Driving on a long trip by yourself gives you lots of time to
think. On my recent trip to Texas, I (Cindy) was reflecting on certain aspects of my
life. I began to play the “If Only…” game. I bet you have played that game,
too. If only I had studied Spanish in college. If only I had kept on teaching
at that school. If only this, if only that. What you end up with is a life full
of regrets.
Living a life of faith in God has no room for regrets. If we
really take Romans 8:28 seriously, everything that happens to us is in God’s
will. He not only will use what happens to us for good, He ordains it. God is
not surprised by any occurrence in our lives. So here is how I played my “If
Only…” game:
If only I had grown
up in a family that went to church.
My
family loved me. My parents and grandparents are all gone, but I have a wealth
of brothers, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, great-nieces and –nephews, aunts,
uncles, cousins. I still wish that we had that legacy of faith that could be
passed down to the younger generations. What I do have is the privilege of
praying for my non-Christian family members. I have the responsibility of
living a life that demonstrates the love of Christ. I have developed a deep
appreciation for the need of children to have godly families. I believe that to
be one reason I am so invested in preschool ministry.
If only I had told
that principal he was wrong.
One year
I had a confrontation with a principal who accused me, unjustly, of slandering
a student. I was so taken aback by his accusations, I could hardly defend
myself. The hurt and the anger almost debilitated me. Many times I have
replayed the confrontation, thinking of how I could have responded differently.
But I didn’t. What I chose to do is learn and grow from the situation. Many
years later I was in a similar confrontation with a parent, and I had gained
enough godly wisdom to respond differently to the accusations and was better
able to deal with the anger and hurt.
If only I had studied
Elementary Education in school.
When I
graduated from college, I had a degree in Secondary Education with teaching
fields in Math and Latin. I began my teaching career teaching junior high
students in math. I struggled with classroom management (as many new teachers
did), trying to manage these young teenagers. In the first few years of
teaching, I often wished I had studied to teach younger children. But I did
not, and unless I went back to school, I was stuck teaching teenagers. But
through my struggle, I learned to love that age of kids. I developed skills in
teaching that helped me be a better teacher to kids struggling to learn math.
After several years of teaching junior high math, I began teaching 7th
and 8th grade girls Sunday School at my church. What a blessing it was
to share about God and Jesus with these bright and enquiring girls. I am still
even in contact with them via Facebook. God continued to do the good work in
me, helping me learn my craft and become an effective worker for Him.
I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians
1:6
Continue in your faith in God, knowing that He will continue
His work in you. Don’t let “If Only…” ruin your journey in this life.
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