Words for the weary.

The Lord God has given me the tongue of disciples, that I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple. 
Isaiah 50:4

Thursday was a rough day at work. I'm not sure what happened Wednesday night but the entire 4th grade class was not themselves on Thursday. Three of my students cried and I had to pull two students out of class to have a chat about respect. In our tutoring classroom I sit in one corner and due to various reasons the tutor that works diagonally across the room from me has little respect from the students she works with so her group is often quite disruptive to the rest of us. On Thursday one of her students actually told her to shut up when she asked him to do something and then he kicked her under the table and accused her of kicking him. I was shocked by the level of disrespect but after being here for the time that I've been here I shouldn't be too surprised.

Waking up Friday morning  was difficult but during my time of devotion I read Isaiah 50 and verse 4 became an encouragement to me. It truly is the Lord that sustains us each and every moment and it is He that awakens us morning by morning. The more that I talk to my co-workers and students the more burdened I feel to pray for these kids. Most of them have little control over the environment they're growing up in and many of them are victims of poor choices made by their parents/guardians. My prayer is that I may have a well-instructed tongue so that the words I speak may sustain the weary. Throughout the day there are many words that I want to say to both the kids and to my co-workers but I realize that they may not all be words that can help to sustain the weary, I need Him to awaken my ears so that I may listen and speak the words He gives.

Here are pictures to recap parts of this weekend:

My roommate got engaged this weekend! Don't have the group pics yet but here's us waiting/hiding.

Typical Solomon.

 Crunchy chicken: nut-crusted, provolone, buttermilk ranch, pretzel bun

Quinoa: corn, tomato, butternut squash, chimichurri

Tuscan Kale: golden raisins, toasted pine nuts, parmesan

Jazz Festival. A nice way to relax after a busy week at work.

To end a busy Saturday we had a engagement celebration dinner at Peking Cuisine but I was too hungry and forgot to take pictures. The food was delicious though, trust me.