I drove towards Georgia State University with a new – found hope. The last two years had taught me one very important lesson: energy must recycle itself, and if it didn’t, it was dead in its tracks. I put so much energy into writing my first book as well as into trying to get and do everything that my son, Jacob, needed (who was two-years-old and hearing impaired), and into getting and doing everything I knew to do for my five-year-old daughter, Faith, and into helping my husband finish his degree, basically, into everything but me. As a result, there was nothing left for me. Partly, it just wasn’t my turn yet…. then…, but I could tell a difference in the air, now. I could tell that the time had come. The time had arrived! And it wasn’t “my turn” per se, but it was my turn to learn and say a little more about God’s faithfulness in the “midst of everyday lives” – and what more of perfect learning environment could one hope to have – but that of a college campus? And why not pick the same backdrop from the last scene: Georgia State University? And what more could a wife, mother, and student need, but a few goals, 7 more classes to graduate, and God?! (God to get her through!) And so I call this particular season in my life God & Coffee II, a fresh edge of faith in the midst of reality because it’s not just about “family, career, identity, respect, dreams, and so forth.” It’s about having the faith to forge through the circumstances of life, and it’s about asking God to help you take off from where you left off, wherever that may be. It’s about God meeting you where you are and taking you further than you ever dreamed possible!
Some tears have landed in my coffee, but laughter, hope and humor have rung true too – like the golden rim around my mug. Over the last few years I’ve come to realize that humor never hurts and hope always helps! And so I’ve held onto hope tighter than a two-year-old holds onto his mother’s hand, and I’ve asked God to help me return to college with a new found determination – remembering this time to put Him first, requesting this time – that I learn far beyond what any textbook has to offer. I do believe that the real lessons in life are found “somewhere between waking and sleeping each day.” So, as you read the next 40 devotionals over the next 40 weeks, may your heart turn towards the LORD, who has become, to me, the greatest teacher alive, and I - “a mere student taking notes.”
GOD & COFFEE (AND COLLEGE) II
How do you move from where you are
You set some goals
And reach for the stars
And when people say
It can’t be done
You make some coffee
And you pour yourself some
And if you have a goal
Like college let’s say
You give it to God
And you pray
And you do what you can
To get yourself there
And you never again say
Life isn’t fair
For we’ve all known
Things aren’t fair for quite some time
But when you combine God & College
You’ve got more than a rhyme.
You see – everyday life is full of obstacles
But there’s a pocket full of hope
If you believe in the impossible…
You’ve got His Power and His Might
And suddenly your goal
Is in sight
If life is hard and you don’t know
What else to do
Read God & Coffee
(in that order) part II
Warrior Moms, whether you are home schooling, volunteering for PTA, and/or in school yourself, may you remember that with God & Coffee, anything is possible!
Love,
Kristina
God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.
Kristina Seymour loves to encourage and equip women through the Word and through community. She is the author of The Warrior Mom Handbook, The Warrior Mom Leadership Manual, and The Warrior Wife Handbook; they are available at Amazon.com. Kristina's Bible studies are for women who desire to live by faith in the midst of their everyday lives. She has learned that women can't survive on caffeine and animal crackers alone; women in the Word and in community are united and able to stand firm. To learn more about Kristina, please visit her website, https://kristinaseymour.com/. God loves to share His story of love and grace through us all, and Kristina believes that everyone has a story to tell.
Originally published Tuesday, 21 August 2018.
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