Students to Love

As much as I have been apprehensive about starting work at the school again and getting into that routine, I'm happy to be over the hump. The first one, anyways!

I have met my new students. Five fantastic masterpieces... full of promise and potential. And I am privileged to work with them.

One on one.
Twice a week.
My opportunity to make a difference.

To speak life into one who calls himself an idiot. He comes across with such bravado, but underneath he needs to know he's so valuable and precious. I feel like we broke through and that I made a friend. Ah sweet victory... may Jesus bless those moments we spend together to learn far more than how to decode words.

To encourage the young man who is so out of his element in the school atmosphere, but so brilliant with his hands and machinery. He literally glows when he talks about his home business and he so proudly handed me his card.

To help the little ones held back another year to make sense of the letters and words that keep appearing before them. Those bright eager eyes, those humble hearts, so trusting and so beautiful.

And one I have taught before. Now we get to move into new territory. Bigger words and advancement. The 21 lessons stretch out before him and he is so willing to work. Familiar and comfortable. The journey has begun.

Father I present to you this year of teaching and these precious lives. You, dear Holy Spirit are the counsellor and teacher. I call on you to please be present every single time I meet with my students. That you would teach me and you would teach them. Enable us to discover the high calling that Jesus has on each one of our lives.

Help me never to forget what's most important.
To love these ones you've entrusted into my care for these hours every week.

Thank you for this privilege. Let the fruit be eternal.

Transition

I am incredibly unsettled. This is the first year that I don't have a child heading back to school and not having that structured world around me anymore is harder than I ever thought it would be. I actually didn't think about it much because it was far far away in the ever so distant future for most of my life. Why oh why did I not have several more children all spaced out so that the next fifteen or twenty years would still be figured out for me and I wouldn't have to ask God every day what on earth I should be doing? Ha, caught in the act I am!! Wanting the familiar life back and the easier route. How did that Keith Green song go? "So you wanna go back to Egypt, where it's warm and secure....". Not that raising kids was Egypt. It was warm and secure for sure.

But my future is here. Big long empty days full of not a whole lot. My kids are both out there somewhere making a life for themselves. Thankfully they still come home at the end of the day and I get to bask in their presence and still take part in their lives to some degree. But they are moving on. They are beautiful, healthy, independent adults. Just like it was supposed to turn out.

Thankfully I have my volunteer teaching position coming up at my daughter's old school. At least I hope the position will still be there for me. And I've applied for a "continuing studies" course at the local college. I just phoned to see whatever happened to my application and to find out why I haven't heard anything. It doesn't sound so good right now, but I need to phone back. I told God, of course, that it was in His Hands but I do that assuming His hands are doing what I want them to do. Sigh.

Need to keep trusting. Trusting. Trusting.

And I'm hoping to structure my life more carefully this fall so I don't have quite so many free evenings to lay here by myself. The TESL course was supposed to take care of some of that but now that has become a little uncertain and I am feeling a little panicky. Thinking about having a Bible Study night and maybe a regular girls movie night in my bedroom to help the long dark winter to pass in a more cheerful and rapid manner.

So dear Lord. You know my life. Please help me to let go of the steering wheel and trust you to fill in my days. Use me to be a blessing to those you want me to touch. To not be afraid of the new silence that has settled over my life. To believe that you have a future and a hope for me. To use my many spare minutes to call forth blessing and a future in the lives of those that you call to mind.

Thank you for giving me time to pray and to join with you in the job of intercession. A job that is truly a delight with eternal rewards. And thank you for the sweet puppies that are here with me keeping me company. Rather quiet company.

I have a dinner here to host tonight and so will continue my fall and winter. God will fill my days with good things.