And So the Journey Continues

Several years have passed since I last posted to this blog, mainly because I haven’t been on the mission field since 2008, at least not the foreign mission field. This year has been a journey for me, testing my faith. December of 2015, I was hired as a temporary full time instructor where I teach at. This was only a two term position, 6 months that is. I also applied for a tenured instructor’s position. During this time, I helped build three new math classes, and worked on a separate apprenticeship class. I was told if I did not get the tenure position, I’d be hired on full time temp for the foreseeable future teaching the new apprenticeship class. Other full time tenured instructors were coming up to me telling me I made it, I was in; then came the fall. First, I didn’t prove myself to the President and Vice President of the College, at least not enough to win the position. This was on me, got it. Then I was informed that I would not be given full time temp and would not be teaching the apprenticeship class, but we are not yet done. I have worked on, creating a specialized class for over five years. I learned that another newly hired tenured instructor would be taking half of my course away from me. Bummer. Ah but not done yet. I had a physical and my blood work showed that my PSA levels had spiked and that I needed a biopsy. Yes, my prostate biopsy showed I had cancer. So I was facing the unknown. As I weighed my options between surgery and radiation, I learned that I would be losing all of my specialized class. Not done yet, because the instructor taking it away from me would be using it for their tenure project. I was kind enough to share my curriculum, thoughts and ideas with him to which he made his own and is now taking credit for it. Oh MAN SO DONE. GOD WHY, HAVE I NOT DONE WHAT YOU WANTED? Why do you forsake me? In February of this year, 2017, I had surgery that went well. My prostate was removed. Subsequently, months later, my blood test came back negative for PSA so I am clear of that cancer. YES!!! The Cancer really put things into perspective for me. I was getting to full of myself and was not thanking God nor crediting him as I should. I needed to lean into him more, give him everything. I was not seeing all the blessings he was giving me, nor was I using them the way he intended me to use them. That is the message. God gives us big, huge and often very meaningful blessings which are very clear to us. But more importantly, he gives us many, many smaller blessings that are not so clear and evident. 1) We must always acknowledge God. 2) We must always thank him for what He, not we, have done. 3) We must keep our eyes open for the multitude of small daily blessings that He gives us. 4) We must use all blessings, big or small to glorify God. 5) We must use those blessings as He intended. God blessed me concerning the cancer. He blessed me with the work I do. He blessed me with the house I have, he has blessed me endlessly. Only through him can I, have I succeeded. I have no real problems, just blessings waiting to happen.

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