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Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he was making a work on the wheels. When the vessel that he made of the clay was marred in the hand of the potter, he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, House of Israel, can't I do with you as this potter?" Jeremiah 18:3–6 WEB.

When I was young, I followed an old family tradition of dropping out of school early and getting a job in construction. By seventeen, I was married with a house, a car, and a child on the way. I was trying to pay all the bills that come with a new family, which proved to be tough for a laborer digging foundations with a shovel to earn the minimum wage.

My Dad was on his own at thirteen, so I was actually a late bloomer by his standards. I didn't know anyone in my family who had ever finished high school. You weren't expected to back then. Both of my brothers had dropped out, one in the fifth grade and the other in the eighth. I honestly don't remember hearing the word "college" until I was in my twenties.

One Sunday night at church, the Lord spoke to me and urged me to go back to school. The word came through the pastor's wife, who simply put her hand on my shoulder and said: "Dion, the Lord wants you to get your GED." Her words had an impact. I felt them and knew instantly it was the Lord speaking to me through her. So I took it seriously and told her that I would look into it.

Monday morning, I went to the adult education center in Conway, South Carolina, to see what it would take to finish school. Even though the parking lot was full of cars, one spot was open right by the entrance. I went inside, and they saw that I had been out of school for a long time, over a decade. So they explained that I would need to take a pre-test, and then I could attend classes and learn the subjects I was weak on. The best-case scenario was that I would have my GED in about one year. This was during the 1990s in the South. Computers were rare, and all school work was still done with a pencil, paper, and books.

Tuesday morning, I went back to take the pre-test, and I prayed all the way there. The parking spot in front of the door was again open for me. They sat me at a desk and gave me multiple tests throughout the morning. The answers seemed to come easily, and I breezed right through it.

Wednesday morning, I went back to go over my test results with them and get the books that I needed to start studying. If this is what the Lord wanted me to do, I planned to see it through. Once again, my parking spot in front of the door was open for me.

When I walked in, a group of teachers was gathered together to discuss some papers. One of them looked at me and said, "There he is!" Then she cocked her head to one side and asked, "How long have you been studying?" I told her that I had just decided to start on Sunday night.

She said, "Well, you did excellently! You needed a 70 to pass, and you scored a 97. I believe that you are ready to take the test. It's too bad that you didn't come a few weeks earlier. The GED test is only given in this part of the state every six months. It's going to be held in Georgetown this Saturday, but the state law requires you to sign up a month in advance."

She paused a moment, then said, "Let me call them." She called someone, found out they had a cancellation, and then faxed them my test scores. When the call was over, she smiled at me and said, "You got in!" She was so happy she hugged me.

Saturday morning, I drove to Georgetown, about 40 miles away, to take the eight-hour test. I prayed all the way there. Again, there was a parking spot open for me near the door. The examination had questions like, "How far is the sun from the earth?" I didn't have a clue, so I prayed for a moment and wrote down whatever came to mind. It was right! I was one of the first to finish.

Sunday morning, when I returned to the church, I had my GED. I had completed the entire process in one week from start to finish. Then, I went on to graduate from Bible College and become ordained. It was totally the Holy Spirit reshaping my life. He was the driver. I was the co-pilot, and I was just along for the ride.

I was just having a great time enjoying the Lord, but He was busy working in the background and setting things in motion that would shape my future. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. He opened the doors, and I stepped through them. I took the tests, but He gave me the answers.

It doesn't matter if you were brought up as nothing. When you submit your life to God and follow His guidance, He will begin to put your life back together and make it meaningful. God can reshape you on His potter's wheel (Jeremiah 18:1). He can fix what is broken. Just because that is the way that it has always been doesn't mean that is the way that it will always be. When He adopts you into His family, He may break all your old family traditions.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I want all that You have for me. Please break me out of my tiny box and change my way of thinking. Open the right doors for me. Teach me what I need to know. Lead me, and I will follow You. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: Today is Thankful Thursday at the Ministry Events group! This event gives us an opportunity encourage each other by posting thoughts, moments, and prayers of gratitude for Him, His creation and all that He does in our lives. All our welcome! To join, just click on the group name and then the join link on the page that will follow. As always, if you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network.