Tag Archives: Me and Thee

Margins Really Do Matter

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It’s 8:45am and I’m (surprisingly) perfectly content letting the kids sleep in.

After 17 years in the classroom, I often find it difficult to deviate from my schedule.   We’d normally be finished with Bible and most of History at 8:45.

We’ve been at home almost 2 years now and I’m learning to embrace the flexibility home schooling provides.  We’re diligent and I can justify days like today… days when I’m particularly aware of how important a little white space (as Lysa Terkeurst calls it) is in our lives.  In the hustle and bustle of 2015, I’m more and more convinced that Margins Really Do Matter.

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Our home church hosted The Tabernacle Experience the week before Easter.  It was an amazing event.  Not only did I enjoy every minute of it, I know our community was blessed.  I’m so grateful our family was able to serve!

Monday was the first day I’d been at home more than an hour here and there.  After 10 days of quick ins and outs the house was a mess, the lawn was overgrown, and the laundry was in need of attention.  I’m not sure when the kids showered last and they were super grouchy Monday and Tuesday.   To be perfectly honest with you, I’ve been in a grouchy cleaning frenzy the last 2 days, too.

The house is clean, the laundry’s done… it’s time to rest.

I’m in the middle of Lysa Terkerurst’s book  Unglued.  She addresses this subject arguing, “The Bible makes it very clear that we are to pursue rest.  We are to hit the pause button on life once a week and guard our rest.  Guard it fiercely.  Guard it intentionally.  Guard it even if our schedules beg us not to.” She sums up her thoughts with a simple, “Where there is a lack of rest, there is an abundance of stress.”

Our Senior Pastor finished a series last month on Spiritual Disciplines.  Don comes from a printing background and explained the idea of rest in a unique way.  He spoke of margins on a page as being important to visually make sense of the text.  If every bit of white space on a page were printed on, the message would be lost.

These encouragements to rest have begged a powerful examination of my life.  Do I allow for some white space in my days?  Do I take time to process in such a way that I daily 1) worship and seek The Lord, 2) remember the beauty of these precious days with my family, 3) and build relationships with those around me?

Pastor Don used another powerful example of “margins” in our life.

Consider the traffic flow of a busy intersection.  The yellow light imposes “margin” that prevents accidents.  However, when we use every second of the green and yellow lights and a tiny bit of the red and the other drivers at the same intersection do as well, accidents will surely happen.

If you’re anything like me, you use all of the “green”, all of the “yellow” and a tiny bit of the “red” in your life as well.  I believe I’ll take today to hit the brakes and enjoy the scenery.  I hope you will as well.

Before you leave the site, follow my blog (top, right of this post).  It’s quick and easy! 

For more from Marea, check out Me and Thee Studios’ faith based leveled readers for 1st-2nd graders at http://www.meandtheestudios.com/early-reader-collection.html

Chain of Command Really Does Matter

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I thought I knew it all when I graduated from Howard Payne University with my bachelor’s degree.  I accepted my first teaching position at 22 and was a know-it-all for several years.  I vividly remember (and certainly regret) a couple of times that I, thinking very highly of myself and ignoring many other variables of a situation, went higher up the ladder than I should have in sharing concerns.  Correction was swift and painful.  I certainly learned (I’ve often had to learn things the hard way) that Chain-of-Command Really Does Matter.

chain of command

Every organization has a certain structure for its leadership and decision making.  The employees are hired and placed in given positions along a continuum of authority.

In the school system, the “highest position” on that continuum of authority is the school board.  The school board hires the superintendent.  The superintendent interviews and recommends the hiring of department directors and principals.  The directors and principals, in turn, interview and hire for positions within their departments and on their campuses.

In sharing concerns – As a teacher, I was expected to address my concerns with my principal first.  My principal would take my concerns on to the superintendent if necessary, and the superintendent would take my concerns on to the school board should that be required.  If I felt like I’d given my principal several opportunities to handle a situation and I was still concerned, then (and only then) could I take my concerns up one step on the continuum to the superintendent.

Chain-of-Command began to make more sense to me as I dealt with parental concerns the first several years of my teaching career.  I certainly hoped parents would first come to me and give me an opportunity to correct things in my classroom before involving the principal or, heaven forbid, the superintendent and school board.  Often times I had no idea there was a problem and when it was brought to my attention it was a mis-understanding that was easily corrected or a problem that was solved with a little bit of communication.

Ultimately, people are hurt and situations can be magnified more than is necessary when chain-of-command is not followed.  Chain-of-command is really the extension of grace and compassion, offering others an opportunity to correct a situation without infusing fear, bitterness, or offense.

In sharing information –   Not only is it important to follow chain-of-command when addressing concerns, but it is important to follow chain-of-command when sharing information.

When I decided to leave the classroom early last Spring, my principal knew before anyone else.  I served a unique and specific student population and my departure was going to allow for some reorganization that would take some real problem-solving.  I wanted to give him an opportunity to begin planning for my replacement.  I left on very good terms and was very careful to strengthen relationships as I left rather than burning bridges.

Franklin and I have thought quite a bit about this subject this week in particular.

For 2 years Franklin has felt God calling him to full-time ministry.  He was ready to walk in obedience but did not know where or when that might happen.  God has provided an opportunity in the last 2 months and we feel blessed to have a more single-minded focus for ministry as a family.

On Tuesday, Franklin was offered an Associate Pastoral position at a local church.  Franklin’s deep connections in our schools and in the church we have served with for 15 years required immediate conversations within each organization.  The conversations were emotionally exhausting for us and for many of our loved ones, men and women we consider family.  God certainly went before Franklin as Franklin’s heart was to be obedient and remain in order.

What else would you share with a new college graduate who is bright and eager to change the world with regards to chain-of-command?  Join the conversation by replying at the top of this post.

Before you leave the site, why not follow my blog (top, right of this post)?  It’s quick and easy 

For more from Marea, check out Me and Thee Studios’ faith based leveled readers for 1st-2nd graders at http://www.meandtheestudios.com/early-reader-collection.html.