My daughter recently started high school, in a new school district. If you remember when you began high school, you may still feel a little queasy. I know that I do. Will I like high school? Will anyone like me? Will anyone want to sit by me at lunch? (IF I can find the lunchroom!) All of these worries and more are normal when you are a teenager facing the terrifying entity called HIGH SCHOOL.
I don't want you to believe that my daughter is fearful. She is a very courageous young woman, strong in spirit, yet tender of heart. But, she was understandably nervous about going to a new school when her close friends were not going with her. I spent the years prior to high school agonizing about where she should go, touring schools and reading reports that rated each academically. I talked to parents about their experiences with a particular school and questioned their children about the friendliness of the student body. I asked family, friends and even strangers to pray that we would find the right school. Finally, we settled on a school about which my daughter, my husband and I could feel at peace. My daughter had several friends that were attending this school and it seemed a perfect fit. On the first day that applications were being accepted for open enrollment, I drove the packet, including several glowing letters from teachers and straight A+ report cards, out to the school office. My daughter was number 2 on the list and her chances looked excellent for being admitted. The wait had begun!
By the spring, I was a nervous wreck. We decided that a back-up plan was needed. More school tours ensued. She was accepted by four schools, one of them a small, rural high school. This was the one that she really didn't want to attend, it seemed so boring! One by one, the other high schools were eliminated. They were too far away or too far out (think pink wigs and body piercings...) And still, the number one choice did not call. Which is not to say that we didn't talk. I called, emailed and probably was on the verge of making a nuisance of myself. The secretary was perfectly sweet and sympathetic, but she couldn't just make an opening appear for an open enrollment student. By the first week of August, we officially gave up the fight and planned on attending the small, country high school. It was not a happy time.
I spent the next two weeks putting the best face possible on the situation. My girl was not feeling good about the decision, but did her best to hide her misgivings. Finally, we had a talk after a rough couple of days and the futility of our worry really hit home. I remembered all of the people that I had asked to pray for us and how they reassured me that they actually were praying whenever we talked. I thought about how I had always said that God works everything out for our good and His glory. I remembered the scripture that speaks about God working in mysterious ways to perform His wonders. I gave my anxieties to Him and in turn, received His peace.
The first day of high school, as I watched my daughter walk up the sidewalk to the school, I felt just like I did when I entered Spring Valley High for the first time. The relief that I felt when I picked up my smiling daughter that afternoon was immense. She liked her teachers, her classes and everyone that she had met. The kids were friendly and interested in her. The only thing missing was her friends, but she was confident that she was on her way to making friends here too.
A few days later, I was talking with one of her friend's mother and she was expressing some misgivings about the high school her daughter was attending. Without planning too, I found myself asking her if they would like to switch to my daughter's school. She gave me the okay to see if the school might accept another student. A couple of days later, even though the school had closed it's enrollment, my daughter was ecstatic to be told that one of her best friends would be joining her at school. The school that she initially didn't want to go to, the school that was her last choice, had become the backdrop for unexpected blessings!
I have been thinking about our high school experience a lot and seeing parallels in other areas of my life. Sometimes, I have wondered where God was taking me and then questioning "why here" when I arrived at my destination. There have been times when I felt that God must have made a mistake in where He placed me. I have even doubted whether He could bless me in the strange land where He had led. Why do I doubt Him? So many times, He has surprised me with the richness of His provision. He does not make mistakes and His plan for me cannot be thwarted. And when I find myself someplace that I never would have chosen, I purpose to keep my eyes open and look for goodness and mercy. I may not know just when the blessings will show up, but I'm waiting to see them at any moment.
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