Beautiful Feet Tidbit: A New Journey

Beautiful Feet Tidbit:  A New Journey

Every so often things in your life change. For some this change could be detrimental, for others this change could be a blessing. Sometimes it all depends on how we decide to react to the change that is before us.

I am currently going through a change that is both exhilarating and frightening at the same time. Let me explain, for the past ten plus years, or so, I have been working on becoming and being a teacher, yet I have recently decided that teaching was not for me. Between the work schedule, the attitude of many of the students, the attitude of many of the parents and the constant fear of a finger being pointed at my face for the smallest infractions, I prayerfully decided to venture into a new journey.

Now, please don’t take this the wrong way, I admire the teaching profession and I believe in the influence that teachers have on the next generation, yet, I struggled to find my place. I struggled to earn the respect of the student, the parents and even some of the teachers. Also, I realized that the stress of this job was mutating me into something that I never wanted to be; something that wasn’t me.

As I write these words at 9:30 pm on Tuesday May 30, 2017 I have been out of a job since May 25th. Yeah, I know that’s not very long, but I am already beginning to feel uneasy. Before my departure from teaching I would often be asked, “So, what’s next?” or “What are you going to do now?” or any of the varied questions that show the least bit of curiosity about the future and the only answer that I could say was, “I’m going to write a book!”

I am excited!

I have been writing since I was ten years old and for as long as I can remember I have wanted to publish my own book. I wanted to be an author. This year and I am now turning thirty. I have figured, “If I don’t try to achieve this goal now than when will I do it?” I guess you can say that I’m gambling on myself right now. I want to make Beautiful Feet Entertainment into something that I can be proud of, even if that means I only publish one book and keep the website up-to-date. I want to at least be able to say that I did it, and I’d like to say that God used my words and my books to impact the lives of those who read them.  

Here’s where the uneasy feeling comes in: All I know is teaching and being in a classroom. As I’m scanning through job searches and online wanted ads, I am beginning to wonder, “What can I do? What can I excel in? What other field of work would I be interested in?” Yet, I seem to fall short when it comes to discovering an answer.  I have even had to fight the temptation of responding to schools that have tried to contact me through job sites and email, asking me to interview for their currently open teaching positions.
In some cases I feel like the Jews in Exodus that roamed the desert for forty days looking for the promise land. When the people would become wearied and tired of wondering the desert, they would wish to be enslaved in Egypt yet again. During the difficult times they desired to go back to what they knew, even though the life that they knew was enslaving and killing them. Due to the uncertainty of their current situation, the Jews thought it would be best to return to what they knew, even though they hated the slavery that they endured.

As a teacher I felt as if I had my hands tied behind my back and I was expected to perform. I often felt ridiculed and disrespected and yet I was expected to smile. I thought I was going into the profession to spread the love of God to the students, staff, and parents; but often I felt like the life was being drained from my body, leaving me a grumpy, unsatisfied shell of a man. Yet, when the uncertainty of my next job, or my next paycheck, was looming over my head, I quickly feel the need to return to something more familiar, even if it wasn’t healthy for me.

Now is the time that I focus my attention on God’s promise for my life. In this time of uncertainty I must remember that my God is the same yesterday, today and forever. My God is creating a path just for me to walk. No one can walk it for me. No one will be able to tell my story to the world. No one will be able to impact the lives that I can impact in the same way that I will be able to impact them. Before I can impact these lives for God, I must be molded by the hands of God through the struggles that I face. Therefore, I must go through these struggles of uncertainty and uneasy feelings in order to better understand the path that God has placed me.
As a friend, a family member, or confidant or an acquaintance I am asking you to partner with me in prayer. Please pray that God grant me the wisdom to discern the steps to take during this time in my job search. Please pray that God would open doors of opportunity that would best glorify His name. Please pray that God would use Beautiful Feet Entertainment to point the readers to the Love that Jesus has for them. Please pray that I could find a publishing company, whether self-publishing or another publishing company, that would best handle my upcoming book. Please pray that God provide any resources needed to publish my upcoming book. Finally, pray that God would begin to work on the hearts of those that may read my upcoming book, pray that they are encouraged and inspired.

Thank you for your understanding during these times. I am truly excited for this new journey and I am truly trusting God to provide everything needed for this new journey. I am looking forward to whatever God has in store for me as well as the community that I am a part of. I do believe that God will bless this ministry and those that it reaches. I am thankful for the opportunity to trust God in this new journey.