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It is very amusing to me that I am a person who does not really like change in my life, and I especially do not like change that is hard and painful; however, that is exactly the path that God has chosen for me to walk this spring. As I have fought and struggled against the change, I have been reminded of a sermon from several months ago…the things that God calls us to do are often hard, but they are always good. Pastor John had us repeating the phrase, “It’s hard, but it’s good” many times over the course of that series. And it stuck.
My last day of work at the high school was this past Friday. It was really hard and I fought an emotional battle all day (well, all week, really), but it was also filled with an incredible amount of support and countless blessings. It was hard, but it was good. Students filled me with words of encouragement, and I realized that I was still teaching them even as I left them…they know more about Sudan, more about the needs of others, and more about missions work than they did before. Teachers gave me words of hope and messages of inspiration, and I knew that they would continue to teach me even as I journey around the globe. Handmade cards, hugs, and heartfelt messages made the day a perfect way for me to transition to a very new, very different task.
As I look ahead to my time in Africa, I realize that it will continue to be full of change…my last day of work was just the beginning. Again, I don’t like change…I like to be in my comfort zone, surrounded by people to whom I can remain attached, and free of the pain that comes with leaving. However, I know that God is thrusting me from the world I have created in order to endure [on a miniscule scale] what many Sudanese endure: no comfort zone and a life of continuous transition and loss. The lessons that I am learning are all for a specific purpose, and God is directing my path…of that I am sure. However, most everything else remains unknown. I will have very little routine (or at least a very different routine), I know very little of what I will be doing each day, and I know only a handful of people where I’m headed. That’s scary stuff for a girl who likes consistency, routine, and especially order in her life.
So, I just keep reminding myself- and I ask that you join in reminding me- it is hard, but it is good.
Romans 8: 28
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
**Edited to Add**
