teaching | A Satisfied Spirit

5.19 Have you ever waited for days or years for something you’ve really wanted? You already know it’s in God’s plan but it’s just not happening? It could be anything from getting married, having a baby, financial issues, buying a new car, moving to a new house, getting the right job… Of course you have. We all have.

The people of our time and culture are impatient waiters. We want it now. We want it our way, now. Yet, if patience is the fruit of the spirit within us, why are we so impatient? Why are we so unwilling to ‘wait upon the Lord‘?

When I graduated from college with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education I expected to have an immediate teaching job offered to me. Well, that didn’t happen! (At that point, there were more teachers than jobs, especially in specialized area’s like music.) God had decided I needed to grow more first. So for 10 years I substitute taught, opened my own piano studio, and learned more about being His child and being a teacher.

But, I knew only a part of His plan for my life. My Spiritual Gift was teaching. I knew that. I prayed about that. Yet, it seemed I was being blocked for some reason. What was going on? Why was my life not moving forward in the way I thought it should?

I still don’t know the why’s but I do know these things about the wait. First, I was not ready. I had much to learn. God wanted me to be the best teacher I could be. Not just in the public school elementary classroom. His plan was so much bigger than that! Second, He wanted me to teach His Word. He wanted me to be prepared to help others as they searched for meaning in their own lives.

He wanted me to depend completely on Him in both areas. He was determined not to move me forward until I was ready. He can be stubborn. (Have you discovered that, too?) When I finally gave up and gave in (To His plan.) He started opening doors.

How did I learn to know what He wanted for me? He showed me through:

His Word – As I read there would be a sudden answer in a specific verse.
Those He put in my life. Many friends and colleagues who supported and prayed.
Remembering that His creation took 6 days. He showed me that even though He could have created the earth and the heavens at a snap of the fingers, He took the time to do it right. Through His Word He was showing me a picture of patiently waiting.

His plan made all the difference and He wasn’t about to let me do it my way. I have spent many years teaching His Word and will continue until He opens the door to Heaven. I spent 30 years in the public education system as an elementary teacher and principal. Even now, I’m still teaching! God opened the doors after I retired from public school education to a new career as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher/tutor to people from all over the world. I’m still teaching His Word in my church, in a private home Bible Study, through this Blog and other Social Media.

He cared so much that he made me wait!

Blessings to you and yours!

Marie

This post is in response to Week 12 of Deb Wolf’s 52-week Devotional Journal for Women.

Teaching and preaching are much the same and at the same time different. Preaching must always point to Jesus. Always! Preachers are always teachers but teachers are not always preachers.

I decided to review Letters To My Students because I wanted to see how close the two are. Interestingly, and I already knew this, they are very close. The main difference is the audience. Preachers to the church body, teachers to the church body, classrooms, small groups, and individuals.

To be an effective teacher there are three commonalities:

Knowing your audience includes building trust and relationships.
Knowing yourself is about the constant awareness of your spiritual, mental, and physical health. All of who you are shows in your teaching.
Knowing what’s going on in the world your students are living in helps apply your lesson to their lives.

This book is packed with the wisdom of seasoned pastor/teacher Jason K. Allen. It is valuable to the one in the pulpit and the one in the Sunday School classroom, Bible study leader, mentor, and yes, even the public/private school teacher can gain much from reading it.

Powerful quotes:

A text cannot mean something now that it never meant. (pg. 67)

Aim to inform the mind, impact the heart, and challenge the will. (pg. 85)

Great preaching (teaching) is usually passionate preaching. For every ounce of passion in the preacher’s (teacher’s) voice, there should be a pound of compassion in the soul. (pg. 136-147)

Blessings to you and your’s!

Marie

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Broadman & Holman Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”