The Ledger

By Jennifer Greene-Sullivan

Two years ago, shortly after I left the classroom and began working alongside my husband in our family business, the Lord gave me an unusual title for a future book: My Return to Egypt. At the time, I wrote it down and tucked it away. I wasn’t returning anywhere, and I believed that chapter of my life had ended. After spending twenty years in education, I was doing something entirely different and had no plans of going back.

Yet, the title never left me. Every so often, it would surface in my thoughts, and I would find myself wondering what it meant. I would revisit the idea, pray about it, and then place it back on the shelf. The title felt unfinished, like a message I had received before I understood its purpose.

Last week, I accepted a position teaching tenth-grade English at Wilcox County High School. As soon as I finished my interview, that forgotten title came rushing back to me. Suddenly, what had seemed mysterious for two years made perfect sense.

When most people think about Egypt in Scripture, they think about slavery and bondage. When I think about Egypt, however, I think about Moses. His story presents one of the most remarkable examples of how God uses both wilderness seasons and return journeys to accomplish His purposes.

Moses entered Egypt three different times. The first time, he arrived as a baby floating in a basket. Rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter, he was raised in Pharaoh’s house and prepared for a future he could not yet see. The second time, he left Egypt as a fugitive after killing an Egyptian. He fled into the wilderness carrying regret, disappointment, and uncertainty about what his life would become.

Years later, Moses returned once again. By then, he was older, humbler, and far more dependent upon God than he had ever been as a prince in Pharaoh’s house. Egypt itself had not changed, but Moses had. More importantly, he returned with a different purpose.

As I prepare to walk back into a classroom, I find myself thinking about that third journey. This will be my third season at Wilcox County High School. The hallways are familiar, the classrooms are familiar, and many of the faces will be familiar as well. Yet, I am not the same person who walked away.

The Lord has used these years to do a deep work in me. He slowed my pace, taught me to abide instead of strive, and refined me in ways I never expected. He led me through seasons of pruning, waiting, and uncertainty that often felt uncomfortable while I was living them. There were moments when I questioned what He was doing and moments when I wondered if I would ever teach again.

Looking back now, I can see that the wilderness was not a detour. It was preparation. God taught me lessons that could not be learned in a classroom, a faculty meeting, or a professional development session. He taught me dependence, patience, surrender, and trust.

When God called Moses back to Egypt, He did not send him back as the man who had fled as a young man. He sent him back carrying a staff, a calling, and a deeper understanding of who God was. That is the difference I feel today as I prepare to return to education. My profession is the same, but my purpose is different.

Years ago, I entered the classroom eager to teach English, but today, I return with a greater understanding of what teaching truly means. Every day, students walk through school doors carrying burdens, questions, fears, disappointments, and dreams. Some need encouragement. Some need stability. Some simply need an adult who sees them and believes in them when they struggle to believe in themselves.

Teaching has always been my occupation, but I now understand it more clearly as my ministry. For the last several weeks, I have prayed over this decision, wrestled with it, and sought the Lord’s direction. Through it all, I have felt His peace leading me forward—not because the path is easy and not because everyone agrees with my decision, but because I believe He is the One directing my steps.

Isaiah 30:21 says, “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.” That verse has carried special meaning for me during this season. I do not claim to know everything that lies ahead, but I do know that I want to walk where the Lord leads.

As I prepare lesson plans and organize a classroom once again, I find myself grateful for the wilderness years. They deepened my faith, clarified my priorities, and reminded me that my identity was never tied to a job title. The wilderness did not change my profession; it changed my purpose.

Oftentimes, the greatest miracles are not found in new places. Sometimes, they are found when God sends us back to familiar places as completely different people. Moses returned to Egypt carrying scars from the wilderness, but he also carried a calling. The wilderness changed him, prepared him, and taught him to depend upon God in ways he never could have imagined while living in Pharaoh’s house.

Perhaps that is why this return feels so different. I am walking back into a familiar building, but I am not returning as the same teacher who left. The Lord has used these past two years outside the profession to prune, refine, and strengthen me. I carry lessons learned in quiet places, lessons learned through waiting, and lessons learned through obedience.

My return to Egypt was never about going back: it was about discovering that God can still use us after the wilderness. It was about learning that the seasons that seem to delay us are often the very seasons that prepare us for what comes next. Looking back, I can see that God never abandoned my calling. He was simply preparing me to carry it differently.

After all, torn wings still fly.