by Barbara Campbell

Our youngest daughter is a middle school teacher. She has taught me a great lesson for life! I call it the “middle school mentality,” and I am very eager to introduce it to you.

So Marybeth told me that she often has ten “fires” to put out in the classroom all going on at the same time! In order for the day to survive, the lesson to survive, the kids and herself to survive, all she can do is put out the fires.

She can’t find out “why” the fires are there in the first place.
Or who set the fires?
Or what are their names?
Or how to put them out so they won’t come back.

All she can do is put out the fires! And guess what? That’s often all we can do – show up one day at the time, and put out the fires around us! That’s a humbling and “meek-making” thing to do as we acknowledge our poverty of spirit, inviting the Lord to do His thing instead of striving to do our thing!

Matthew 5:3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.”

Just putting out the fires is not emotionally satisfying or intellectually reassuring, but it’s not draining our energies, and therefore allows us to move on. That’s all the Kingdom of God requires – that we show up and keep moving!

For more inspiration from Barbara, listen to the new Godcast on our website:
https://stfrancisgreenlawn.org/godcastpodcast/