By Doug Creamer
Just before Christmas I received the news that my job teaching Chinese students was coming to an end. The rumor mill had been running for months before, declaring the end was coming. The end finally arrived, and I hated to see my Chinese students go. I also hated to see my income go, especially at the holidays.
I had applied for a job late in the fall and never heard a thing about it. About a week before Christmas I received an email asking if I could do an interview over Zoom. Naturally, I was very interested. The interviewer and I connected almost instantly. We have the same heart and the same desire to help people.
I love being a teacher. The job is teaching students who are working to earn their GED. I am teaching math and English. I am so excited about this new opportunity. My creativity is exploding inside of me with ways to help my students understand their material.
I have lots to learn about the specifics of what my students need to understand so they can be successful when taking their GED test. My supervisor has provided tons of resources for me. I want to look at all of them and figure out all the lessons all at once. I have to quiet myself and focus on what I need for tomorrow and the rest of this week.
I am really looking forward to teaching in a classroom again. But with COVID numbers being so high, we are teaching virtually for now. I have been up to my classroom several times and can’t wait to teach there. I’m looking forward to doing some planning there just so I can be up in my room. Having the opportunity to engage and connect with students is so fulfilling.
The truth is I am facing quite a bit of work setting up these new courses for the first time. The first time you teach anything, it is always very demanding. I want to find all the best materials for my students. I also want to discover the best method to get the material across to my students. Naturally, I want to do all this perfectly. While my heart knows it is impossible to be perfect, my head keeps pushing me toward that goal.
I know that after I teach these courses a few times I will build a solid foundation for what the students will need to know in order to earn their GED. After that I will need to figure out how to vary the instruction depending on my students’ strengths and abilities. Being an educator is always a process of improving and developing new methods of instruction.
A new adventure has begun. It is hard to see the path ahead, but I know beyond a shadow of doubt that God is leading me on this new adventure. He has given me numerous signs of confirmation along the way. Some people believe that when God is leading us the path will always be easy. God often leads us down paths that challenge us so we can grow in our dependence on Him.
God is more interested in our spiritual growth than any of us might realize. God’s desire it to make us more like Christ. If that means leading us into places that will challenge us, then that will be the path He chooses. The good news is that He will walk with us down this new path. He would never leave us alone. He will always be there to strengthen and guide us along the way. He wants to see our spiritual muscles grow stronger.
God loves us so much that He doesn’t want to leave us in the condition in which He found us. He wants to see us mature. He wants to heal our brokenness. He wants to see us grow in our relationship with Him. He wants us to become light to those who are living in darkness around us. In order to do all this, He has to push, pull, and sometimes even drag us out of the mess He found us in.
I want to encourage you to be willing to go on a new adventure with God. It might feel scary to take those first few steps, but God is going to be there for you. He promises to never leave you or forsake you. He also promises that He is making good plans for your future. He wants you to grow and prosper. So connect your faith with God and see where the adventure takes you.
Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com
