I’m considered a “non-traditional” college student.  That’s the nice way to say I’m an old college student.  It became very obvious how out-of-place I was when I went back to college in 2010, ten years after I dropped out of college before my junior year.  I started to notice things like:

1. When I asked if I had the right classroom, the kid who answered called me ma’am.
2. I felt awkward calling my microbiology professor “Mr.” because he’s the same age as me.
3. While the younger students talked about tanning and their weekend plans, I found other moms and discussed breastfeeding and tee ball games.
4. My car is older than some of my classmates.
5. I realized that when I got married, most of my classmates were in elementary school.

I have questioned my sanity many times since I decided to go back to school, and especially since I was accepted into the dental hygiene program.  This program is the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.  Going back to school at 30 is probably the craziest thing I’ve ever done.  Going back to school with a pastor husband, two kids, and a 30 hour a week job is complete insanity.

Going back to school when I know beyond any shadow of a doubt that this is where God wants me at this stage in my life makes perfect sense…even if the circumstances don’t make sense.

One thing I’ve learned is that God doesn’t always call us to do the “normal” thing or the “safe” thing.  In fact, He often calls us to do crazy things.  He calls us to take giant leaps of faith.  He calls us to push ourselves to our absolute limits…then He helps us push a little further.  He calls us to deal with more than we think we can handle…then He picks us up and carries us further.  He made us to keep learning, to keep changing, to keep growing.

That’s what our faith is all about, too.  We’ll never be perfect until we reach heaven.  As long as we’re breathing, we have to keep growing and learning and changing – and we’re not going to grow unless we push ourselves.  We have to keep trying new things and learning new things.  Do you have a dream or a goal that you gave up on when you were younger?  Maybe God is calling you to go for it now.

You’re never too old to stop learning!