Lion's Den, Part II...the plot thickens!

     NOTE: If you have not read my previous post "Live From the Lion's Den", I would suggest doing so before reading this one.  It offers more background.   

     On Monday, I went into work, as prayed up as I could be.  As always, as soon as I got on campus, my spirit felt heavy, oppressed.  No sooner had I walked in than I was summoned to the office.  The director had some very negative feedback for me.  In fact, she repeated something someone else had said that later turned out to be a lie (the director wasn't lying, the person who talked to her was lying).  These were fiery darts from the enemy.

     I have been involved in teaching for many years (since the 90's), and have had almost all good reviews and feedback.  By God's grace, I even won awards during my time at the YMCA.  This is all the Lord.  However, it has also made me very skeptical of the criticism I've been getting at this job here.  I don't think I'm above the need for direction.  But  being told several times a day that the students and parents complain about me and dislike me when I've had positive relationships with all of them makes me doubtful.

     Anyway, the director said I was on the verge of being fired, and that she didn't expect me to improve.  Talk about discouraging.  My best hasn't been good enough, and it's very frustrating.  But, she said, I had a chance.  I was put to work with another teacher.  Feeling very fainthearted, I went to the classroom.  The woman I was to teach with wasted no time in putting me in my place.  The last few days have been a blur of criticism.  She would ask me to do such and such a thing, then yell at me to do the opposite.  If I did something exactly as she asked, she would then add a qualifier to make it so that I didn't technically do it correctly.  She even got after me for doing things she, herself, does. Some of the weird things she was throwing at me made me very uncomfortable.  I told some students that if they showed me they were ready, we would go outside.  This woman referred to this as "threatening" the children.  That scared me, to be honest.  If she was going to report on me that I "threatened" children, that could get me fired right there.  Finally, today, I felt deep in my spirit that I needed to go.  I prayed about it all day.  I ended up working the whole day, and even considered putting it off a day, just to earn a little more money.  And even the idea of working two more weeks after giving notice made me feel depressed.  I just couldn't abide in this...and God felt the same way!

     When my shift was up, I went to the second-in-command there (who is much kinder than the director) and told her I was putting in my two weeks.  Imagine my blessed surprise when I was received kindly, and also told that I would be paid for two weeks, but didn't have to return to work!  I'm done!  I'm free!

     I need to heal up from the last two-and-a-half months there.  But I will heal.  God is on my side.  I'm not even mad at anyone at this job I left.  I'm happy to be delivered from the fiery furnace.  We have some finances for the time being, though will eventually need income.  We are uncertain as to the future for Walter in the grad program he is in.  We really need God's guidance and intervention.  We are planning to go away tomorrow or Friday and just pray, spending the day with the Lord.  We know He'll come through.

     We're living by faith, not by sight.  Please join us in prayer.