Susanne Maynes

Accusation is a loud bully, clamoring in our minds unceasingly. Most of us can rehearse our own shortcomings at a moment’s notice, but what we really want to know is what we’ve done right.

We want affirmation. We want vindication. We want public accolades. Yet the positive feedback we crave often comes in a whisper.

I spent fourteen years home schooling our three sons, believing this was what God had called me to do. The unspoken opinion of many around us seemed to be, Are you sure you can do this adequately? 

Self-doubt crept in. I prayed. I researched. I got together with like-minded people. I kept teaching our sons.

Many years passed before I heard the feedback I hoped for. Finally, when our sons were in college, compliments from professors slowly filtered back to me. The most rewarding moment was at a reception honoring English scholarship winners, where the head of the education department personally thanked me for the job I did with home schooling.

God was letting me know I had made the right choice, but he didn’t do it with a public accolade. Vindication came through a few quiet, authoritative voices – and that was enough.

Part of us wants the public shout-out. We want to prove to everyone that we did something well. But the real reward is in having our Audience of One whisper His approval.

So I’m learning not to worry about what everyone thinks, and I’m learning to listen for those special times when God lets me know I’ve been on track.

After all, His opinion is the only one that matters.

Sometimes when I’m looking for a movie to watch, the only thing that fits the bill is a bizarre nature documentary. Not only are they fascinating; they demonstrate how creation teaches spiritual lessons. There is a very long, shallow lake in Africa that never gets more than a foot deep, and dries up into salty mud puddles when the rainy season ends. Thousands of flamingos return to this lake every year to lay their eggs and raise their young. Baby flamingos run around in this salty soup until they grow large enough to graduate to the world of the marshes. They are relatively safe on the Continue Reading

Ever drag yourself out of bed in the morning thinking, would someone please remind me of the point?  I suspect most of us experience emotional meltdowns now and then. We get irritated and depressed. We overstimulate ourselves and then can’t sleep. Everything feels impossible; nothing seems inspiring or fun. We barely tolerate the presence of others. That’s me one day not long ago. So I decide to take a walk, and turn onto a street I don’t normally take, just on a whim. He’s maybe four years old, the little kid coming toward me on a scooter. He waves and says hi. I say hi back. I see a Continue Reading