Queen Jen's Gems

 When you want to take a real good look at a room or item, you view it from every possible angle. You may even use a tool, such as a magnifying glass or a microscope, to help you see something more clearly. At first glance, it may look okay. But, after careful inspection, you see details and cracks that may not be obvious at first. For those of you who may not know, I am a teacher. Last week was my first week back at work. During the first week, there is a lot of unpacking and cleaning that needs to be done in the classroom. In my unpacking, I had one particular crate that I had taken items out of. At the bottom of the crate, there was a small crack. Now the crack wasn't huge, but it was big enough to notice if you got closer to it. It was big enough that I didn't want to use it to put any items in. After all, that was the purpose of the crate. So, I put it in the hallway and labeled it as trash because I couldn't use it anymore. Just like that crate had to be inspected, ou...

 I just want to say upfront that I have a problem with this! Now, I don't struggle with letting everything go, but there is one area I'm constantly working on. Can anyone guess what it is (you may struggle with the same thing!)?!! For me, it is letting go of my past mistakes. That's it! Can anyone else relate?! I am an overthinker, so I am constantly working on my thoughts and asking God to help me. It is important we renew our mind as Romans 12:2 talks about. We have to constantly do this daily and as many times a day as needed. I find I dwell on the "could have, should have" part and that only magnifies the problem. I have to constantly remind myself not to let my mistakes define me. Our mistakes are not who we are and do not define us. Within this last year, I have struggled with it even more as I attempted tests and had goals. However, I didn't get the results I wanted then. I got disappointed in myself. Then, I had to encourage myself. At one point, I eve...