This is what has been going on in my life in the nuttiest of shells:
January 3rd through June 4th, I was a paramom. (Thanks Christine and Allison for the new word!) That means, "almost a mom but not quite." Like, a paramedic is almost a doctor, and a paraprofessional is almost a professional, and a parachute is... okay, well, regardless. I was a nanny.
Paramomming is one of the best kind of jobs ever. Never have I been so impressed upon by a responsibility. Nannying is NOT babysitting. Two mothers trusted me to love, nurture, and mother their children for five months. How humbling and terrifying is that? I did my absolute best, of course, and I couldn't help but wonder "if I love these children this much" (and I love them A LOT) "then how much more do their parents love them?" It made my three charges that much more precious in my mind--not in the cute sense, mind you, but in the valuable sense. The trust I was given frightened me in such a way that made me accountable to perform the tasks at hand with integrity.
Speaking of trust and accountability, do I need to spell out the application here? I'll give y'all the first few letters. Just like the Joneses and the Cottons trusted me with their children, God trusts us with His. Crazy. Why does He do that? He knows we're fallible. He knows we're going to mess up. I can't even count how many times in a semester I ask Him why He trusts me to love His precious ones.
Speaking of semesters: June 4th through right this very second, I have been preparing to spend a school year as an intern with the campus ministry Chi Alpha that I have been involved in. Speaking of trust, again, I have learned, and relearned, who provides for me--I mean, Who provides for me. My full time job this summer was to find out who God had in mind to support me. I had to raise a monthly budget for the first time...EVER. Scary stuff right there. It's intimidating, it's uncomfortable, it's difficult, it's stretching, sifting, growth-stimulation, character-developing, and exciting. It's really exciting. Life is an adventure, right? I mean, that's not really supposed to be a question. This is: Did you know life is an adventure? I think I might have blogged about that before....
Anyway, God really is a Father who provides. He really does have a plan, even when I don't. He really does care about the little things. Sometimes, He even takes me out on surprise dates, just so that I can let my hair down for a bit and relax. I wish I were as attentive to Him as He is to me. My budget is met. I worked really hard, but I certainly didn't raise it.
I had the meeting this morning, so now it's official. I am an intern, a Campus Missionary In Training, with the SHSU Chi Alpha. I am at the beginning of something, but it also feels like I am at the end of a season which really began in my heart in October. To say the least, I'm stoked. And relieved. And I know that even more work is in front of me, and probably the hardest part of this adventure hasn't even happened yet, which is good, because the story of my life isn't quite done :)
