Not ready ... until now

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If this blog were a book, a memoir or a biography, I am pretty sure this entry would mark a new chapter.  Yes, it's quite obvious I have entered a new chapter in my life (though I'm not sure if the previous chapter needs or has to be closed all together!).

Everything has been happening so fast it has been difficult to digest and arrange my thoughts.

I am now back to teaching English to adults on a part time basis.

And I can see it now.  After teaching for a bit, God lead me away from teaching for a long time...because I was not ready.

I had all the training, all the information, even the desire to teach.

I think I can say I was "good" at it too.

But "No", God said.  At the time, He gave me other challenges, other jobs.  I was still in the education field but I was doing more managerial or administrative and development work.  I could see students come in and out of the schools I was working at.  But I was not their teacher.

And then the babies came - and I took a full hiatus from that career.

But now, looking back, I have a confession to make:  I was not fully ready to teach during that season in my life.

I lacked one basic thing.  I loved teaching, I loved people, I loved the thought of empowering people with language.

But I lacked COMPASSION, CARE and UNDERSTANDING.

Looking back, I was very critical and judgmental.

Looking back, the hiatus was divine further training.  Pruning.  Refinement.  It was God's way to refine me as an educator.  And I feel different now.

There will always be challenges in teaching.  But when He changes the way you look at life, and people, from the inside out, your outlook changes, no matter the circumstances.

And I guess He is saying to me today:  "you are ready to do this now"

And so...the new saga begins....

 "To Teach is to Learn Twice" ~ ~ Joseph Joubert, French Moralist

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