The First Day of School.

The first day of school is usually met with anticipation, excitement, and butterflies. Even as a teacher, I've found myself sleepless the night before school starts and feeling nervous as my students walk in. This year was completely the opposite. I slept great and felt unusually calm all day. A couple of friends and I have really been struggling with anxiety lately and have been praying and reading scripture in an attempt to combat the feelings of a total freak-out. I got together with one of these friends a few days before school started to pray and try to figure out what was causing it. During prayer we both felt a sense of peace and calm, but it didn't last long for me, and all week I continued to stress and try to pray about it. I was totally unprepared for the first day and hadn't even been in my classroom for the week before, but woke up with a peace that was unexplainable. I enjoyed the whole day, and there wasn't even the slightest stress. I was able to pick up with my students where I'd left off in June and connect with the new students for the first time. I haven't felt anxiety in two days now and am praising God for restoring my confidence and ability to handle life again. This recent struggle has served not only to restore me, but also to restore my joy and increase my faith in the Lord who heals, restores, and instructs through difficulty.
"Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to
sustain me." --Psalm 52:12