Obstacles

Good day, God--

And thanks very much for this new day of ours.  In these hours, I hope to give all that I can to the people with whom I work, with whom I interact, with whom I share this planet and the personal small world of mine.

I've recently come into a situation that's going to be extremely difficult to work through--I've been hired as the track coach at the school where I teach, and it's a program that's in miserable shape, with no core of athletes, no history of success, and a total of $8.45 in its account.  It's a situation that one could look at and quite legitimately say, "I'm screwed."

But this is where you've put me, for whatever reasons there may be.  This is my reality, and I'm in it no matter what's going to happen, right?  So I suppose that what I'd like to ask you, quite simply, is to be with me as I tackle the problems.  This program is completely dysfunctional and close to useless due to the mismanagement of the previous track coaches, and it's going to take an awful lot of work to get it going again, and to get it up to a point at which it's a viable and valuable program.

I'm going to need help if I'm going to be able to do that.  Could you please help me?  Sometimes I feel silly even asking, but I know that in asking, I remind myself that you are there, and that I won't be in this alone.  So I ask now.

And I thank you in advance.

A reply:

You're welcome.  In advance.  And be careful of your feelings, especially those that will keep you focused on the mess and the people who have caused it.  Focus instead on the people who benefit from the program, and you'll find that there will be many rewards.  If you allow yourself to get angry and frustrated, the students will suffer, too, and the program will never be a valuable one that helps students to achieve great things.  Be there for them, and keep out of your mind the mismanagement and the neglect of the others.

And have fun.  Working with kids can be great fun, as you well know.