become a child of God
YouTube: God's Love Story To You
May we always be faithful to give thanks and praise to our mighty God!
To God be the Glory!
To Know HIM,
Mackenzie Lea Knouf
Philippians 3:10
"That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;"
Let me tell you about a week that held complete victory over unthankfulness and bitterness. A week with a bomb threat, conflict that had to do with a lioness, and practicing thankfulness while cleaning up vomit.
May I encourage you to journal your days. Whether it just be a quick recap of something God did or a novel that I am sure some of you book junkies can write(you know who you are). It just helps you retain whatever it was that you would like to reflect on and remember. Why, if it wasn't for my journaling... I would have never remembered that all three of those events happened in the same week! In fact, I did forget until I opened my journal a couple of days ago!
It all started with a journal and a prayer...
I was invited to sing at a Ladies Christmas party and it was there that I met my present day piano teacher/mentor. She is truly a lady who loves Jesus! I always feel encouraged as a christian every time I visit with her. We get so excited talking about the things of the Lord.
Back to the Christmas party... It was there that I received a journal. It was a moment that I knew God was speaking to me. The front of the journal had a word that would become a ray of light in knowing that nothing that I had recently experienced would be where I'd have to stay. The word was Hope. This verse about Hope was listed on the back.
Romans 15:13
"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."
And the very first verse in the journal was what I had been claiming during the season of disappointment that I was in.
Psalm 37:4
"Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."
I am glad I said yes to singing at a Christmas party instead of wallowing in my current emotional state of mind.
That Sunday I had asked my friend, Dani, to pray with me before we went home to prepare for our Monday. I knew I needed prayer, because I wanted things to change within me. I didn't want to dread work or have the attitude that I could be doing something better. Something that I felt was taken away from me. A dream that had seemed to be coming true, but ended with heart break and disappointment. Dani was so sweet as we prayed together. All I desired was to love Jesus more and to get the victory over my unthankfulness and bitterness.
Fighting the demons...
I had a nightmare that Sunday night and I remember in my dream that Satan was after me.
I came face to face with him...
I was so scared and all I knew to do was to cry out Jesus' name! I remember so vividly that I cried out to Jesus and woke up. It was a strange feeling that night. I was encouraged to know that even in a nightmare I can call on Jesus.
I took a look at my journal and this is what I wrote;
"I had an evil dream last night, but I remember calling out to Jesus asking Him to deliver and protect me. I woke up. Now I realize that perhaps that was a battle within. Perhaps the demon of bitterness and unthankfulness was coming to attack me. I clung to Jesus that night, and my time with Him this morning was so precious. I do not fear, because I am His."
The vomit...
Monday. It's a day that most people dread, but it wasn't for me that day! Thanks to the time of prayer and my time with Jesus that morning. I was determined to enjoy and to be thankful for every experience at work that day! I got to experience smiling at the children that were waving through my office window and just think how blessed I am to serve these kids. Some come and give me hugs. Some come to tell me stories that leave me laughing. God was opening my eyes to the joys around me. One of the children came into the office that day letting me know that they needed to go home due to not feeling well. This child went on to say that he threw up in the bathroom. I just naturally figured that they made it in the toilet or trash can. Nope. It was all over the entry way of the bathroom. My mind had an arrow of comparison shoot at me as I realized that I'd have to clean it up. The comparison to someone else is dangerous. The thought of not getting what I wanted and having to clean up vomit instead. I could instantly feel unthankfulness sweep over me. I had a decision to make in that moment. Fight the thoughts with God's Word or allow it to take me over with an attitude. I chose to fight. I started saying things that I was thankful for and singing some christian songs. The vomit was cleaned up in no time at all and I had a smile on my face that no one could wipe off! Victory in Jesus! It feels so good to win a battle!
The lioness...
Tuesday. I was going about my regular duties during the lunch hour and I was told by a teacher that I should check up with a situation. I thought I heard the teacher say that a little child was accusing a high schooler of lying. I went over to this little girl and her friends and asked them what happened. They pointed at the high schoolers and said that they were telling them what to do. I talked with the high schoolers and I was informed that the little girl was going to try and eat noodles off the ground(you'll know why in a little bit). The high schooler proceeded to tell me that she let the little girl know that she could get sick from eating off the ground. The high schooler continued to explain that the little girl proceeded to go over to the high schooler and said she is "lying" and "clawed" her arm(the high schooler was not harmed as you will found out what happened). I was so confused, because this did not seem normal for this particular little girl to act like that. I asked the high schooler one last time and re-stated the information to the student. The high schooler corrected me and said, "No, she didn't say I was lying. The little girl said that she was half "lion." In that moment, I couldn't help, but start laughing. I looked at the high schooler and confirmed what this little girl is claiming to be. The high schooler started laughing too as she realized how hilarious kids can be. I went over to the little girl and told her that I had heard that she was half lion. I asked if her brother was half lion as well. She went on to say that she is the only one in the family who is half lion. I went on to explain to her that it is not sanitary for half lions to eat on the ground and that we can only have tame half lions on campus. She wasn't sure what a tame half lion was and so I gave her the definition and helped her see that we need to be kind to everyone despite being half lion. I love my job. No one can make stuff like this up. Kids have the wildest imaginations, and sometimes, I don't mind jumping back on that boat of imagination. It's fun, and it reminds me of times I used to play games that seemed so real. God blessed me with a sweet memory of my childhood imaginations.
The bomb threat...
What a day. It was a great day that took an interesting turn. I enjoyed some good conversations and the work that I loved doing. It was catch up day with inputting attendance, answering emails, phone calls, and supporting the campus.
I remember.
I was at my desk and as I looked out the window I could see a police officer talking to the church secretary below. I watched and realized that something must be wrong. I informed my mom that something was going on and so she went down to see. I remember that the police officer came onto our campus and started taking a look around. My curiosity was getting the best of me. I finally had a moment to talk with my mom, Pam, and she informed me of what was going on. There was a mass email sent to multiple businesses and schools about a bomb being placed on site. Keep in mind that we were not aware that this was a nation wide email until later. All we knew is that an email was sent to the church secretary. The staff was shockingly calm. All of us. I went into leadership mode of informing teachers and making the staff aware of what was happening. Before we knew it a group of firemen went to each classroom and asked everyone to line up outside for immediate evacuation. I grabbed my phone, emergency binder, and rosters of all who were present that day. The children still had no clue as to what was going on. I gave a smile to the kids as I informed them that we were doing something different that day while expressing excitement in my voice with the hopes that the children would enjoy the experience of being escorted by firemen down to open space. What child wouldn't enjoy the opportunity to see firemen, a fire truck, police cars, skip class, and hang out all together in the lower parking lot? Maybe I'm just strange, because I would have been excited as a kid. What is really funny is that the only concern that was expressed from a child was that their ramen was in the microwave. Haha! One of the teachers assured this little girl that no one was going to steal it. The Presbyterian church below was so kind to offer their facilities to us! They led us down the hallway to a huge gymnasium with loads of balls, roller boards, and games. They even pulled down a screen and played fun music videos for the kids. It literally turned into the best day ever for the kids! We were able to contact families to pick up at the Presbyterian Church in no time at all. The whole staff did amazing with helping contact families and supervising the children. I am still so thankful for all the people that God had brought to the Palm Desert Campus. God's peace and blessings were definitely present and fully seen! Our local news showed up and interviewed a few of the staff(including my mom). You could probably still find it through google :)
The reality of working for education.
Whether you realize it or not, educators are the first to put themselves at risk when emergencies happen. My mom stayed up at the campus to help show the firemen and police officers all the rooms, closets, and potential places. I am so thankful for those who know and have sacrificed for their students. I am truly thankful. That is a hero.
Hailey's birthday.
Well, we won't ever forget this day as it was my sister's birthday! Haha! Our very sweet coworker and friend, Milaine, bought Hailey a delicious cake that conveniently arrived as we had just got back to campus. There was caution tape up everywhere and the person that delivered the cake didn't have any questions. It felt weird to have someone deliver cake after the day we had. It was an eventful day to say the least. My head wanted to take a rest from all the problem solving and parent questions. I sure was thankful for the sweets after the event! :)
Thanksgiving.
May I say that focusing on God's goodness and giving thanks to Him will definitely help with times like this. It is almost as if I was prepared for this moment through giving thanks. God fills us with joy. Joy unspeakable and full of glory! Thanksgiving and praise is the greatest antidote against bitterness, fear, anger, and worry. It fills your heart with trust towards a very good Father who has never left us! Our sins tend to darken our surroundings and keep us from seeing the good that our Heavenly Father has bestowed all around us. We are currently in times that leave us feeling unsure about what the outcome may be. Let me tell you that everyday is like that whether we have a life altering virus or not. We have NO idea what tomorrow holds, but we sure do know who holds our tomorrows and that is where our comfort is found.
God will prepare you for whats to come... if you seek Him daily.
He will not leave you and I am amazed how He prepared me to be thankful for His goodness prior to all the craziness. It brings sweet peace to my soul and it frees me to know that my Heavenly Father has my back. I am His. He is mine. His banner over me is love. He frees me to live my life with the gifts and talents that He has blessed me with to glorify and honor Him. To brings others to HIM. To KNOW HIM more. You have talents and gifts that God has given you. May I encourage you to ask God to show you how to use those gifts for Him?
Is God your Heavenly Father?
Please read this post below if you don't know if you are a child of God. It is through simple faith and trust in Jesus Christ that you can be saved, adopted into God's family, and have an eternal home with HIM in heaven.
How to become a child of God
YouTube: God's Love Story To You
May we always be faithful to give thanks and praise to our mighty God!
To God be the Glory!
To Know HIM,
Mackenzie Lea Knouf
Philippians 3:10
"That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;"
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