For the Display of His Splendor

That we may be a planting of the Lord for the display of HIS splendor.

I want to bloom wherever I'm planted to be a "display of HIS splendor"as it says in the book of Isaiah.  That has been a desire of my heart for many years. It wasn't until this summer that a series of events led me to a big life change that God had planned for my life several years ago. Oh how he knows me and my comfort zones!  I have been working in education for over 20 years as a Teacher Assistant and the past ten years as a teacher in a small Christian school here in Chicago. I have loved teaching children both in elementary school and Sunday school over these many years. As any teacher will tell you it is more than a full time job; and I married just the right man to be a "teacher husband".  Matt adapted to my weekends of lesson plans and grading, and spending our own money on things, "I really need for class"! What a responsibility teaching has been and what a privilege.  It has been a huge part of who I am for all these years, so it was a hard decision to "retire".  But God had a different plan for this season of my life.

You see, ten years ago at a women's conference, God put another call on my life. He said to me that I was going to teach women.  I was dumbfounded.  I was very comfortable with teaching children and thought maybe I had misunderstood.  So months and even years began to pass and I wasn't hearing anymore from God about this and almost forgot about it. Then God put a woman in my path who I was destined to be connected to. She was the director of a residential home for women with addictions here in Chicago, called New Life for Girls. When Ms. Pam came to speak at our church, God put a fire in my heart that I had to go talk to her and be connected with this ministry. When I sheepishly approached her and told her that I felt God had told me to connect with her and the ministry, she took it all in stride as if such things happened everyday and invited me to come see the ministry. As they say...the rest is history. I served on the board of directors for awhile, taught a weekly bible study for almost five years there, helped with fundraisers and just learned to minister God's love and truth under Ms. Pam's guidance. I fell in love with the ministry of helping hurting women! I felt like I had come home....probably because I was working through some residual woundedness of my own.

 About a year and a half ago, God moved us back to a church we had attended when our kids were younger. The church had grown and we were thrilled with the life and love we saw there.  We were returning to our old church as empty nesters with all our children grown, but in my heart God had placed a deep hunger for ministering to hurting women. It was amazing how God brought us back there. After several months there, our Pastor's wife spoke to me and said they had been praying for someone to start a recovery program for women at the church. Hearing of my love and experiences at New Life for Girls, she wondered if I might be interested in facilitating a weekly recovery program for women.  I remember crying to my husband after my conversation with her, when I realized the journey God had planned ten years ago to fulfill the calling He had put on my life at that time.

Last year, God showed me I needed to work part-time at my school because the recovery ministry
was growing and the demands for mentoring and leading groups and training leaders was growing too.
So, I worked part-time last year because God was weaning me from my old comfort zone and showing me that my identity was not limited to teaching children at school. Then this summer, God began to show me that I needed to leave my comfort zone completely and focus on the ministry He had led me to start at our church. I struggled with leaving teaching school, and God was so patient with me, giving me many indicators that it was indeed Him speaking this change into my life, and showing me my husband was in agreement that we should take this faith step. I had many friends, family and my pastor and his wife praying for me. Suddenly this past weekend, I knew God was asking me to just put out my foot and take the first step of faith toward his new plan for me. By Sunday, I was ready to tell my husband that I had decided to "retire" and focus on the recovery ministry. My pastor came up and started talking to my husband on Sunday morning before the service and I asked pastor to pray for me regarding this decision which he knew I had been wrestling with for awhile. When he and my husband
laid hands on me and prayed for me, I just had that moment of clarity of "knowing" what God was telling me to do. I felt so supported by these two men of God in my life.

God has a great sense of timing... and humor.  I had been waiting to hear from the school about working part-time again this year and so on Monday, I sat down at the computer to write to my principal to tell her that I had decided not to return and why.  My phone beeped that I had a message, so I checked and saw that it was our assistant to the principal who had called. I returned her call, to let her know that I would not be returning to school for this coming year, and was ready to email my official notice to the principal. As we talked, I had to laugh because she had been calling to tell me that they didn't even have a part-time spot in the program for me as of yet for this year because of enrollment changes! So, God allowed me to have the time I needed to get into agreement with His plan for me and then just in case I was slow in coming into agreement, He closed the position as a final confirmation to me of His will.

I have real peace about this decision and my husband and I are in agreement that we will depend upon God for our financial needs to be met as we line up with what we believe to be His will for us. I have been called to mentor women and write in this season of my life. I want HIS splendor displayed to all who read my story of being in agreement with God. I want other women struggling with waiting on the fulfillment of  God's call on their life to be encouraged that God hasn't forgotten. He has plans just for you. I want women struggling with transition to a new season of their life to be inspired and comforted with His peace.  I want husbands and pastors of women to realize how important their role of encouragement, and support, and prayer are to a woman in transition. Their prayer covering is so important to the process. I want women to see how important their friendships are to one another in being part of God's process of transition to new plans and purposes. I thank my women friends who have been with me through these years, praying with me, waiting with me, crying with me, and now celebrating with me and encouraging me through the rugged places in the journey of obedience ahead.