2 Corinthians 5:20-21 (NIV) "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf; Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
I graduated from grad school in 2007. It's 2016. I'm STILL working on my clinical licensing hours. With around 1,200 down, I have +- 300 to go before I can become a supervisor and pursue my PhD. A doctorate will take another two years of classes and a year or two of clinical work. I'm tired, sometimes a little discouraged but I can't give up! I'd love to teach at the college level, but for now, I'll continue with my small (but incredibly varied) client load. One micro-step and session at a time. It feels little like child-rearing or marriage. It is such incredibly meaningful work, a marathon instead of sprint. Patience is not my strong suit, but this gig requires it. So, I stretch out and keep going.
I've had to ask myself this year, what is my goal? What do I want to leave behind for others? What do I want my time/effort/sweat to accomplish? At the end of the day, my family comes first. Without their health and well-being, nothing else I do matters. I can pour myself into other families/clients, but that wouldn't make any sense if I ignored my own. But, now that my youngest is in pre-k a few days a week, I can do a little more writing/thinking/talking/working. It takes a village for sure. Mine is compromised of grandparents, my husband, the YMCA, Disney Jr. cartoons, preschool and coffee shops. Specifically, vanilla lattes. And my tribe- who have said more than once,"Get to work, Sarah."
So, the timing is a little on the long side, but that's okay. Important things have been learned. If there's one thing I'm sure of, I don't want to be out in the community talking about things I'm unsure of. I want to know Jesus, His truth in my own life, and be confident in that when I'm telling others about Him. I got my feet wet last year with some fun opportunities at women's retreats and this year I hope to stretch into more challenging speaking opportunities (talking to my son's youth group about sex is a great/horrifying start.) Poor kid.
I just finished a GREAT book by one of my favorite authors, Lisa Harper. "Overextended; The Unexpected Joy of Being Harried, Heartbroken, and Hurling Oneself Off Cliffs."
Hurling starts now.
First up this week-
Learning Curve: Anxiety and Faith