This afternoon, as I reflect on events earlier this week, I was blessed with two memorable events of encouragement – from students of mine, both former and current, which caught me completely by surprise.
Wednesday started off with a sigh. After struggling to wake up, wake the girls up and organize my morning, I finally relented to getting up and making my lunch, before showering and leaving for work. The Dishes – still not touched. I took away B’s laptop and phone and asked her about her chores, her untouched chores. Feeling both deflated and mad, my mind quickly began conjuring blame on K as I sulked down the dock towards the shower. As my anger turned inward, I began to question again how could this be right. My doubt must have clearly shown on my face as our neighbor M asked me twice if I was “ok”. A wake-up call maybe, I quickly asked God for help, or more succinctly, my soul cried, “how is this going to work Lord?”
In that prayer must have been a cry for assurance because I received it last night. The first event happened as I was preparing a few hands-on projects for my class. My previous class, from a year ago now nearing the end of their journey – was there at the hangar. They all greeted me warmly, begged for me to teach their next class, and asked if I was finished with seminary. As I was explaining to them, “no, one year done, two to go…” a previous student said, “well, if anyone can do it, you can…” — That caught me off-guard because it was exactly what I was questioning as I was getting into my car. “How am I going to finish this? I’m not strong enough.”
A couple hours later, the second event caught me off-guard as well. As I was hovering over some students, settling in after “lunch break” (a silly consideration, being it occurs at 7:30pm), a new student asked what I was studying for. Outfitted in as much “Goth” she could professionally get away without being escorted off the school, I tried to choose my words. Failing to come up with anything profound, I simply responded, “to be a minister.” Her reply shocked me, “That doesn’t surprise me, you have an aura of a minister.” What does that mean?
Reflections of one man's walk and his family's journey 