First of all: It’s true that I get this restless feeling every summer, when the teacher in me is dormant and my classroom is silent. I wonder why life feels stagnant and what God might be doing in my life next.
But this year, it’s different. I’m not feeling restless and empty…
God is filling my heart with something new. It’s exciting. It gives me a sense of purpose. (And I feel like I’m on the edge of a diving board, about to plunge into a future unknown…)
But sometimes, you just know. You sense that God is turning a page, writing a new chapter into your story.
I signed up as a volunteer to support families in crisis in my local city – originally for a summer job, and a way to keep my life centered around children during the months that I’m not teaching.
This past week, as I drove to an unfamiliar neighborhood to pick up a child, it hit me – this is the realization of a dream I’ve carried for years. Not in the exact form I pictured through my teens, but it’s definitely the beginning of living out what my heart has wanted to do for so long.
Yes, teaching school is a huge part of my life, and something I’m extremely passionate about. But in the years I’ve taught, the desire has been growing in my heart to specifically work with underprivileged children. To mentor them, love them, and teach them about Jesus.
I’m so grateful for the opportunity of teaching at a Christian school, where I can relax when I dismiss my students because I know that they’re going home to loving, godly parents.
For the last four years, that has been my sole passion and purpose, and I’ve found it incredibly fulfilling to work alongside Christian parents in loving and guiding their precious children.
But now, God has opened a door in my life to care for children who don’t have the abundant blessings that my students do.
These children crave love and security from me far more than my students do, because their lives don’t have the stability that my students’ lives have.
It’s new territory, but it’s exciting to this heart that has held this dream dormant so long, but never lost the passion for it…
It’s time to turn a page in my story, to move forward in faith, and step out into the next chapter of lif
God’s timing amazes me. I spent years wondering when, and how, and if I’ll ever find the right opportunity… and if God even wanted me to fill that kind of role, if so much time was going by…
But He knew I needed the experiences I’ve had to prepare me. To strip me of self, of false expectations of God, of prejudices in my heart… and to equip me to more accurately represent Jesus’ love to the lives I touch. (This is a lifelong challenge, to become stripped of self and equipped for service! Definitely not complete yet!)
God also knew I needed more time focused solely on teaching before I could take on another responsibility. He knew that when teaching has become a comfortable routine, like my morning coffee, I’d have more mental space for other things.
So, here I am. Stepping into a new, unknown chapter of life, on the brink of a dream that could lead to so much more…
Ready to give my life to investing in children who might not otherwise have a chance, as my role of service to my King.
Only God knows how much of my time will be spent doing this, or how long this chapter will last. Only He knows at this point where I’ll go from here.
But step by step He’s led me to this place, where the dream I carried along the way has finally become a call to answer.
And I know that whatever He leads me through from here, every winding path is somehow preparing me for the place He’ll lead me to next.
Notes from My Heartsong 