Who’s Your One?
Scripture:
“What do you think? If any man has one hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountain and go and search for the one that has gone astray.” (Matthew 18:12)
Introduction:
For a Christian educator some days it feels like this verse has it upside down. A more accurate version would be that we have “one” safe on the mountain and ninety-nine who are lost and have gone astray. It’s true, the needs of the children we are called to love can seem overwhelming at times, and the demands of the job leave little time to meet them all. But Jesus didn’t say, go help the ninety-nine. He said go search for the “one”. Instead of looking at all the needs represented in the lives of the children and colleagues around us, what if we could narrow our focus? What if we started each morning with the simple prayer, “God, who’s my one today?”
Reflection:
- Is there a particular person (student, colleague or parent) that God has been nudging you to reach out to in some special way?
- Some Ideas:
- Student: Affirm worth, show concern, take interest, notice, acknowledge, help meet a physical need…
- Colleague: Write a note to encourage, stop by and offer to pray to start the day, take time to listen to someone carrying a heavy burden…
- Parent: make a call, visit in the hospital, give a good report on their child, compliment them on the great job they have done with their child…
Prayer