Good times and my new "self"

I am having the time of my life right now. If I were living in a Broadway musical, I would be singing Everything's coming up roses. There are several possible responses to my new found euphoria. Some have said, "Let's talk in February. The honeymoon will be over by then." Others have celebrated with me, expressing their own happiness with my current state of joy. What is this joy I speak of? In part it's my new job, but it's more the total package of what God is doing in my entire life right now. And through it all, I'm discovering a new sense of self.

Since you're reading a blog about my life, I'm going to assume you don't mind being bored with the details. Let me begin with my new job. I teach seventh grade math at Clayton Middle School. As a whole, it's a great school - great student body, great community, and a great staff. However, from little bit I have observed, I am so glad I am part of the seventh grade team. Not that the other departments aren't as good. It's just that the seventh grade department has more of a team mentality than the others. Everything we do, we do as a team. It's truly wonderful.

The team thing is only part of my good fortune. I'm finding that I really like seventh graders. This is vastly different from everything I have said the last twenty years. In college when the time came to choose an age group for my certification, I chose high school. Middle schoolers have no control of their minds and bodies and they can't help it. When I taught high school, I loved it. I've actually taught middle school at three other schools. Each experience confirmed my initial thoughts - give me high schoolers or give me death.

That's all changed. I know it's only been two weeks, but I can see myself doing this for a long time. Part of the change in mindset is accepting that middle schoolers have no control over their minds and bodies and can't help it. Once you accept the reality of a situation, you don't have to stress over it. You can instead begin to work with it. That's another aspect of my new self - how I'm dealing with events around me.

There are several spiritual applications to all the above. I've got even more to say about my good times. But I need to leave in thirty minutes to bring God's Word to the people of Bethel Wesleyan Church and I still need to shave and iron a shirt. Come back soon for more updates.