IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE

Mary: What'd you wish, George?

George: Well, not just one wish. A whole hatful, Mary. I know what I'm gonna do tomorrow, and the next day, and the next year, and the year after that. I'm shakin' the dust of this crummy little town off my feet and I'm gonna see the world. Italy, Greece, the Parthenon, the Colosseum. Then, I'm comin' back here and go to college and see what they know... And then I'm gonna build things. I'm gonna build airfields, I'm gonna build skyscrapers a hundred stories high, I'm gonna build bridges a mile long...

     Do you remember growing up and knowing what you wanted to do with your life? I remember wanting to be a dog, cat, and horse veterinarian, and then I remember wanting to be a nurse. Sometimes I still think it would be so cool to work in the obstetrics department or to be the one who runs the ultrasound machine. One time during a teacher orientation at the college where I taught, the teachers were asked how many of them dreamed of becoming a teacher when they grew up--not one hand went up. I think the speaker was shocked, but when I thought about the audience, I realized that all of us were people who had accepted Christ as our Saviour and then gave our lives to God's will. God has a way of changing dreams. Several of the Christian teachers in that room did have previous careers. Some of the men had been in the military; one of the men had been a lawyer; another had been a teacher at a secular university and had been "teacher of the year." Most likely none of us in that room had dreamed of teaching at a Christian college, and according to the show of hands, none had dreamed of teaching at all! It's amazing the opportunities that being a Christian has afforded me. God has taken my little dreams and turned them in to something else--a life of being a wife to a man of God; a mother to four of the best kids I know; a teacher for many years; and now a pastor's wife. I love being married, and I especially love being married to a real man! I find my identity in my husband, and he finds his in me--we are definitely "one."  Having children has been the blessing of my life. We cherish our children, and have taken our responsibility to raise them "in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord" very seriously. I loved teaching for 9 years at Hyles-Anderson College. As most of my English students knew (because I told them), English wasn't my "thing" in high school. I was more surprised than anyone else when I actually started teaching English and liked it! God definitely knows me better than I know myself.  For that past 3 months I have been a pastor's wife. As for right now, that means being my kid's teacher and being there to support my husband--and by the way, I'm pretty sure I'm his biggest fan! His messages have touched my heart and taken me to a new level in my walk with God.   I don't know what the future holds, but as long as I have God dreaming for me, I know it will be a wonderful life!