New Beginnings

The phrase, "Back to School," indicates a plethora of new beginnings. Students move on to a new grade level. Many individuals embark on their first semester of college. Teachers and professors anticipate a new school year with new challenges, new successes, and a new opportunity to make a difference in the lives of their students. Still, there are others who do not find all of this “newness” to be quite so fascinating. Some students are fearful of moving to a new school, making new friends, and meeting new teachers. Some college students would much prefer the comforts of home to a seemingly uncomfortable dorm room. Parents and grandparents may simultaneously suffer from the negative effects of an “empty nest.” And while they may love teaching, many educators will likely long for the lazy days of summer when they could spend more time with family, read a good book, go on vacation, or do absolutely nothing at all! Even so, a new beginning can be a positive one, despite the many hiccups we may encounter along the way.

Personally, I have found that the new school year has brought about a lot of positive changes for me as a teacher. I am most excited about teaching eighth grade English Language Arts and having a new classroom, which my dad has so lovingly helped me prepare. I thank God for this amazing environment in which to teach my students. I know the resources I have been given will enable me to help them achieve their goals. Because of God's unmerited favor, I know this school year will be blessed beyond measure!

While I am enjoying a wonderful start to the school year, several friends and colleagues have started the school year with illnesses, financial crises, and even the loss of loved ones. My heart hurts for them and I pray God will give them strength to face each new day ahead. Having lost my mom at the beginning of August eleven years ago, I know what it’s like to have your heart broken and then be expected to continue teaching as if nothing happened. But through it all, I know God is always faithful. While I still miss my mom greatly, I know we will see her again in Heaven, where there will be no sorrow or tears, sickness or pain. Until that happy reunion, we can rejoice concerning the promise found in Isaiah 25:8 (NLT): “He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign LORD will wipe away all tears.” Everyone who puts their trust in Jesus Christ will one day be free from all of the grief on this earth.

Perhaps you are going through a personal struggle this month. Jesus Christ knows exactly what you are going through. Call on His precious name. Ask Him for a new beginning. Not one that will be frightening, as it may be for students finding their way around a new campus, but a new beginning that will renew your strength, restore your joy, and bring you eternal hope. Jesus is the friend who will never leave you nor forsake you. He loves you so much that He gave His life for you (I John 3:16). Don't worry about tomorrow, but through prayer and thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace that passes all understanding will guard your heart and mind through Jesus Christ our Lord (Phil. 4:6-7).

Jesus Christ loves you more than you could ever imagine. He wants to give you a new life. Second Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” Ask Jesus Christ to guide you through all of the discouraging moments and the joyous ones as well. When you put your trust in Him, all things become new!

In Christ’s Love,

Jennifer

When You Don't Understand

All of my life, I had definite plans to go to college.  I had always dreamed of the day that I would wear the funny shaped square hat, along with the oversized, one-size-doesn’t-truly-fit-all gown.  I wondered if I would get to wear any of the brightly colored cords or stoles.  Would I graduate as valedictorian and have the opportunity to speak at the graduation ceremony?  After graduation, would I be hired for the teaching job of my dreams?  And would I enjoy making the transition from student to teacher?
In 2004, I graduated with high honors with an Associate in Arts degree in Liberal Arts.  Additionally, I was invited to be one of the featured speakers at the commencement ceremony.  Two years later, I wore my third funny shaped hat, the first being for my high school graduation.  This time, I was graduating with high honors from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in English.  In June 2008, I am proud to say that I graduated with a Master of Science degree in English Education with highest honors.  I earned a 4.0 GPA.  And yes, I had the opportunity to wear my fourth funny shaped hat, enormous gown, and another collection of honor cords and a stole.  Oh, and I did manage to find the teaching job of my dreams, and I have found that giving grades is much more pleasant than trying to earn them.

I am so grateful to the Lord for not only giving me my dream of graduating, but showering me with the abundant blessing of having this experience not once, but four times.  Not only that, but He gave me the desires of my heart when He gave me the opportunity to speak, and even add color to my ensemble by enabling me to achieve highest honors.  There are some things in life that happen so perfectly.  And other times, there are moments that transpire that leave me wondering why they had to happen at all.

Yet, with these six years of higher learning and five years of teaching under my belt, there are times when I feel that I do not know anything.  While I may be able to explain hyperbole and onomatopoeia until I am blue in the face, there are an infinite number of things that I cannot even begin to comprehend.  Although I could write a qualitative essay in the amount of time it takes some people to drink a cup of coffee, the mysteries of life often stop me in my tracks.  In short, I simply do not understand why some things happen.

When I take a closer look at the trials people around me are facing, as well as the trials that I have endured in my own life, I often wonder why God does not always intervene.  As the evangelist David Ring has asked so many times before, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”  Why do Christians have their children taken away too soon, whether through a miscarriage before they are born or an accident when they are older?  Then other people live a life straying away from God, only to have healthy children falling out of their windows.  Why does the drunk driver sometimes walk away unscathed while innocent people’s lives are lost?  Why do people who spend their lives happily helping others have to fight internal battles, whether emotional, mental, or physical?  I don’t understand.  Do you?

Even with my educational background, I am unable to uncover all of the mysteries of life.  No college degree can provide the knowledge that is possessed only by a sovereign God.  There is no institution, no matter how prestigious, that can explain why these things happen as they do.  While I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to become a college graduate, I know that there is more to life than what university professors and college textbooks can teach you.  There is only one Teacher who can impart the knowledge necessary to survive this broken planet.  This world is full of trials and tribulations, and a myriad of things that we do not understand.  And in reality, there are some things that we will likely never understand.

As I look back on my life, I don’t understand why I have seen loved ones pass away all too soon.  I cannot comprehend why I have endured physical problems.  I don’t know why there are times when I feel lost, uncertain which way to turn.  What I do know, with complete certainty, is that Jesus Christ has walked with me through every victory and every defeat.  He walked me to class when I was in college.  He walked across the platform at each of my graduation ceremonies, cheering me on.  Likewise, He walked with me through long hospital hallways, funeral homes, and cemeteries.  He is sitting beside me, even now, guiding my fingers as I write about the times I don’t understand life itself.

No matter what you are going through, Jesus Christ wants to walk beside you each and every day, just as He does for me.  If you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you will never be the same.  You will experience the peace that passes all understanding.  Sure, you still may not understand all of the mysteries of life, but you will have the One who does understand with you always.  He said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5 NIV).  It does not matter if you have a college education or not.  What matters is whether you have Jesus Christ beside you, guiding you and directing your paths.  He will teach you how to overcome the trials of life.  He will show you how to enjoy living.  Even when you don’t understand, Jesus loves you.  He understands exactly where you are in your journey, and He will never leave you alone.

In Christ’s Love,
Jennifer