Marcia, Marcia, Marcia

If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. ~ Philippians 3: 4-8

Marcia, Cindy, & Jan Brady

 

“First born and female? Why being the eldest girl means you are more likely to succeed.”
First born and female

This was the title of a post recently featured on an online news website. It summarized a study conducted by the University of Essex which claims that “firstborn girls are statistically more likely to be the most highly qualified of all their family.” The author highlighted the names of notable firstborns such as Hilary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, J.K. Rowling, and Beyoncé (in that order). It was posted two days ago, and it already has almost 9,000 shares and 150 comments.

And admittedly, as a typical Marcia Brady, I nodded my head and thought, Well, obviously! (See the link below for evidence that firstborn girl supremacy has existed since the 1970’s!) Brady Bunch - Marcia, Marcia, Marcia

But really, no study could have better defined my personal god of choice: achievement.

Let's get real for a minute: If someone were to ask you who you are, what would you say? An engineer? An American? A mother? A Red Sox fan? Editor of the school newspaper? For me, I would picture a trophy wall and begin prioritizing my most glittering accomplishments...

"To put it in the mildest terms, I am an overachiever. If anyone else thinks he has reason to be confident in his perfectionism, I have more: Straight A’s and varsity letters, baby. Captain of the team and president of the honor society. As to school, Most Likely to Succeed. As to community, Girl Scout 13 years straight. As to church, Eager Beaver Hand-Raiser. Trophies, ribbons, plaques, certificates, scholarships, prom court, honor stole, high school diploma, college acceptance letter: check, check, check."

Sound familiar?

In a culture that accepts and rewards workaholics, success is nothing to be embarrassed about. In fact, if you got it, flaunt it. Even the Bible supports that achievements can be acts of worship.

The question is, Worship of whom?

“Everyone then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” ~Matthew 7:24-27

For my high-achieving sisters and brothers in Christ, we live somewhere between the rock and the sand. We say that our work is dedicated to the Lord, we say that it’s all for His glory, but all too often we’re looking over our shoulders at our own castles. Our diplomas, our promotions, our titles. Things I earned, things I sacrificed for, things I need to give me significance.

And if we’re lucky, that’s about the time when God sends a wave. A big one.

And when the wave comes, and it will, castles in the sand will vanish. And you're left with a choice: start digging again or rest on the rock?

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. ~Philippians 3:8

Kyle Idleman puts it this way: “Achievements are good things until they become our gods. They can help make this world a better place. But in the end, we can’t put our faith in them because they shrivel like all the stuff of the world, and they are blown away.” Gods at War, p.183

So Marcia, Marcia, Marcia, who are you - really? Will you go back to being a castle-builder, or will you choose to lay it all at the feet of Jesus? As for me, I don't want anything on earth to define who I am. I am more complex than a diploma. I am more intricately designed than my mirror reflection. And He is more than worthy of defining me, without anything but my heart.

Yes, there is work to be done. So let's work depending on His sufficiency, trusting in His will, and saying together, “All of this belongs to You.”

“There is not one square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine, that belongs to me!’” ~Abraham Kuyper

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Bolivia Day Celebration! One of my favorite days of the academic year is when we celebrate the beautiful country of Bolivia through song and dance. Students PreK-12, as well as the teachers, prepare special dance performances in traditional costumes. Hundreds of people from the community come every year to watch this fantastic show!

 

 Waiting in the Student Section

 

 

 My third graders dancing the Macheteros

 

 

 

My roommates, Maegan & Kelly.
(Yes, it was a couples dance this year, and yes I am wearing a man's costume.)

 

Playing the charango (10 string, mandolin type instrument) in our Bolivian folk band!

 

 

Another quick update! Over Easter break this year, two friends (Bekah & Sara) and I went on a wonderful trip to Machu Picchu in Peru. God blessed our journey with safe travel, good food, and great company.

 

We took a PeruRail train to Aguas Calientes, the small tourist town close to Machu.

It was extremely foggy when we arrived, which made the whole scene quite spooky. Still just as beautiful.

The Watchman's House (More than 4,000 people come to visit Machu Picchu everyday!)

 

Lllamas and alpacas roam free through the park.

Urubamba River, 3,000 feet below

 

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing this journey with me, friends! Hard to believe there's only one month left of our 2013-2014 school year. As always, thank you for your prayers and encouragement! Leave me some love in the Comment section below or share this with someone you know :)