Happy Thursday!

Psalm 56:11 “In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.”

God loves us so very much. He loves us so much that when trials and troubles enter our lives and at times seem completely overwhelming, God can turn those tough times and situations to work His perfect will in our lives. Because of God’s extraordinary compassion and tender mercies for his children, our tough times cannot destroy us.
God’s presence in the tough times is like sunlight in our path. Darkness can be really scary, but the light of God’s love allows us to trust in Him and go forward unafraid. His grace is sufficient for all of our needs.

Part of the meditation I read tonight said “From now a new Life is opening out before you. Yours to enter into the Kingdom I have prepared for you.”

I began to think of my future beyond the role of an educator. Being a classroom teacher is all I have ever done as a career. And then I think about Geni as her career as a teacher is just about to take off. Where did the time go and how did we reach this place in the road? I think of all she has before her and what a fabulous teacher she is going to make and the difference she will make in the lives of those children she teaches. I look and listen each day as she tells exciting stories about the children she is working with in a classroom in Northwest ISD.

Knowing that in the not too distant future I will not teach children is a bittersweet thought. I am excited at the prospect of becoming a full time student and a little sad at leaving the only career I have ever known. (This feeling really surprises me!) I am not sure when that time will happen, but I know that when it does, it will be a rite of passage from one life into another. I place my trust in God to prepare me to leave the world of being the educator and entering the full time world of being educated in the field of divinity. I must learn to trust and go forward unafraid. My prayer for Geni is that she, too, will trust and will go forward unafraid. Whoever would have thought that these prayers at opposite ends of the spectrum of our lives would have the same meaning.

So here is the question…How will you respond when God calls you to service? I fought seminary for years until I finally responded in obedience to the call of Christ. We are not all called into the professional pastoral ministry, but we are all called to serve. As children of God and followers of Christ, just as Jesus did in the garden we must trust and go forward unafraid. What a journey our God is sending us on!

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes, count your blessings and say your prayers. Let us continue to pray for each other each day. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.