HAPPINESS
August 30, 2021
Prayer: Please help us to hear Your voice today, Lord, in the good words we hear. We are desperate to hear Your voice and receive encouragement from You. Amen.
Scripture: When God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God. Ecc. 5:19
“Mr. Dodd, we had fun!” greeted little Corey excitedly as his teacher came to pick up the fourth grade class from music. “Oh, is it over already?” whined a first grader when I asked her class to line up. “When is music again?” asked a second grader on his way past my classroom in the morning. “Alex says he wants to be a singer, and he was so excited when you put him in the chorus,” said a mother on her way out the door one day after school.
This was music to my ears! We need those kinds of statements to counterbalance the complaints we get so often, or the unmotivated and bored looks we see from some of our students. Teachers also delight at seeing the growth in their students, feeling the joy of their discovery, hearing the laughter of classroom learning games. These gifts mean more than the best wrapped present we receive at Christmas. They keep us going in school systems that often cannot afford the best salaries or in the districts with underprivileged families or in classes in which we see slow progress.
It makes going to school worthwhile to hear words of thanks and praise from our students, parents, and colleagues. The Lord bestows these gifts on us. Allow them to encourage you as though the Lord Himself were speaking encouragement to you. Remember that every good and perfect gift comes from Him. Take a few minutes to thank Him for all the wonderful smiles, sounds, gifts of love that you receive to encourage you. They will give you a smile, and renew your love for your work.
Copyright Shirley Wilson. Email [email protected]