Prayer: Oh Lord, help me be truly available to listen to my students and to listen to You. Please draw each one to know that You are in heaven and to accept Jesus as their Savior. Thank You. Amen

Scripture: See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. Matthew 18:10 NIV

Sitting amongst a large group of students, I asked them to talk to me about school. I wanted to know what they liked and did not like about their schools and their teachers. As you can imagine, it was a fun and lively discussion. Some answers were not a surprise. For example, no one liked homework, but I also learned a lot that day. I was shocked to find that all but two students felt their teacher did not want them to ask questions if they did not understand the instructions or assignments. Student after student chimed in that their teacher would rather they mess up and receive a bad grade than have them raise their hand and “bother” them for help. The word “bother” came up over and over again. I said, “You cannot be serious!” But they were.

Today’s verse has been a reminder to me in the way I treat my own students. If their angels in heaven always see the face of the Father, who am I to be too busy or unapproachable. Sure, there are times that they should not interrupt and there are times they need to wait to ask a question, but I always try to remember to say, “Do you have any questions,” or “What did you need to ask me?”

We can all boldly approach our heavenly Father any time, night or day, without having to wait our turn or wait for Him to have time to listen. How wonderful to know I can approach Him like that. Yet, so many hesitate or wait to talk to God. We may go to a friend, or just suffer alone for days, months, and sometimes years before we approach God. Make sure your students know that you welcome them and their needs just as we know God desires for us to come to Him. Even if you feel you have made it known that your students can ask questions anytime, please make it a priority this week to remind them again.

Think of some other ways – besides words – that we can show ourselves approachable. These may include your body language or your position in the classroom. I encourage you to imagine your classroom filled with not only your students, but also their angels, and I challenge you to remain approachable.

Copyright Kathy Branzell.  To connect with the author, email info@christianeducators.org

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