Scribbles of words run across a dusted yellow page inside a hand me down journal in the hands of a wide eyed little girl. Words are hard to find when your dreams are bigger than you are but I try my best to write them down. I want to be a teacher when I grow up because nothing is more exciting to me than loving children and teaching them as they grow. What an honor to be able to not shape or mold minds, but feed them and watch them transform into the glorious butterflies they are destined to be.

Years flew by before my very little eyes and as I grew up that dream changed multiple times. Dancer, therapist, pediatrician, pediatric dentistry to ministry. I had long forgotten of the days of wanting to teach children just thinking it was never Gods will for me to be in a public school classroom. But God’s ways are higher than our ways. There is always a reason things happen and it may be for a purpose we do not yet know of.

I remember the year my daughter started kindergarten and the fear that gripped me. Will she be cared for properly? Will they teach her well? How will she behave? Underneath the weight of worry there was excitement knowing that she was going to learn despite my fears. I turned my moments of worry into moments of big prayer for her every morning as she rode the bus to school. But a few weeks later the Lord would call me to something I never thought I would do and that was home school my children for the remainder of their education.

Like a wild animal coming back to the place he ate his last meal seeking for the next, fear came over me once again. I don’t always do so well when things change suddenly. I was so afraid I wouldn’t have the capacity or the skills to pull of such a huge task. Where in the world would I get the money and will I have the patience more importantly? Sure enough God came through provided me with everything I needed and then some for our first year together in our little classroom. It was not until we were halfway finished with our school year did I realize that first dream I ever had was after all what God had called me to do but with my own children in our home. I was full of wonder the moment this revelation came forth in my mind. The dream of becoming a teacher was indeed the plan and will of God for me all along! Fear and worry was replaced with worship and thankfulness every start of the school season. My God had came through for me in such an awesome way! As He always does.

No matter what comes this year I want you to know that sometimes things may not go as you expect but there may be a reason for that. Take everything to the Lord and lean on Him for all understanding and He will lead you to still waters in ways you never would have thought. Don’t hinder the dreams of your children and teach them to dream big. One day they may look back and see the faithfulness of God and how He has brought those very things to life in their adult years. Childhood dreams are one way the Lord speaks His will into our lives at a very young age. His ways are higher and greater than ours and I am so thankful they are!

Have a great School Year!

Love

J.S