This Is the Day the Lord Has MadeSample

## THE BLIND WILL SEE After high school, I started college to become a nurse. I had one more class to take before applying for the nursing program. Well, life happened, and I didn't take that last class. 7 years later, I went back. After those many years, going back proved to be more difficult than I had thought. There were different requirements for the program. After taking the required classes and applying (and getting waitlisted), I was accepted into the program! I was excited but scared. All the schooling I had done was finally going to pay off. Fast forward to the end of my first quarter, and I finished with a B-. However, you have to get a B or higher to move on. I filed an appeal to get back in, but it was rejected. Knowing that everything I worked so hard for was over that quickly was crushing. Being rejected is a horrible feeling. Whether that be rejection from a person, school, a job you applied for, etc. It's heartbreaking. Imagine how Jesus felt when he was rejected. Mark 10 says, "He took the Twelve aside and told them… the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death… …and kill him." Shortly after, on the road to Jericho, a blind man named Bartimaeus was sitting by the roadside and heard Jesus coming. He shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus spoke to Bartimaeus, healed his eyesight, and Bartimaeus followed Jesus along the road. Most rejected Jesus, but Bartimaeus knew Jesus was The Son of Man. In Jeremiah 33, the Lord declares He will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line. Bartimaeus called Jesus "Son of David." He knew who Jesus was, and he chose to follow Him. Rejection from others didn't stop Jesus from doing what He knew He was meant to do. I couldn't let being rejected from nursing school stop me. We need to open our eyes to what God is doing in our lives, as Bartimaeus was open to who Jesus was and is. Where is an area that you've felt rejected in your life? Did you move on and trust in God? Is there somewhere you can open your eyes and see how God is working in your life? Amber Hibma, Middle School Leader