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The Summer Issue; June 2024 > Home > Presence
The Joy of Being an Amateur
Written by Joy Leafgreen
If someone were to ask me what I do, I would tell them I’m a wife, a mom, and a teacher. I consider myself a professional educator, as I’ve been in this career now for over 17 years. As a professional, one is constantly learning and growing, not wanting to stay stagnant, but continually developing one’s craft and expertise.
But what about as an amateur? What does that mean? The simple definition of “amatuer” is not a professional; without training in a particular skill. I didn’t go to school to be a parent, and having a child with severe language and developmental delays is definitely out of my league of training and expertise. A saying I’ve heard often is: “Children with special needs don’t come with a guidebook; they come with parents who don’t give up.”
You see, there’s no schooling or training course that can prepare you for many things in life. There are curveballs and challenges that you can’t study, prepare for, or calculate. So, then what?
This is where leaning on God’s grace and sufficiency comes in. The joy comes from knowing I’m not smart enough, strong enough, or prepared enough for whatever situation, or challenge I am currently facing…but God is. God is omniscient–which means all wise and all-knowing. I am not. I see such a small piece of what is happening. God sees the end from the beginning, and I get to be a part of it.
Proverbs 4:18 says, “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.” The Lord guides; He provides wisdom. The joy comes from just walking one day at a time. The joy of being an amateur is like the joy of a new sunrise–the gift of a fresh, brand new day–full of hope and promise, trusting in the One who is already there.
So today, breathe in, enjoy the gift of the sunlight and the dawn of the new day. Trust that God will guide your path and you don’t have to know it all.