November #jammed: Gracious.

Day 322: Thankful for knowledge.

Clever people go after knowledge to obtain it,
    and wise people attune their ears to hear it. Proverbs 18:15

Already tempted to imagine what my daughters’ college choices should look like, and becoming dangerously obsessed over their elementary education at times, I need to be  reminded of how unqualified I am to make those kind of life choices for my kids.

If we’re not careful, we can push our kids into the people we know instead of letting them grow into the people God has made them to be.

Through a brief flashback, my life is a witness to the truth of this verse. Knowledge and career can be attained in the pursuit of an education, but the full gravity of our growth lies so much deeper …and higher.

A purple and gold tri-fold board at a college fair led me to a small country town. I spent my high school years trying to figure out how to earn my way on that campus. Even though I was accepted, the cost was more than my academic achievements could afford.

It felt like torture accompanying a friend recruited to play footfall there my Senior year.  I found my feet creeping up to the desk where the receptionist stood, and heard my voice ask her if there were any more scholarships I could apply for.

“Do you participate in any sports?” she asked.

“I just started running last year…” 

A few minutes later, Coach sat down to talk to me, and I left that day with a better understanding of my potential.

Days later, I picked up my powder blue phone to hear his voice offering me a scholarship.  Through the screeching and screaming as I ran down the stairs to tell of my victory …my life shifted.

Ashland University was a breaking off of who everyone else told me I had to be …and a chance to become the woman God had always made me to be. It was hard, and in so many ways I failed. But through my mess, I became the first in my family to earn a college degree.

Putting the dreams of my daughters’ lives in perspective, my own journey reminds me to be open to where He is calling them …and to enjoy the unfolding of the good plan He has for their lives.

Father, Praise You for college educations, and thank You for taking us on journeys in life that we have to look back to fully understand. Bless our hearts to relax back into Your arms. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace! 

#greatgrace17

Happy Educating,

Megs

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