Whatsoever Things Are Good

Well, school has started for another year for me! I am so excited for it! Last year was a difficult year at school. There was so much negativity, grumbling and dissatisfaction among the staff that it was hard some days to be there. Two teachers were let go during the school year and that caused a lot of upheaval. Both were tenured so several staff members were very unhappy about that. But they were changes that needed to be made. We had HUGE staff turnover this year. We only had one middle school teacher returning. But these are all good things. Last week was the week when all staff came back to school for meetings, room preparation, etc., getting ready for kids to come in on Monday. The atmosphere was totally different. This is not to say that there are not pockets of dissatisfaction but it is not pervading the staff.
There has been a real push on the part of our administrative team to squash the grumbling when it begins. There is a push to encourage those who are satisfied to stand up to the grumblers and rebuke them. It works! They may still be grumbling but they are not grumbling to me! The grumbling in the staff work room has diminished significantly. It is SO encouraging!
I have noticed that when you complain and grumble and are generally not thankful for the blessings God has given you, you attract other grumblers and complainers. Soon that is all you can think about; those grievances, slights and wounds. You can't think about the good things in your own life and the way God has blessed even in times of trials. Once you turn the corner and begin to think on those good things and dwell on the many blessings of our faithful Lord, you have a hard time complaining!
I have seen it in the school where I work and in my own church family and here at home. When we complain and pout and generally act like a pill, we make ourselves miserable. Then of course we want to blame others for our own stinky attitude. "Well he shouldn't have done that, said that, acted that way to me". "It's his fault (or her's) and I shouldn't have to be the one to reconcile". I have been doing a lot of thinking about the "good things" lately. I look back on those difficult years right after my husband was fired from his last ranch job and thankfully God has brought me to a place where I can see His hand in all of it and can see the blessings of losing the job, having a business partner who left us holding a mountain of debt, and all of the other things that happened during that time. I also see how He uses the faithful preaching of His word and the fellowship of the saints to bring us to repentance if we belong to Him.
This is why He did tell us to think on those things that are good. When our heart dwells on the good things, we can experience the joy of our salvation. When we dwell on the "bad" things we rob ourselves of that joy.
It is with a joyful and a thankful heart that I say,
Till next time...