Change

And so the saying goes…. If nothing changes then nothing changes. In theory, that all sounds so simple... just make a choice but does anyone really like change. A lot of change is happening in my life this week, I am leaving a job that I have worked at for ten years, a job that I know I am good at, a job that really doesn’t require a whole lot of thought and preparation anymore but it is time for a new chapter to begin and I CAN’T WAIT! So instead of being overwhelmed by all of the change and dwelling on all of the things I am going to leave behind I am going to leave you with a few things that I have learned in my last ten years as a high school teacher and a few things that I am grateful for!

I am so grateful for the amazing men and women that I have had the privilege to work with over the years. Some that have turned into best friends, confidants, some that have mentored me as a teacher and in life, some that have just let me sit in their office and cry when I needed to. If it wasn’t for these friends I can honestly say there is no way I would have made it this far.

Students don’t really think teachers are real people, actually I think they think teachers just crawl in their cabinets and grade all of their papers at night and then just pop out in the morning looking great! Lol… and when you see them out around town they look in shock that we teachers actually have real lives hahaha. I have had the honor of walking through some pretty tough situations with my students too… from students make poor decisions and then having to deal with the consequences of their actions.  I have had the honor to be the first person a student told that she was pregnant and the first she told when she had a miscarriage and was able to comfort her and pray for her. My students have taught me that not everything is so black and white, that there are a lot of grey areas in life and that its okay.

Working with students is hard work and can be so very infuriating but it can also be so rewarding. My students have taught me that all they really want is to know they are cared for. They want to know they are valuable and that someone is genuinely interested in them. Which is all anyone really wants in life. If nothing else I know I have learned to be one of the most patient people on the entire planet, to repeat the same thing at least 3-5 times because it never fails that someone doesn’t listen the first four times i say it lol. I will miss hearing Ms. Ball 7’000 times a day, correcting my students when they ask if “they can go to the restroom” and me snidely replying with “I don’t know if you can go to the restroom or not, sounds like a personal problem to me”.

Being a teacher was never a long term goal of mine it was sort of just something that I fell into but the lessons I have learned along the way are invaluable.

But more than anything, I have learned that none of this would have been possible in my own strength. What many of these students don’t know is that they were prayed over each and every day by me and so many others who stood with me. Sometimes it was a prayer for me to have patience and not lose it on them over the crazy stunts they tried to pull, but I prayed every day that more than just getting an education that they would see Jesus in me and know that they are SO loved. I can wholeheartedly say that the Lord carried me, he protected me, he provided for me in ways that I cannot even begin to fathom and my heart overflows with gratitude.

Today I am closing one chapter that has taught me so much about life, about caring for people, about community and I’m opening a new door.  Making a change can be scary, in fact I am a little scared, scared of all of the unknown, of all of the newness, of all of the change that is going to take place in my life over the next few months. But the same things that scare me are the same things that make me most excited for this new chapter! If I have learned anything about this journey over the last few months it’s that I am never going to have all of the answers, that change is a little scary but if nothing changes then nothing is going to change. So, if you're on the verge of making a change, trust the Lord to guide you to where he wants you to be. Jeremiah 29:11 says “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.” Cling to that today and take a leap of faith and just sit back and watch God provide for your every need!