Article April 7, 2008 Issue

REACH FOR THE BIG-PICTURE VIEW

BY CAROL ROSE KELLING

Prayer can be answered in unexpected ways.  Years ago, I'd been praying for direction in the middle of a confusing career situation. Then one day, while I was stuck in traffic, waiting for a very long train to cross the intersection, this message came strongly to me: "Handle obstruction in your prayers!" I knew this angel message related to the need to pray more effectively about my career, rather than the inconvenience of a traffic delay. I needed to know more specifically that nothing could obstruct or oppose God's plan for me.

My dilemma was this: As part of a secondary education program, I was student-teaching in a public high school. Halfway through the second semester, I felt impelled to switch to teaching at-risk students in an alternative school, requiring a special transfer, which my supervisors at the university refused to approve. They were adamant about their decision, and their concerns seemed reasonable, at least on the surface. But I still felt that the change I'd requested would allow me to better express my individual talents. And that left me wondering if my desire for change was nothing more than human will disguised as divine inspiration.

I've since heard the saying, "When we begin to wonder, we begin to wander." And in this instance, it certainly seemed to be true. Prior to the clear insight I'd had while watching that train, I'd been caught in a loop of speculation and rumination. Continually wondering how to resolve the job situation had taken me farther down the path of confusion.