"We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed;"

  Before I post this, I have to preface it by saying that I have been honored to be teaching with a fantastic company, Cambly.com since September of 2021.  I found out about them by another VIPKid teacher.  I went ahead and applied and started teaching with them.  It has changed my life.  I have met some amazing people and have made some new friends!  Precious friends!  With that said, last August I was dealing with the knowledge that my then current job was going to end and that I was going to have to tell my students goodbye.  I would like you to now read my thoughts that I wrote at that time and how God helped me through a time of sadness.  I hope something I wrote might help you.

  I have had the high honor of teaching with a company that teaches Chinese children English.  A mandate has caused a change in this where over 100,000 teachers are not being allowed to teach them unless they live in mainland China.  Since that is not an option for me, I know that I will not see these young people, more than likely, ever again.  I have been contemplating the sadness of this situation.  It is indeed a sad turn of events, but I am still joyful  That is the funny thing about joy.  It is like a rock in the foundation of our lives.  Storms can come, tragedy can strike, and like this, deep sadness can overcome us, for a season.  But that joy, that joy of the Lord, is ever fixed.  It is strong.  It is stronger than all the things that life throws us.  It is how we can stand when we should be struck down.  Or it is how when we are struck down that we can still breathe and survive to stand when we are where we can.

  I was posting in a Facebook group that has been there for me since the beginning of this journey.  It is called the Newbie group.  They have been a support and encouragement every step of the way.  As I was typing in my post about being sad and how I was going to miss the students, which both are true, it hit me.  This is just a part of the journey that the Lord has laid out for me.  There is a reason why He has changed the direction for me and all these others.  It may simply be that we have to deal with governments and their policies, no matter how much we disagree with them.  We may have to deal with an unexpected diagnosis.  A sudden death deals us a blow.  We must take these tragedies and these sad things and decide what we are going to do with them rather than allow them to do something to us!  

  As I typed, something wonderful occurred to me.  I am still alive and kicking!  Sure, my heart hurts.  And it will hurt off and on for a while.  And it will continue to go through times where it gets hurt.  But what I recognized tonight, a small epiphany, is this wonderful, superb fact -- God is not done with me, yet!  The mere fact that I am still here is evidence that He has more work for me to do.  It may simply be to live out my days of praising Him and telling others of His goodness to me, raising and teaching our children, teaching ESL students, helping and loving my husband, being a good friend, being a good daughter/daughter-in-law, sister, aunt, etc.  I guess what I am trying to say is that I am down for the moment, but I am not out.  This verse popped into my head --

"We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed;

We are perplexed, but not forsaken;

Cast down, but not destroyed."

2 Corinthians 4:8

I realize that this is referring to the spiritual aspect of us being jars of clay and how we are vessels to be used for the Lord and contain Him in our lives.  But I cannot help apply this verse to what I and many others are dealing with.  I am dealing with a sad turn of events.  It is not of my choosing and is just plain sad.  However, in the grand scheme of things, in this life that I live, this is not the end.  This is just one of the parts of the path that I am on until the Lord calls me home.  I have to trust that the Lord is going to bring a good thing out of this.  I have gone through harder and sadder things and have come through to the other side.  This will be no different!  The Lord allows hard things to build our faith in Him.  They are not going to be fun things, but when we look down when we are up on the mountain top, we will see the times that He carried us through.  We were never ever, ever alone in that valley!  He was right there all the time!  

  So, in the meantime I will say my goodbyes to these students.  I will cry.  I will work through this with the Lord's help, encouraging words from loved ones and colleagues, and hugs.  I am troubled, but I am not without peace!  I am perplexed, but I am not without trust that the Lord will either make clear why He allowed it or help me to accept something that I just don't understand or agree with.  I am most definitely cast down.  My heart is deeply hurt and sad, but I am absolutely not destroyed!  I am a Christian!  To live is Christ, to die is gain!  

  I always like to find a song to go along with these posts!  I just love this one, "He Will Carry You," by the Bill Gaither.  Listen to it and as you do, allow the Holy Spirit to hold you.  God is so good to us!  I hope this has been a blessing to you as it has been to me.  I feel a little less sad now than I did when I started this post.  Thank you for reading my thoughts.  It is good to know that someone is reading <3.  

As always, I send you all hugs, love, and blessings!

:0) Chandra