As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Isaiah 55:10-12, NIV
The saying goes, “Grandchildren are the reward for surviving your children when they were teenagers.”
Go ahead…laugh. If you have had a teenager, it is funny. For those of you who do not have grandchildren yet, but have teens, your reward is coming.
As the school year ends with promotion and graduation ceremonies, I would say to you, this is your reward also. Stop and soak it in. This is your reward for not losing it since spring break.
In this verse in Isaiah, God is saying that His Word will always accomplish that which it was sent to do. Whether to encourage or discipline, give wisdom or warn; every promise, every prophecy, “will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
Watching your students move forward with their lives is your chance to see that all of your hard work was not in vain. This is an opportunity to recognize that your words, teaching, instruction, discipline, examples, and encouragement did not return empty, but have accomplished the desired outcome. Enjoy the fact that you have achieved that which you purposed for another year, impacting many lives for a lifetime.
You probably will not be able to see the incredible impact that you made on these lives. Sure, graduation or promotion is a great step, a giant step in their lives, but I can assure you that you touched their lives in ways you cannot even imagine. You have made a life-long difference in these students that they will remember long after you have forgotten some of their names.
God has sent you out into these schools to feed and water the minds and hearts of these students. Go ahead… Laugh, cry, and be a part of this moment because you have been such a big part of all the other moments. Good and bad… victories and heartbreaks… school lessons and life lessons… firsts and do-overs… celebrations and frustrations. You were there. You have prayed for these students and given them your all—none of it returning to you empty.
My prayer for you is, “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”
Enjoy this time—tears and all. Thank you for all that you have done!
Dearest Lord, Thank You for leading us safely through this school year. Just a few days left, and we need Your strength and vision. May all Christian educators across this nation be encouraged to finish well. Amen.
Copyright Kathy Branzell.
Kathy has a heart for encouraging Christian educators and currently serves as the President of the National Day of Prayer Task Force. Prior to this role, she was the founder and president of Fellowship and Christian Encouragement (FACE) for Educators.
2 Responses
Perfect timing. I have been so discouraged with this year’s teacher appreciation week. I even asked a group to pray for me because I know ingratitude is ugly. But I realized this morning, it’s been a year: my dog died, a parent broke her neck, another broke his hip, my husband had surgery for a blocked artery, a beloved student died, another learned on spring break his leukemia is back. And I realized that’s why the underwhelming teacher appreciation, a little thing, hit so hard. It’s the proverbial straw. Thanks for helping me reorient my perspective.
Sounds like a tough year, Diana! I pray that God gives you strength and encouragement as you finish this school year. Thank you for being such an important part of our Daily Devotional community!