A Matter of Faith

By Carol Round
The Road to Success

“Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Joshua 1:8 (NIV)

For 30 years, I was an Oklahoma public school teacher. Since my retirement two years ago, I have come to realize why I stayed for three decades—for the teenagers who shared their joys and sorrows and allowed me to become a part of their lives.

I became eligible for retirement at the end of 2004, which meant leaving in the middle of the school year. And even though you won’t find “retirement” mentioned in the Bible, I was ready to retire. I felt that after 30 years I was being led on a different path.

However, as the deadline approached to submit the necessary paperwork, I hesitated. I didn’t have the inner peace that comes when one knows that it is the right thing to do. One morning, I lifted up my concerns to the Lord. My simple prayer was “Heavenly Father, where can I best serve you?”

Immediately, I felt as if someone had lifted a backpack of rocks from my shoulders. My steps became lighter because I knew I didn’t have to struggle. God would show me the way.

Later that week, I had a conversation with a substitute teacher. She was a retiree, but had never substituted in the high school until that day. I mentioned my indecision about leaving at Christmas. When she replied with “Carol, you need to finish what you started,” I knew that God had provided my answer.

I started the second semester with excitement, not even counting the days until the last school bell rang. Two weeks before school ended, a student, struggling with decisions about the future, approached me with her concerns. She was lost. I understood. I had been in her shoes before I found the Lord.

During our conversation, I shared with Stephanie how God had changed me from the inside out. I also gave her a copy of “The Purpose Driven Life.” It was at that moment when I realized why God had wanted me to finish what I had started in August 1975.

My retirement check is not much but the rewards of being allowed to touch lives is something that money cannot buy. God crowns faithfulness even when the world has a different definition of success.

I like how Ralph Waldo Emerson’s defined success: “to laugh much; to win respect of intelligent persons and the affections of children; to earn the approbation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give one's self; to leave the world a little better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm, and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived—this is to have succeeded."

What is your definition of success?

Check out A MATTER OF FAITH website at www.carolaround.com.