Today I am off to another course in Teaching and Training Adults in Barrie. Rachel will take the trek with me so she can get a winter coat. You really have to plan well when you live a little further away from bigger shopping centres. But it is a good discipline.
Yesterday brought me interesting connections. As well as planting bulbs in the garden with Sarah and preparing the beds a little more for winter, putting away lawn furniture and continuing getting rid of stuff, I followed a lead to investigate Life Coaching as a possible line of work, before I finish my counselling training. It led me to interesting emails and phone conversations that further educated me about future work. I also had a prearranged reconnecting session with the Spiritual Director I had at Tyndale last year. It was great to share the encouragement the Lord has given me, and the growth I have experienced since we last met six months ago, and this time it was over the phone. We both agreed on the benefits of growth through pruning and pain.
Today's reading from Streams in the Desert echoed all that I have been learning, and deepened my understanding more. You know, I am amazed that there are Christians who find this kind of teaching so offensive, who believe that we are not to go through pain in order to grow. These were the lines that stood out for me:
"Through his griefs Job came to his heritage."
"Are not my troubles intended to deepen my character and to robe me in graces I had little of before?"
"My ripest fruit grows against the roughest wall."
"Apparent adversity will finally turn out to be the advantage of the right if we are only willing to keep on working and to wait patiently."
"How steadfastly the great victor souls have kept at their work, dauntless and unafraid!"
Something I noticed especially when my Spiritual Director read a psalm to me were the words "my loving eye". It was a line about God watching over me, but the particular translation she used said it that way. That is indeed how I experience what God is doing...that all of this is a sign of His love, not of His judgment.
These connections and reconnections, whether with living people, or people in books, bring us greater understanding and help us in our growth.
Now I will go today and learn more from experienced teachers and meet with colleagues also seeking to grow. I know He will bless me in that.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment