Kids Clubhouse Devotional: September

When I Grow Up

Note: If you are an older teen reading this, please pay attention. This devotional is just for you.

Listen, I hear bells in the distance. No, it is not the dinner bell, but, it is that old school bell. If you are a young person, this distinct sound can either fill you with excitement or dread. Most of us are now gearing up for another school year. One of your first assignments might be to answer the question, “What did you do on your summer vacation?” That question would be a great essay for elementary school students. However, with each passing year, older teens may be presented with a different question. What goals and dreams do you have for yourself upon graduating high school?
Making long term plans often leads us to ask another question. Think back to when you were seven or eight years old. Did you ever have to write an essay on “What do I want to be when I grow up?” Let’s imagine that we are all younger children. What do you want to be when you grow up?
A doctor? A teacher? A youth group pastor?

Those are all great answers. Now, let’s think about the present time. Do you still see yourselves as doing those jobs now as when you were seven or eight? Some of us do, and some of us don’t and that’s ok.. Do you know why?

God Has A Plan

Let me tell you a little story about myself. As a sixth grader, back in 1991. I knew I wanted to be a journalist because my teacher published an essay of mine in the school newspaper. Once I saw those words in print, I was hooked on the idea of being a journalist. Because I saw my words in print for the first time, I knew I wanted to make a difference in the lives of others by what they read. So, therefore, I read and studied all I could about journalism from the time I was in the sixth grade until I was a senior in high school. Fast forward to the year 2000, where I learned an important lesson. The plans you have for yourself are not always in tune with the plans God has for you. I had just received my Liberal Arts Degree from RSU in Claremore. I loved learning new things and wasn’t quite ready to give it up. But, RSU did not have a journalism program. The closest Journalism program was in Tahlequah at NSU, and back then, I still lived with my parents. Due to my disability, I couldn’t drive, so my counselor says, how about staying at RSU and earning a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts. This sounded interesting, and maybe I would get to use my journalism skills in my classes, so, I said, “Let’s do it.” In 2006, I earned that Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts all while caring for aging grandparents.

So, my inability to drive deterred me from getting a journalism degree; as a result, I couldn’t picture asking someone to help me go chase a hot news story by driving me to the scene of that news story. Therefore, I used what I learned in my Liberal Arts classes, such as The Novel,  and Literary Traditions  to write my own book, which was published in 2010 I Sit in a Wheelchair……..But I Will Be Ok.

My point is, that dreams can and do change, but wherever you go……whatever you do………God is always gonna be beside you