No Regrets

Sunday afternoon as my dad and I were working in the shop, he asked me if I every regret becoming a teacher instead of a veterinarian. My first response was sometimes. For example, when they announced at graduation Friday night that a couple of the girls wanted to go into veterinary medicine, or when I wish I could bring my girls (three dogs) with me to work because they calm me and brighten my day. But then I began to honestly think about the question. Do I regret?

You see I had a true gift for working with animals and it had been my dream from the time I was nine years old until a couple of years after getting my bachelors degree. I was working for a veterinary and I was applying for vet school, but I was not having success. Then one day in the mail I received a letter from the education department at a local college. They wanted me to apply for their masters program. I was at a crossroads. Do I continue pursuing my dream of veterinary medicine or do I change dreams and go into education? I began to earnestly seek God's direction on this. Looking back now, I do not remember if I ever asked God if He wanted me to become a veterinarian. I do not remember if I ever asked what His purpose was for me until that moment.

I chose to follow the new dream. I am finishing my 16th year of teaching. It has had its ups and downs and every year is a new adventure. But do I regret it? No. How do you regret something when it is God's purpose for you? This year has brought new challenges as my job changed, but my purpose has not: working with high schoolers to get them to graduation while in the process showing them patience and God's love. When my job gets tough, I think of Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."