I love the Holidays so much. I love the sense of happiness
in the air, the excitement of all those traveling home for one of the few days
in the year, the Christmas songs, the lights, and the list could go on. What I
am most grateful for is that as I continually make God an ever moving presence
in my life, everything has reason.
I was really sad saying goodbye to my students this week. I
love them all. We all cried, but my mentor teacher reminded us that life is not
a campout, it’s a hike. I just pray that they all remember how wonderful they
are and that they make the best of their lives. I know I am meant to work with teenagers.
At times I wonder what my life would be like if I hadn’t switched my major and
career goal from dietetics to education. I imagine that I would be less
stressed out because I would have a generous income. Then I remember why I went
into teaching. It was because God told me to. Money became unimportant to me
and loving God and others proved to be my number one. While waiting for my
flight, I hung out with a couple of teenagers flying to see their family. Then on
the plane I sat next to 2 sets on both sides of me who were traveling to see
family. I was friends with all 6 of these kids before we reached California. As
much as I love nutrition, I know I am supposed to work with students. Getting
my new job has proved a testament to me of that.
Freedom Writers is
a movie that inspired me to be a teacher. I know there are a lot of movies
about teachers that go to challenging schools and change lives and maybe people
think this is unrealistic, but I want to see what I can do. My passion is with
the troubled teens. I truly believe many of them just need a little love. I
know God has instilled within me a capacity to love every soul and I feel I must
use this gift as best I can.
I had an offer this week to travel abroad and teach English.
It sounded wonderful, but something wasn’t sitting right. I didn’t understand
because I had no strings attached and if there was a time to go it was now. The
only down side was that I wouldn’t get Sundays off. I just knew that the right
job would not ask me to work on Sundays. I knew I couldn’t take the job, but
the future still looked so ominous. I spoke last week of how God answered such
a simple prayer about a coat, well if he did that; he would most certainly answer
a prayer about work. After turning down the position, not sure what else I was
going to do, I was offered my dream job! It’s at an alternative school for drop
out students. Many teachers don’t understand why I would want this, but this is
why I wanted to be a teacher. I want to not just teach English, I want to
change lives.
This whole semester I kept thinking that nothing was going
right. Everything I thought I wanted just fell through my fingers. It seemed
that every day I was asking myself “what am I supposed to learn from this?” I
thought of when Emma Smith asked Joseph “Do you ever think that God asks too
much of us?” he replied “I do not let myself.” That response has stuck with me.
When we allow doubts to flood our mind then often those doubts become
realities. We have to keep the faith not only when life is going well and as we’d
like. I want to be someone that God can rely on, someone he can know for
certain will stand by and fight for him “at all times and in all things and in
all places even until death” (Mosiah
18:9). Anyone can support someone else when they are benefiting from them, but
can you support someone when there appear no immediate benefits? How strong is
your faith? Many men have lost everything in this world for the God they believed
in.
I feel guilty that a few little trials would challenge me so
much. I pray that one day there will never be the initial thought of worry, or “God
where art thou?” But I am grateful for the counsel I have been given to always
when it gets too hard to stand to fall to my knees. I’m grateful I have been
taught to pray like everything depended on God and work like everything
depended on me. I’m grateful I have been taught to feast and not just nibble on
the words of God. I am grateful for the privilege to serve in the temple and
for the nearness of heaven there. God has not left us alone. He has taught us
how to come closer to Him and know His will.
I felt the truth of Ether 12:6 this week as I was faced to
make a decision about work. “Dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no
witness until after the trial of your faith.” It was only after I turned down
the teaching abroad offer that I received the offer of my dreams. If I had been
offered that job right away or a few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have come this close
to God. I was forced to truly trust in God. I could’ve taken a different job,
but how much did I trust that the Lord would provide? God loves us. Of that I
have no doubt. He is always seeking to teach us something that will be for our
better good.
Life will always have its challenges, but I hope I never
forget who is on my side. We already know what side will win. Satan may win
some battles, but Christ has already won the war. The baby who’s birth we
celebrate at Christmas, is the man who withstood all of the adversary’s temptations.
It is he who declared, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye
might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer;
I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Trust in His promises and trust in
yourself. God created you, do not doubt His eternal and divine love for you. He
gave His son that you may live with Him again. What greater love is there than
a man lay down His life for His friends? He loves you. Let us remember this
everyday and that at Christmas we promise the gift of our love and devote our lives to Him who gave His all for us.
This is a sweet little video my sister showed me. It's called Validation and is kinda old so some of you have probably heard of it. Super sweet little inspirational video though!
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