Quote #41: Sarah Owens

“The point of a story is never about the ending, remember. It’s about your character getting molded in the hard work of the middle.”― Donald Miller, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life Hi all! I'm Sarah Owens, the consultant behind the Resiliency in Students and Educators (RISE) framework that equips schools with skills and mindsets to build resilient staff, students, and systems. I first read this quote when I was a teacher for the Midland County ESA and its message helped to transform the way I viewed my work as an educator. Even still today, whether in motherhood, my faith, or coming alongside educators, this quote reminds me not to avoid the hard work of the middle, but embrace the refinement that comes through character transformation. Although we often wish we could skip over the hard and just get to the end where the baby sleeps through the night, the toddler is potty trained, the student's behavior is fixed, the debt is paid, or the goal I've set is achieved, that end isn't the point of the story and often leaves us feeling dissatisfied one way or another. Whatever middle you find yourself in right now, I invite you to experience a joy that is greater than your circumstance, and to see the good that is at work in you even now...right in the middle of this hard.

Donald Miller