Immediately the Holy Spirit urged Jesus [Danielle] into the desert.

For
forty days [minutes]… (Mark 1:12-13)

Danielle -The Forty Minute Fast

In early August Danielle Ortiz attended the San Antonio area Christian Educators
Association summer Starting Line conference. It was the first time she ever attended such
an event. She had been a seven year math instructor at Wellsprings Junior High School
which was located in an affluent suburban San Antonio neighborhood. Several days before
the conference she was informed that she had been selected for an inner city high school
associate principal position in the downtown San Antonio area. She knew God was calling
her there and that she needed to spiritually prepare herself for the coming year. She knew
she was going to have to face her growing fears with faith and an understanding that God
was calling her and leading her in this new professional position.
At the beginning of the Starting Line conference, Danielle participated in a spiritual
exercise called The Forty Minute Fast. During this time she was asked not to eat or drink or
talk to other participants. She was to leave behind her cell phone and purse. All she could
take with her was a Bible, pen, and a journal. She was encouraged to find a place to be alone
with Jesus in the elementary school building where the conference was being held. She was
encouraged to complete the following open ended sentences as led by the Lord…
Jesus wants to tell me_________________.
A Bible verse He wants me to pray this year for myself is___________________.
A Bible verse He wants me to pray for the school where I serve is ____________________.
Two or three professional objectives Jesus has for me this year are________________________.

With her journal, pen and Bible in hand, Danielle left the meeting room and quietly whispered aloud to Jesus, “Where do you
want us to go?”
Jesus led her into a kindergarten classroom which reminded her that she was beginning a new journey. All the chairs were
tiny. It was such a foreign educational environment to her. Big block numbers one through ten were attached to the wall. She saw
against the blank white dry erase board a black cross formed by the shadow of a window frame through which the sun was shining into
the room. There on the floor she sat beneath the cross and whispered, “Speak to me O Lord. I am quiet and still.”
She opened her journal and, before hearing anything from the Lord, large tears welled up in her eyes and coursed down over
her cheeks and onto two blank journal pages. These tears were her first entry. It had been years since she had taken time to be alone
with the Lord. She faithfully went to church and was quite active there but this was different, deeper, so much more personal and
intimate; it was something in her relationship with Jesus that had been missing for years. She was always busy, busy, busy for Jesus
but had lost personal contact with Him. She had become a Martha and never seemed to be able to truly rest. There was always
something to be done at home, school, and church. She believed she had been doing it all for Him, but now the truth, like a painful
splinter, was rising to the top in the silence with her tears.
The tears finally stopped and Danielle randomly opened her Bible. She looked at the page before her and through her tears
she read the passage from Jeremiah 6:16 , “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is
and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” It was as if God had lit this verse with neon lights.
Danielle knew she was at a crossroads in life. Both personally and professionally her life was about to change in ways that
she could never imagine and she simply spoke to the Lord saying, “Show me the ancient paths, the good ways. I want to walk in them
and find true rest. Jesus, I need you and I need true rest.” (To be continued.)
Prayer Lord, balance the Mary and Martha in us and lead us to inquire of you regarding our professional lives, in Jesus’ name.
Reflection Am I more of a Martha or Mary? Which does Jesus want me to be? Do I inquire of God each year before school starts to
get His professional agenda for me? Do I share this with others? Would this practice be beneficial? Why or why not?
Getting Real Go on a Forty Minute Fast as described above in the devotional and inquire of the Lord. Invite other Christian teachers
to join you. Share the results of your fast with two other Christian educators who will help hold you accountable for fulfilling God’s
agenda for you throughout the year.
CLASSROOM LIGHTHOUSE SERIES: THE MASTER’S DEGREE (For info or prayer contact ceaihouston@sbcglobal.net.) WEEK 1
Image “Casual Young Woman Holding a Clock” by stock photos at freedigitalphotos.net