Yesterday was a rough day for
me as a teacher. There’s just no other
way to say it. After 20 years away from
the classroom I’m teaching high school Spanish and boy do I have a lot to
learn. An incident happened that just
kind of “broke the straw on the camels back” so to speak. It made me realize that something has got to
change or it’s going to be a really really long year. After school I grabbed my
headphones, turned my music up really loud and just walked and walked. And then something crazy happened……I
ran. Yes, this girl who despises running
ran. (I must have been really upset!)
Here’s the thing: I LOVE
teaching and I love my students.
However, the more I spend daily with people, I am reminded of how much
we live in a broken world, with hurting and broken kids whose families aren’t
in this easy cookie cutter life. These kids are coming into school with
baggage, and quit frankly many of them are a mess before they even step into
the classroom. Then I am also reminded of the grownups that I interact with in
the world and am reminded that they too are broken and hurting. So what do I do with all of that?
First of all, I need to pray. Notice how I
said pray first? I find myself getting
upset first and then praying later which is a backwards way of doing it. When I stop and pray and ask the Lord for
help with a student or a situation, I am more apt to be clearheaded and deal
with it properly….in a Godly manner which is my #1 goal. I want the students to see Jesus in me even
when I have to discipline them, when I teach them, when we are in the halls,
etc….
Secondly, I elicit help from others that are more
experienced. This takes a little bit of humbling on our part
because that means we have to go talk to someone and actually admit that this
problem or situation is a little much for us and we need help. I stood in the
hallway yesterday talking to two more experienced teachers and sharing my
frustrations and they kindly, without judging my abilities, gave me solution
ideas and encouraged me. Last evening my
principal spent time sending me articles and ideas on how to make my situation
better. Her encouraging words to me were
a balm and a healing to the hurt I had experienced that day. These people encouraged
me to keep on doing what I know to be right.
Third, don’t believe the lies that go through your
head. I believe this is a tough one
for many of us, whatever the situation.
We may make a mistake, or botch something at work, or feel like we
didn’t do our best or maybe yelled at our kids, or were mean to our
husbands. Satan puts all of these things
in our minds like, “see, I told you that you couldn’t do this job.” “You really aren’t worthy, you know that
don’t you?” “You’re lucky they hired you
because you are not really a good teacher.”
“Just look at you yelling at your kids like that, you are a horrible
mom.” All of those things play around in
our minds and just sit there and if we are not careful we begin to believe
those lies. And yes my friends, they are
LIES! You are good enough, you are
smart, you are worthy, you are a good mom, you are a great teacher……you’re just
not perfect. I’ve had a friend share
recently that when you know what the truth is and you begin to believe the lies,
you turn to the lies and say “be quiet!!”, do an about face and listen to the
truth. I know, it’s easier said than
done, but we need to be in the practice of recognizing lies for what they are
and seeing the truth for what it is.
Forth, get your prayer people on board. I had a couple
friends that I was chatting with last night and I just told them that I had a
rough day at work and needed prayer. It
was as easy as that and I know that they are praying for me. Make sure you have people around you that you
can go to when you are struggling so that they can lift you up to the
Father. If you don’t then begin to pray
that God would bring a someone or somebodies into your life to be those people.
Finally, move past it.
So you had a bump in the
road. Again, you’re not perfect. You are
learning. Believe me, we all have room
to grow. But if we stay in our sulky,
“woe is me” state then it doesn’t do anyone any good. You can’t do what God has for you because you
have stayed in the pit. Get out of there
and fast! Satan wants nothing more than
for us to give up. Don’t believe his
lies. Move on.
My story was focused on my
teaching but everyone has their own area where these will apply. Yours may be that you have tried to share
your story of Jesus with a friend and it didn’t go so well. Tuck these tools in
your tool belt and keep going.
Lamentations 3:22-23 The steadfast
love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning.
It’s a new day my
friends. Keep encouraged!!!
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