Thursday, January 21, 2010

the greater the challenge, the sweeter the reward

I seem to continually find myself in situations that push my limits, require extreme faith, challenge my energy levels and exceed my known capacity. Having been through numerous seasons that do exactly this, I take comfort in knowing that Jesus has already won the battle so all I have to do is keep fighting.

One of the sweet things about such significant stress is that there are plenty of opportunities for growth and learning. One of my student teaching requirements is to send weekly 'journal' entries to my supervisor. My days are peppered with moments that cause me to mentally catalog various topics that I want to write about and share with her. Selecting what to include in this journal is one of the most rewarding parts of my week because it's when I realize how much I have learned and accomplished in 5 shorts days. The things I learned on Monday become a distant memory as I stand back and realize how far I had to travel to get to Friday. Despite the stress, strain and inevitable tears that so often accompany me throughout the week, it's always refreshing to realize that I am making progress, even when I don't feel like it.

This process has been incredibly difficult because I face new, and exhausting challenges every single day. It's only been three weeks and I already feel like I've invested a lifetimes worth of time, energy and emotion! Although I sometimes question whether or not I have enough endurance to make it to the end, I know that I serve a God who desires to carry me beyond what I ever thought possible.

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