It’s Thursday, January 29, 2015. Tomorrow is my last day as a special education teacher…or until God says it’s time to go back to teaching. My heart is torn into a thousand pieces at the moment. Special education has been my life for almost 10 years. I graduated from college and went straight into the classroom, loving on children with disabilities…ranging from very mild learning disabilities to children with severe disabilities. I have always known special education was where God wanted me when he put it on my heart to major in this field as an undergraduate student. I have worked my way from an undergraduate degree to an Ed.S. in this field. I am fascinated by all the disabilities and have been on a constant hunt to find out how to reach a child that struggles academically or socially or adaptively…the list goes on. When you become a teacher, the students you work with become a part of you, like your own children. You cry with them, laugh with them, pray for them, and walk some hard roads with them. In the last 10 years I have grown just as much as some of my students have. And the truth is…they have taught me more about life than I could have ever taught them. They have taught me to love unconditionally, that life’s too short to pass judgment, to see the rainbow in the storm, and to wake up each morning grateful for who I am and what I have. If you have never spent time around a child with special needs, I encourage you to do so…it will rock your world. They are amazing people who have a love for life like no one else.
I am not sure how tomorrow will go. I am sure I will cry and be excited all at the same time…you know that bittersweet feeling. I have cried many tears knowing that I am leaving a great school and amazing students behind. My comfort…knowing that God has called me to stay home, be a full time mom and support my husband with his business. Honestly, a hard part is giving up the pay check; that comfort and security of knowing that every two weeks that money would be in the bank. (I am a worrier. I admit it, but my worry does nothing but allow satan a stronghold in my life and in my family’s life. Worry does not honor God, but only shows him that I do not fully trust Him.) My contribution to my family was my job, but since about August of this school year, God began to work on my heart. He began to show me that my contribution needed to be at home, full time. He has reminded me over and over again this past month that a paycheck is such a short term investment. My children are a life time investment. Will it be easy financially for our family? God never promises easy but He does promise that he will meet our needs! I am learning to walk by faith knowing that my Savior will take care of us and that he will honor our efforts. I know that He will grow our business, if we just trust Him to do so. Trials are going to come, but what we do with those trials is what’s important. Tony Evans says “Trials are unavoidable but that doesn’t mean they have to be unprofitable.” When we are faced with hard times, what are we going to do…run, live defeated, get mad at God? Instead…let Him use that time as a way to refine you; teaching you to depend on Him! This is truly the biggest step of faith our family has taken. Wes and I have been married close to 10 years…we took a big leap when Wes left his full time job to pursue photography full time, but now God is calling us out again, into deeper waters. We are listening to him and obeying. Has he called you out into deeper waters but you are holding back? Think of what you could be missing out on. Think of all the things He has waiting for you. It’s not going to be easy but it will be worth it!
Please pray with us that we learn great things from this and that God is completely glorified through this. Do you have a deep water story? Share it with us. We would love to hear how God called you out and how he has transformed or is transforming your life!
Blessings and Love
Meg