{"id":119,"date":"2009-02-12T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2009-02-12T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/booksbylyncote.com\/SWBS\/?p=119"},"modified":"2009-02-12T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2009-02-12T13:00:00","slug":"when-i-am-weak-i-am-strong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/booksbylyncote.com\/SWBS\/uncategorized\/when-i-am-weak-i-am-strong","title":{"rendered":"When I am weak; I am strong"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Renee Ryan is another of the special ladies who write for Love Inspired. I was delighted when she agreed to guest blog today. When I read her posting, it made me think of 2 Corinthians 12 where Paul speaks about how God used weakness to make Paul stronger.<\/p>\n

But here’s what Renee has to say!<\/p>\n

\u201cBlessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.\u201d Matthew 5:5<\/p>\n

When Lyn invited me to blog here today I started thinking about godly strength and what it means to be strong as Christ was strong. I started wondering (and worrying) if I\u2019ve ever displayed the kind of strength he meant when he said, \u201cBlessed are the meek.\u201d I started digging deep into my past to see if I had ever been strong in a situation that could have easily turned ugly with a harsh word or inappropriate reaction.<\/p>\n

And then I thought of my early days as a high school teacher. I had a female ninth grade student who decided on day one that she hated me. We\u2019ll call this student, Hope. Now, when I say Hope hated me, I mean she really hated me. I had taken over for another teacher midyear, a teacher Hope had adored. In Hope\u2019s mind, that made me the bad guy. I could do nothing right. She didn\u2019t even like the way I buttoned my coat.<\/p>\n

Like many teenage girls, Hope was brilliant at insulting me without actually insulting me. You know the kind. She was a master at the passive\/aggressive barb. She pushed me to the very edge of my limit, yet she always stopped one step short of doing anything I could actually discipline her for. After all, if I wrote a referral for every teenage eye roll and dirty look my hand would have fallen off my first day on the job. Miss Hope was smart enough to know this.<\/p>\n

No matter how many conversations I had with this girl, she refused to change her mind about me. The school year finally drew to a close and I thought I had seen the last of her. Then my principal handed me my roster for the next year. Guess what name I saw on the roll for my very first class of the day?<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t believe I was going to have to spend another year with Hope and her eye rolls and thinly veiled insults. I couldn\u2019t do it. I just couldn\u2019t do it. Unfortunately, I had no choice. I was the only teacher teaching that particular subject. I was stuck!<\/p>\n

For weeks prior to school starting, I dreamed up all sorts of way to make this kid\u2019s life as miserable as she\u2019d made mine the year before. But I knew I wouldn\u2019t follow through. I was the adult, she was the child. I finally decided to try Christ\u2019s way. At this point, I had nothing to lose.<\/p>\n

So there I was, standing outside my classroom, greeting my new students on the first day of school. Here comes Hope strolling down the hallway, staring right at me with a smirk on her face and an ugly gleam in her eye. It was a look that said, \u201cLady, here I come, your worst nightmare.\u201d<\/p>\n

But instead of sneering in return, which I really wanted to do, I smiled at her instead. And I mean, I gave her a genuine smile. No faking was allowed. She\u2019d see through it anyway. Then I said, \u201cHope, I\u2019m really glad to see you this morning. You of all people know that I\u2019m still really new at this teaching thing. Would you sit in the front row so I\u2019ll have at least one familiar face to look at today?\u201d I meant every word. I just prayed she\u2019d live up to my new expectations of her.<\/p>\n

I guess my speech took her off guard. She stopped dead in her tracks, cocked her head and simply stared at me for a full minute. And then, something wonderful happened. She returned my smile and said, \u201cAbsolutely. You can count on me.\u201d<\/p>\n

From that day forward, Hope became one of my biggest fans. She is and will probably always be one of the best students I\u2019ve ever had.<\/p>\n

My heroine in THE MARSHAL TAKES A BRIDE, my current release, is a school teacher as well. Although the set-up is far different from mine, Katherine also deals with people who decide they hate her on sight. I can honestly say, when writing this particular heroine, I drew on my own experiences. J So tell me, do you have a similar story you\u2019d like to share?<\/p>\n

Thank you, Lyn, for having me here today. I consider it an honor to share my thoughts on \u201cstrong women, brave stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

Renee Ryan writes for the Steeple Hill line Love Inspired Historical line. Her fabulous editor is Melissa Endlich. Her first book in the Charity House series, The Marshall Takes a Bride is a February 2009 release. Her next book in the series, Hannah\u2019s Beau hits the shelves July 2009. For further information check out www.reneeryan.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Renee Ryan is another of the special ladies who write for Love Inspired. I was delighted when she agreed to guest blog today. When I read her posting, it made me think of 2 Corinthians 12 where Paul speaks about …<\/span> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nWhen I am weak; I am strong - booksbylyncote.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/booksbylyncote.com\/SWBS\/uncategorized\/when-i-am-weak-i-am-strong\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"When I am weak; I am strong - booksbylyncote.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Renee Ryan is another of the special ladies who write for Love Inspired. 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