APPLYING OURSELVES
Prayer: Please help us to reach someone today who needs a jump start in life. Thank You, Lord, for using us.
Scripture: And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful. Titus 3:14 ESV
I do not know if there is much that is more frustrating to a parent, educator or boss than to see someone fail to reach his or her potential. We search for the button to push that will jump-start them to apply the abilities that we know they possess but have not been motivated to utilize. It would be so much easier if we could give them medication, purchase it, or somehow show them the level at which they should be working.
What causes people to settle for less than they could accomplish? Apprehension of the unknown, laziness, fear of failure or sometimes just not knowing the right steps to take may hold people back. Can you think of other reasons? How do you help a student reach their potential? Encouragement? Bribes? Challenges? I have seen that a taste of success brings about unbelievable motivation. Although we’ve all had students whose abilities we could see, the students may not have known or believed they could succeed until they got a small taste of success. For the competitive type, a good competition will spark a flame. For those who like to please, “I am proud of you,” will go a long way. If you have more than one child, you know that they can be very different. What works for one doesn’t always work for the other.
The challenge of finding the secret of motivating a classroom or several classrooms full of students can be overwhelming. Pray over them. Ask God to show you what will inspire them. Use different methods, not just one. Are you reaching your full potential? What holds you back? What inspires you to go beyond
your comfort zone, to work harder, to take risks? My prayer for you today is that you and your students will apply yourselves fully. Our schools and our world are full of “cases of urgent need,” and we must not be unfruitful.
Copyright Kathy Branzell. Email [email protected]