Some beach somewhere...

The more I work, the more I realize that work is not something I want to do for my whole life. I don't like it. I don't like waking up early. I don't like getting yelled at by psychotic teachers, parents, and students who don't understand that we're all on the same team. I don't like eating lunch in front of my computer and not having any windows in my office to look out at the free world. I don't like having to leave a paper trail for everything I do and then having to retrace the paper trail when the sh*t hits the fan, which, by the way, it always does. As the days pass by, I find myself becoming more and more committed to winning the lottery so that I can move to a beach and leave my computer behind me.

Of course, the other side of my heart reminds that while I may long to be on the beach, work does have a purpose beyond meeting my financial needs. Perhaps what I need is a change in my attitude towars work. Instead of viewing my job as a prison, I can view it as my ministry (1 Corinthians 15:58). In this light, my work is not for my gain, but rather for the gain of God's kingdom (Ephesians 4:28), which is always purposeful even if I can't see the purpose from where I sit in my office. When I feel like I'm not getting anywhere with my angry parents, teachers, and students, I can remember that I may not always see the fruit of my work, but a positive impact could still be there if the Holy Spirit is in what I do. The Holy Spirit rarely calls us to be comfortable. He calls us to serve and to grow and to do so with the kind of joy in our hearts that only God can provide.

While I may feel that I would personally have a lot more joy in my work if I was able to do it on my time instead of the public school's time, I realize that God can fully renew me even while I'm running in my hamster wheel for over 8 hours a day. God can keep me from burning out because God equips us for what He calls us to do (Acts 13:2). Putting my hope in God is more certain than the lottery ticket. Especially since I'm only committed to winning the lottery in my daydreams--I haven't even bought a ticket yet. Of course, at the very least I would like to do my work on the beach if that is possible....