Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will keep your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
I have been interested in teaching ever since I was in elementary school. I loved the idea of molding young minds and influencing their lives in a positive way. When I got to middle school, God really solidified my thoughts about becoming a school teacher. I was blessed to have some amazing teachers that not only taught the core subjects well, but really cared about students outside the classroom. I later found out that these wonderful teachers were Christians! Of course, they couldn’t advertise that they were believers, but throughout my time with them, they would show subtle signs that they trusted in the Lord. Ever since then, I knew that I wanted to have the same positive influence on other students in the future.
After graduating with a math degree and a teaching credential, I was sure that I was ready for God to give me the right job! I was ready to show God’s love to students and be a positive influence on their lives, but I soon found out that God wanted me to wait. I applied for many jobs in both middle and high school settings in several different school districts throughout Southern California. Even though I had some interviews, I was not offered a position. I felt so discouraged. I sometimes even wondered and questioned God about why He was making me wait so long.
After three years of waiting, God finally revealed His plan! I interviewed for a school district that I thought I would never be a good fit for, but I was surprisingly offered a position at a middle school. After six months of working at this school, I am sure that this is the place God wanted me to start my teaching career. Looking back on the time I spent waiting, I now see that God was preparing me for this position by building my patience and understanding of the job. I now teach math to 165 sixth and seventh graders, and I truly love my students. They are definitely a handful at times, but when I look at my students, I see God’s wonderful, unique creation. Throughout this experience, I learned to trust God in all situations.
Reflection Questions
- In what ways has God asked you to trust in Him?
- Have you trusted God through uncertainty and storms in your life? How so?
- How can you trust in the Lord even more?
