HANDS, FEET, EYES, HEART
October 15, 2021
Prayer: Jesus, in my classroom, I am a part of Your Body. I am Your hands, feet, eyes, and heart. Help me to die to myself so that more of You might live in me. Amen
Scriptures: Now when He saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him and He began to teach them. Matt. 5:1-20 NIV
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Gal. 2:20 NIV
Today the bell rings and another crowd of young people enter the classroom. Behind them I notice a stranger who also enters the room. Oddly I can see Him but the young people, usually so alert when visitors enter, seem not to notice Him at all.
I instantly recognize the man is Jesus. He walks to the front of the class, touching children and whispering to them as He passes, yet they still seem not to notice Him. He stands at the front of the room and begins talking with dramatic sweeping gestures of His hands, yet the children see and hear nothing.
Jesus stops, unperturbed, sits at an empty student desk, and says to me, “The youth here cannot see or hear Me. This is a generation being taught to believe only in what their physical eyes can see and ears can hear. They are being taught progress is measured in the acquisition of more money, material things, knowledge, technology, and likes and friends on social media. It is not being measured by the acquisition of more unconditional love, wisdom, peace, courage, hope, faith, or trust. You are working with a group of young people being raised in one of the most technologically advanced and materially wealthy, yet spiritually impoverished races of people the world has ever known.”
He continues, “They spend 30 to 40 hours a week at school learning how to materially succeed as adults in this culture, yet only spend an average of ninety minutes or less per week learning about or developing their relationships with Me or our Father in heaven. Many parents get their children to baseball, soccer, and dance practice three times a week for two-hour practices. They make sure their children do their homework each night. They make sure their children eat three physical meals a day, but many don’t even feed them one spiritual meal each day. Parents cannot find any time to pray and worship with them in their homes.”
Tears begin to well up in Jesus’ eyes and He stops His discourse. I look deep into His eyes and see the agony of the cross, the rejection He once experienced.
He looks up at me and says, “All they can see of Me is what they see in you. All they can hear from Me is what they hear from you. All they can feel from Me is the touch you give them. I ask you, how much of Me are they seeing, hearing, and feeling from you? Our Father has sent Me here today to be with you, to be a part of this classroom, not just to visit but to stay. If these young people are to ever know Me, how important it is my friend, that you see Me, you hear Me, you feel Me, and you know Me while you work here? Through Me our Father wants to share His love with you. Through you He wants to share His love with these young people. In this small corner of the world, in this classroom, you are My hands, My feet, My eyes, and My heart.”
I feel the awesome responsibility Jesus has just shared with me. I begin to feel the weight of the cross He has called me to bear. I reflect on the commitment He is calling me to – the death of me so that in me He might live.
Getting Real: Die to yourself. Let go of control and let God. Let Jesus live in you where you work in education.
Copyright Don Clark. To connect with the author, email [email protected]
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I always enjoy these devotionals, but today’s was especially meaningful! Thank you!