School started today! Praise the Lord! Sure, it has it's drawbacks. No quiet mornings while everyone is sleeping because they stayed up too late the night before, but welcome are the long quiet days! Now maybe I will get to some writing and finish those late lessons.

It is always difficult at first around our house though. My grand daughter started kindergarten this morning. She was full of excitement as she anticipated going to school, but when she actually arrived and grandma was leaving, it was quite a different story. Her tears came instantly and mine came as I drove away from the school.

My son began the 3rd grade this morning with a full understanding of what was going to happen, but still cried about it last night. He simply would rather be with me all day. The funny thing is that being with me constitutes sitting in his room, playing his Nintendo DS, watching his tv and only coming out long enough to inform me he wants chicken nuggets, pizza, or hamburgers and tea. Other than an occasional cinnamon roll or pancake for breakfast that IS his diet. He likes things the way he likes them. Don't we all. Creatures of habit - good or bad. We like it like it has always been. We want to do what we've always done. It's comfortable and easy.

I am definitely a creature of habit. I recently went on a 21 day fast. I've never fasted that long before, but I felt it was spiritual ground I needed to take. Going in, I was honest with God. "I don't think I can do this, but out of obedience, I'll try." The truth is, I like stuffing my face with whatever I want, whenever I want and when I am under stress, I like it even more. Like others, I like things the way I like them.

Most of us do not like to be pushed out of that comfort zone we have nestled into, but most often, the best things in life lie just outside.

Miracles began to happen and the Spirit of God began to move mightily as I moved through that 21 days of fasting and my personal discomfort became a small thing in comparison. Did I know that that would happen as I contemplated such a long fast? No, I did not and I would not have if I had not forged ahead into uncharted territory.

It is the same with my 3rd grader and my kindergarten bound grand daughter. They will experience wonderful things they never dreamed possible, but only after they endure the hardship of their first days and weeks in a strange new place with strange new people.

My first inclination is to save them from their discomfort. Bring them home, homeschool them until their fifty and forget about the outside world forever - but that would harm them - not help them. It would squelch who God designed them to be, just as hiding in our comfort zone does to us. Our first inclination is to run from the new things God places in front of us, but in a word of advice - don't. Many times God has shown himself faithful but not until I have demonstrated a willingness to step out beyond what I knew to be solid ground. A challenge to you. Try it, just once, just a little, and see what will happen . . . you won't be sorry!

Be blessed!