purpose.

word of the day: purpose /ˈpərpəs/ something that one hopes or intends to accomplish

I taught my ninth graders about author's purpose today.  We talked about how every writer has a reason for writing, and that every writer brings a unique perspective to the craft.  We talked about word choice and the fact that writers very deliberately choose words to extend their tone.

I always love a good discussion about words.

So, here I sit, five hours after my discussion on purpose has ended as a writer seemingly without a purpose.  There's not a coherent plan in my mind, just the desire to let my fingers tap, tap across my keyboard because the rhythmic sound is therapeutic to my ever-buzzing mind.  The tap, tap reminds me that it's ok to slow down. 

It's quiet in my house right now.  Jake's headphones are plugged into his ears while he listens to the latest med school lecture, but every now and then he'll whistle whatever song is playing in his mind.  I don't really notice the whistling anymore--white noise I guess.  I'm not even sure he notices.

Jake and I are really good at appreciating breaks.  Last Christmas break, we watched two entire seasons of Parks and Recreation in three days.  We didn't reach such an impressive feat this year, but we did manage to get through twelve episodes of "Friday Night Lights" in four days. 

I'm a sucker for drama.  There's something about watching what seems to be another person's real life that glues me to the screen.  The pilot episode of FNL (what real fans call it apparently) had me crying already.  And apparently that's not even the most emotional episode. 

Good grief.

I've been trying to look at my world as Jesus looks at my world.  I've been trying to take a moment each morning in my classroom to ask Him to let me see my world through His eyes.  I'm learning that my lens and God's lens are often very different.  I'm also learning that they don't have to be.  When I look through my world through God's lens, ultimately the tone and purpose of my day becomes drastically different.

There we go.  I wasn't sure if I was going to make it full circle this time. 

My lens is clouded.  It's clouded most often, I'm learning, by pride.  Pride affects the way I look at my world because it inevitably focuses the lens on myself. 

When I view my world as Jesus views my world, the people who frustrate me are the people who need love the most.  The people who aggravate me are the people who need grace the most.  The people who would generally go unnoticed suddenly become placed at the forefront of my mind.

Because God notices the unoticeable.

It's a scary prayer to pray, "Let me see the world through Your eyes," but I'm glad my pastor encouraged me to pray it.  It reminds me on a daily basis that it's not enough to simply go through my day hoping God uses me in some form or another. 

It involves me in the purpose, it provides me with perspective, and it reflects the tone of my heart.