Perseverance for His Plan

Everyone knows school is stressful, it is no secret to anyone. I am the type of person who makes it more stressful. I strive for perfect assignments and perfect grades. I have to meet every deadline early and nothing can be less than perfect. If I do not end up stress-crying when writing a paper then I do not think it is even worth turning in. I would always say that I hate school and I want to quit. Well, a couple of months ago God told me that I needed to change my mindset about school because I have no business having an attitude about it.

I am going to school to complete a B.S. in Biblical and Educational Studies to become a high school theology teacher. This was not my first choice when I started school but the Lord has shown me that this is exactly what I am supposed to do and why. I found my relationship with Christ my senior year of high school and realized that I want nothing more than to teach others about the God that I love and help them to form their own relationship with Him as I did.

Amid my griping and complaining about school work this past semester, God called me out during service one night and told me why I needed to change my attitude. God is allowing me to study exactly what I want to. The thing I love most, the thing that makes me the most excited – Him. He is letting me deepen my faith while studying and sharing His Word. It is a blessing to get to pursue a career in sharing His Word and His love with others. I have been letting deadlines, lists, and potential grades distract me and take away the joy that I get when I study His Word.

Job chapters 38-42 are my favorite chapters in the Bible. Throughout the book, Job was distressed because everything and everyone he knew and loved had been destroyed and he had been afflicted with a horrific disease. Not once did Job curse God, but he did question why those terrible things were happening to him. In chapter 38, God starts telling Job about all the amazing things that He has created and asks Job where he was when He did all of this. He asks Job if he knows all the things that He does. Reading through these chapters showed me how unworthy I am to even serve His Kingdom, much less complain about doing it. If God can do all the things that He does for His creation and for me, then I can do my part for His Kingdom and say yes to what He is calling me to do.

In the epilogue of Job, it tells how God had restored Job’s fortunes and blessings twice as much as he had before Job was afflicted. Job stayed faithful to God and did not curse Him despite the horrible circumstances he was going through. It is hard to see a positive outcome in the midst of trying times and it is easy to give up instead of working through the difficulties. God does not want us to give up, especially when we are doing something for Him and His Kingdom. He wants us to be faithful to Him and trust in His plan. While it may be difficult, He never leaves us. God is always right beside us, through the easy days and the stressful days, holding our hand and walking us through whatever it is we are doing, helping us to stay on the path He has paved for us. This has not been an overnight attitude adjustment and it is still something I am working on, but having a more positive outlook on my circumstances and His plan for me has encouraged me and reassured me of the path that I am on. No matter what path you are on, whatever opportunity you are pursuing, whether you are in school or not, God is walking beside you watching out for every step you take and He is not going to let you fall without catching you.

“I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.” (Job 42:2-3)