Exciting Future Ahead!

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

When the course I was set to teach at a local college was canceled this term, I felt frustrated. This was the third time this year that had happened. Last fall, it had been the Writing course. Someone had been chosen from within. But as far as I understood it, the course had been mine to teach. Then, this spring, I was ready to teach an Asian Studies course as well as a Western Classics course. I found out early enough that the Asian Studies was not required and as thus, the administration would not be offering it. So, I didn't prepare. But I did a lot of preparation for the Lit course. None of that time would be reimbursed. Once I got past the surprise, I kind of felt relieved - except for the loss in pay, of course.

That left me without any of the money I'd counted on bringing in and no money in reserve. All year I had been dipping into my retirement funds, and paying my bills with my small teacher's salary at the Christian academy where I teach Spanish.

So, God, what is it that you want to do with me now? Why did you close that door?

A quick inquiry into the public school system showed me that I had no leg to stand on without a teaching certificate. God, do you want me to get that? But how? With what money? What funding? And how shall I get there? What transportation? All of these questions swam around in my mind.

But somehow I don't feel daunted. God is in charge of my life. God has a plan. A plan to prosper me and not to harm me. I'll let Him work out the details. I'm even beginning to get over feeling miffed that I have to go back and get that Teacher's Certification. I am sure that the education courses will help me in my future job. It can't hurt me. I'm starting to feel excited!

Yes, I am. I always love studying when I put my heart into it. I'm a lifelong learner. I don't think that you should ever stop learning, whether it's from the teacher's or the student's perspective. The lines always blur, don't they?

The college that I'm interested in is about forty-five minutes away from where I live so God will have to provide me with transport. But there's a Office Student Disabilities Department. That's a positive first step. I'll speak with them.

As many of my readers know, I have a visual and hearing disability. The visual disability restricts me from driving, and from seeing quite a bit, especially once darkness falls. The hearing loss will affect my progress in the classroom - unless I trust that I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me. If I can teach, I can learn. It's as simple as that. God will enable me.

And I'm really excited about perhaps substituting the required special education courses with a course entitled "Mild to Moderate Disabilities." This will give me a better focus on my ultimate goal, which is to work with the blind. I think even for my student teaching I can put myself in a classroom in which I deal with blind students. Is this what God has in mind for me?

Lord, I have to trust you. I don't have the money I was making overseas. But I know from past experiences that you will provide everything I need to succeed in my studies. You will also help me to help my family financially before I take that on. Thank you God, for what you are about to do in my life. You are so beautiful!! I'm thrilled to be in the center of Your will and open to what You have in store for me.

The Best Is Yet To Come

A Devotional

“Give me discernment that I may understand your statutes.” Psalm 119:125 (NIV)

“Lemme hear it again, nurse!”

I lived for that single moment each day to hear the heartbeat of my baby when the nurse came through the ward. After weeks in the hospital, I dared dream my baby would live. But in the sixth month of my pregnancy, they rushed me onto the operating table and delivered a tiny girl who weighed 350 grams. They told me she had twenty-five percent chance of survival. Later, when the consultant came to explain that she had died, why was I shocked?

How could God let me glimpse the desire of my heart and then take it away?

Other disappointments entered my life. My writing seemed to be going nowhere fast. Articles got rejected. My book was taking too long to write. I didn’t get hired for a teaching job I felt particularly suited for. The relationship I’d just started finished much too soon…

I know my desires are Godly. When I view each one from my perspective, I can see that it seems good. It looks good. It feels right. That job at the ivy league university seemed perfect for me. My articles looked polished. I felt this man had Godly characteristics that would draw me closer to him and God…

It doesn’t matter how big or small the disappointment is, it still attacks my confidence level. How can God show me the desires of my heart and then whisk them away?

I've thought about this a lot. Maybe it's because He knows our future, which we don't. Does He want to develop our patience and trust Him to give us what He knows is best?

What I’ve learned is that we need to wait on God’s timing. Sometimes Satan sends us distracters, something good, but not something particularly right for us - immediately before God sends us the best. And we'll miss the best if we are not tuned into God’s will for our lives. Why settle for good when we can receive the best?

Our choices impact every single decision we make in life so we must learn to view them from God’s viewpoint. When we make any decision, we must continually ask God for a discerning spirit to see that something for what it really is. When God closes a door, I’m learning that it’s essential to trust Him if I want the best for myself and to fulfill His plan for my life.

Faith doesn’t just happen. We have to grow it by trusting God, especially when we feel disappointed. The upside is that God will comfort us and draw us closer to Him. Developing a discerning spirit will mature my faith, and I’ll be ready when He sends me the real deal. It might not be the job I think I want, or the magazine I think I want to be published in, or even the partner I imagine myself with. But it will be God’s best.

Lord, please help me to seek out Your will for my life. You know my temperament, my attitudes, and my abilities. You’ve already planned my future. Show me how to write the words that will inspire others to know you better. Let me teach the students whose hearts I can touch the most. Reveal the partner that You’ve chosen for me. Help me to seek out Your best.