Day 24

"The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying,  'Return home and tell how much God has done for you.' So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him."

Luke 8:38-39

When things go wrong, when my plan is changed, when I just don't like what's going on, I definitely get upset. Yet Jesus clearly shows that each of us is called to different things. Not all of the people he encountered were called to be his disciples, to follow him wherever he went throughout the land. Some were sent back with a warning not to tell anyone what had happened. Others were told to live their lives less sinfully. Still others, like the man who had been possessed by Legion, were supposed to spread the good news everywhere.

Today, I found out that my financial aid for school would only be $2000 for the year if I only went part time, as planned. When we talked to the admissions people, they told me I would get at least 40% tuition. At $1500 a class, $2000 is nowhere near 40% for the year. So here I was, discussing the situation by email with the financial aid director, then calling Wes to update him. Needless to say, I was upset. I have been planning on going part time this year, then going full time next year, when Wes is almost done with school and I could quit working.

Now, instead, I'm going to be going full time for all three years. As I became increasingly frustrated with the financial aid situation, I realized there was a "simple" solution: take one more class, go full time, and live with it. The classes only run 10 weeks a semester, and then 2-3 weeks during the short term. Basically, for 20 weeks of my life, I'm going to be working a little harder, driving a little extra, and not having a lot of free time. If I can't deal with that, then I'm definitely not cut out to be a pastor.

I don't know why things worked out this way, and I don't think I need to ask. For one reason or another, I need to be in school full time this year. It's going to cause some stress and headaches on occasion, but it's going to make my CPE and candidacy process a heck of a lot easier. Maybe that's the reason. Maybe it's a reason I'll discover years from now. Maybe I'll never know. But I believe that God has called us each to do something, and that he has laid out the path for that to happen. It may not be easy, and we might make some mistakes along the way, but God is always walking with us.