Back to school!

I am about to embark on three more years of school! Yes, I meant to put the ! there because it is a dream come true for me! I have had the hardest time figuring out what I wanted to be when I grow up. I think it was so hard to decide because for me it was about much more than just a career decision. It was about figuring out what God has created me to do with my life. I see work as much more than something you do to earn a paycheck, I've never been able to connect the two in my mind in a way that made doing some meaningless, monotonous task worth it. Where you work is where you spend most of your time, and where you spend most of your time is where you spend your life. I want my life to be spent doing something that does more than just pay my bills. I really believe that work is from God. It pleases God. I believe He made us all specially equipped to do certain jobs and if we can figure out how He's wired us we will make the biggest impact and have the greatest joy in what we do. In Ecclesiastes Solomon says that it is a blessing to enjoy your toil under the sun. I think that is so true! And it can be a curse if you don't! So, anyway, I have been going to college off and on (mostly on) for the last oh....13 years trying to figure out what I am supposed to do! I started in psychology, changed to sonography, then stuck with studying American Sign Language and became an interpreter. Well, I HATED it! Totally goes against all that God's made me to do! To be a good interpreter, you must not share any of yourself - your thoughts, feelings, convictions, etc. That is called "leaking". You must be faithful to only say or sign what your clients say or sign. You must fade into the background and become a necessary tool in communication and nothing more. Now, I have great respect for interpreters. It is an extremely hard thing to do well and the profession is severely misunderstood and under-appreciated. The thing is though, while I did a good job interpreting, I could not fade into the background! I can't keep my big mouth shut! I love people. I am a people person through and through! I love to help people work through their problems. I love to encourage and listen and pray with people. So, imagine how hard it was for me to sit in a group of people everyday and listen to their struggles and not say anything! It was like my hands were tied! What I really felt lead to do, my profession prevented me from doing. It was really hard. But through that experience God really spoke to my heart and showed me how He had wired me! And I believe He has called me to become a Christian counselor! So, I will begin the journey to complete my bachelor's degree and go on to earn a master's in counseling so I can do just that! I am so blown away, because He has opened that doors for me to go back to school! My husband, Matt, has been a pilot in the Army for 7 years and they have now opened up the GI bill for spouses to use! My school will be paid for in full! The Lord has given us a place to live and Matt a good job so that I can afford to stop working to dedicate all my time to school. And not only has He worked out the big things, but He has truly given me the desire of my heart in what I am going to study and where. I am going to Liberty University, which is a Christian college whose main purpose is to raise up "champions for Christ". I will be able to finish my bachelor's studying the Bible! That has been a dream of mine for years, but I never thought that that would be possible! But here I am enrolled in 14 Bible classes ranging from the books of the Bible to apologetics to Biblical archeology! And it all fits the picture that the Lord has given me for exactly what He wants me to do. I believe with all my heart that psychology on it's own is empty and unable to truly heal the human heart and mind. We need the Lord! We need His healing! Only in Him can change truly take place in our lives. I have experienced it myself! Only with Him is there hope. So, the foundation of my practice will be Him. His Word, His Truth. His Power. I want to join Him in what He is doing here on this earth. He sets people free! Free from their hurt, their sin, their past, nothing is impossible for Him! He is absolutely awesome and I feel so blessed that He has given me a vision of what part in His story I am to play. I only have to wait another couple of weeks to get started. The closer it gets the harder it is to wait! I am so excited and so ready to start this journey! I pray that the Holy Spirit will open my mind and my eyes and truly give me understanding. I don't want to just check a box, I want to learn and remember so I can teach others! Lord, help me to do a good job and to do it all for your glory! I am so thankful!