“The great enemy of the life of faith in God is not sin, but the good which is not good enough. The good is always the enemy of the best.”-Oswald Chambers
This quote by Oswald Chambers begins to explain the Fall semester for me. There were so many wonderful things about the past few months – teaching English, leading Young Life, bible studies, discipleship with Rebekah, Spanish classes, accountability groups, tutoring… but all of these wonderful things left no time for being in relationship with those around me, or for maintaining relationships with those far away (you!).
As I was praying about whether or not to stay for a third year, I also began to pray about my schedule. I didn’t want to give up anything because they are all good things; however, I knew something needed to change for a better balance. The solution in my head was to work at Doulos Monday – Thursday and to have Friday as a workday for Young Life, allowing me to do both of my jobs well, rather than just getting the minimum done. I met with our Managing Director who has a gift for seeing the whole picture. He saw my whole picture and countered my idea with a three day work week at Doulos and two days for Young Life…. AND he said rather than thinking so far in the future to next school year, he didn’t see any reason why this change couldn’t take place in January.
Our Heavenly Father knows what we need.
I felt so encouraged by that conversation with my director and am learning the importance of recognizing my limits. By being open and vulnerable with my situation, the Lord went way above and beyond my expectations for this year and next. With that being said, I am planning on staying for a third year. I am excited to see how this new schedule shakes out and how the Lord brings out the best, not just the good.
Please be praying with me through these changes. It has been wonderful co-teaching with the third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers this year. Please pray for them as they transition into this new schedule as well. Also, please pray for me as I begin to structure these new workdays – for wisdom and vision for the ministry of Young Life in Jarabacoa.
I am thankful for you and your partnership. It was so refreshing to be with some of you over the holidays. I hope to see more of you during the summer. Please let me know how you are doing and how I can be praying for you!
Much love and peace,
Sara
