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Do the Good

By December 22, 2021SavED by Grace

Do the Good

By Kylee Wray Mitchell

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Usually, this time of year brings thoughts to mind of my students and what they’ll be getting for Christmas. Teachers worry about who has enough to eat, who will have somewhere safe to spend the holiday break, and who will be thankful for school to reopen. 

And all of those things are still on my mind as I sit here on the last day of work before Christmas break. But what’s on my heart? 

Teachers. 

My heart is overflowing with gratitude, and love, and admiration, and respect for educators across the nation during this holiday season. But my heart is also overflowing with anxiety, and fear, and pain, and disappointment for all the men and women in this noble profession. 

Why? 

“Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” James 3:1 

Just Google “teacher shortage” and you will find article after article with headlines filled with words like “burnout,” “exhausted,” “overwhelmed,” and “fed up.” Teachers are hurting right now in a way that I have not seen in my time as a student nor in my time as an educator. 

Why would I write my Christmas blog post about something so disheartening? Why don’t I just write about the excitement in the air and the twinkling lights? 

Because James 3:17-18 says, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” 

I don’t think quitting is the answer to our problems. I don’t think leaving the classroom for another field is going to help what we are seeing. The behaviors in our classrooms, the mountains of paperwork, the never ending to do lists…it’s all a product of our fallen world. The classroom is a microcosm of society. And our society needs Jesus. 

Fellow educators, we can’t throw our hands up and give in. We can’t turn our students over to the enemy. We can’t lie down and quit. The cost is too great. 

We are in a spiritual battle the likes of which we haven’t seen. And the only way we can do anything positive is by staying in the ring. It’s by fighting on our knees. It’s by showing the pure wisdom and peace and mercy given to us by God. 

“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” James 4:17 

We know the good that needs doing. We were called to this profession. We know this is His will for our lives. And we also know it is Jesus in us that is our strength. 

So let me encourage you to take time over Christmas break to rest and rejuvenate. Take time for your family, and take time in prayer. Pray for God to show you what healthy boundaries you can create for your professional life. Pray for God to speak through you to your students, your administration, and your district personnel. If God leads you to champion a cause that needs changing, take it on. Do the work He has called you to do. See the good work and forget the rest. 

Our fight is hard right now, but we can’t win if we don’t stay in the ring. 

Merry Christmas and may God bless you with a restful break.

My love to you all. ❤️

I am a high school English teacher in southern central Alabama. I am originally from a small town in north Alabama called Arab, but after meeting my husband in college, I never moved back. We have been married for 8 years and have 3 children—Luke, Caroline, and Lincoln. I have been teaching for 5 years now, and it is one of the greatest joys in my life.

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