STAYING BEFORD THE LORD

STAYING BEFORD THE LORD
February 8, 2018

Prayer: Please go with me into this new day, Lord. Please let Your love show through me and draw someone to want to know You more. I pray for the salvation of all of my co-workers and students. I ask this in Jesus’ powerful name, Amen.

Scripture: O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory. Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early. Ps 108:1, 2 KJV

“Jubilant! I feel Jubilant! This is why I teach! Today’s class response made all the hard work worthwhile!” “Horrible. The worst day of my teaching career. How can I live through this one more day? I simply have no strength to put one foot in front of the other. I’m done!” Are those responses of two different teachers? No. They are responses of one teacher on two different days.

I can’t imagine any other career that has as many highs and lows as teaching. What are some pieces that put together a great day? What are the pieces that put together a horrible day?

Consider the number of students from single parent families, the number of students with an incarcerated relative, the number of students with a sick animal, a new pimple, a recent fender bender, a parent out of work, or a romance problem. Then consider the number of teachers with marital problems, the number of teachers with financial stresses, the number of teachers caring for elderly parents, or up half the night with fussy babies, or with decisions looming ahead.

When I think of the complex personal problems that enter a classroom, it’s a wonder anyone has a good day. Through God’s grace we have good days! Good days aren’t occasional. They are more often the norm. But sadly, it is not the even-keel day that settles down on our brows as we close our eyes to go to sleep. It’s the day when the administrator walked in our classroom and saw the student standing on a desk. It’s the day everyone bombed our test. It’s the day that a student stole our purse with our keys and credit cards in it. Those horrible days don’t come often but they LOOM large as we are trying to go to sleep. But the next day does come, and with it comes hope. We lug our satchels out of the car, head into the building, and await the faces of students who come, trusting that we had a good night’s sleep and can give them a good day of learning.

It is our responsibility as teachers, to stay before the Lord in the morning, before we leave the house, to be the teachers that God wants to greet His children as they enter the school room.