It's not about you.

Welp team.. we made it! We are officially in Dallas all moved in and everything as of last Monday, which just happened to be the first day of school.

I can hear all the teachers gasping as they read that last sentence.

Yep. First Day of School…

So let me back up for you just a bit.

Before we moved up here, I (being a teacher), had to be up here a week early for Professional Development. This means that for 2 weeks I have been in transition is probably every aspect of my life. I'll lay it out for you:

Monday - Friday: Professional Development

Friday Night: Drive back to Houston to pack up the rest of the house

Sunday: Drive Back

Monday: First Day of School + Movers come

… Meanwhile, I am at a completely new school with new curriculum and am possibly losing my mind. Dealing with HR, getting original transcripts, participating in school professional development, all while trying to figure out what the heck is happening in my curriculum.

It. Was. Crazy.

This was not news to me. I knew the week before school was going to be nuts, I had just played it down in my mind a little.

I started off the week strong. Not too overwhelmed, preparing myself for all the information that was to come, but as the week went on… all the thoughts were racing through my head. Being overwhelmed was stating it lightly…

"My room isn't done!"
"What am I doing next week?"
"How do I work this program?"
"Where can I find this training?"
" I don't have enough time"
"My room isn't decorated"
"I don't have enough cute ideas"
"I'm going to be the boring teacher"


By the end of the week, I am throwing a full fledged pity party in my mind. Party decor was up and 1 of 1 was in attendance.  Poor, pitiful, stressed Caitlyn. So much to do… so much to learn…

So as I'm driving back to Houston, I put on a podcast by Francis Chan called "Fight the Good Fight". Seemed like a title I needed at the time. HAH! Funny how God speaks to us..

In this, He was calling us to know the truth, to fight for justice and what is right in the sight of God, to praise God in all things, and most importantly to stop being consumed with ourselves. He kept saying "It's not about you". Your marriage, your family, your job… all good things to be enjoyed, but they are not about you.

As I sat there in my car, that resonated with me. What I'm doing… this teaching job God called me to in Dallas, wasn't about me. It was about Him. His glory and investing in the people He had placed me with. DUH! How could I have forgotten that when just a couple weeks ago, He worked a miracle and gave me this wonderful job!?

It's amazing to me how so suddenly after rejoicing in the blessings, we can turn them into overwhelming burdens. How we can be so stinking forgetful of all the things the Lord has done so quickly.

It is just silly. I had turned these unreal blessings to burdens in my head. All because I was so focused on myself.

Just me. Not God. Not anyone else. Not the incredible, sweet, and not to mention unbelievably helpful staff I was surrounded with. All I could think about were the blessings that had turned burden in my head.

And THAT was where the pity party started. Staring at me, myself, and I.

So of course, because it was a 4 hour drive, God reminded what a friend once told me. She was explaining her situation to me, that she was throwing a pity party for herself, and as clear as day she heard God say "I'm not going there". She was throwing herself a little pity party, but God wasn't about to join her in there… she making a conscious decision to head there all by herself, which was exactly what I was doing as the week was coming to a close.

But isn't that SO true? What a sweet reminder. God doesn't follow us into our pity party… we are throwing that event all on our own. He's not joining you for the "Feel sorry for (insert your name here)" party. Because He has given us everything. Everlasting life in Him through Jesus. More than we could ever ask for. And He still gives us more!

He is waiting for us to return to Him, to praise Him in ALL things because He is a good, good Father.  And that is where I want to be… with Him… step by step… walking with Him in all things.

"Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, this about these things." Philippians 4:8 

I don't know where you are at, friend, but if your season of life is a little crazy right now like mine is, lets look up. I pray that we would stop focusing on us and start praising God because ITS NOT ABOUT US.

It's about Him.

May that be our year. Let us be grateful and walk praising Him daily.