Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26, NIV

Educators, can you relate?

You pull into your parking spot in the morning and look up at your school building. Your mind immediately starts flooding with all of the things you have to do that day and all of the unknowns you may encounter.

It’s March. The school year is halfway over. The state testing grind has begun and numerous other requirements are starting to pile up. All of this is happening in addition to your regular teaching duties.

You think about your students and your heart breaks for so many of them. You worry about many of them being hungry at home, knowing that the school lunch may be the only actual meal they have on any given day. You worry about how they are treated at home. You wonder if they have an adequate heat source. You worry because you care about them so much.

As educators, the stress and heartbreak of the job can make us feel like we are in a rut. Our jobs can be overwhelming and sometimes even seem impossible.

Again, I’m sure many of you can relate. I’m sure that many of you can also relate to the response of the disciples and the crowd in Chapter 19 of Matthew as well.

In this chapter, Jesus tells the disciples and crowd the parable of the rich man. They responded by questioning Jesus because they believed that what He was suggesting was impossible.

But then, Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

Now, after meditating on this verse, when I pull into the parking lot in the morning, instead of looking at the school building and feeling overwhelmed by my day, I flip down my visor and read a note I have taped on there as a reminder. It reads: Always remember that with God, nothing you will face today is impossible or too big for him to handle.

Dear Father in Heaven, I ask that You be with me and other educators as we go through our day-to-day lives. When we start to feel overwhelmed or feel like it is impossible to go on, I ask that You lift us up and remind us that as long as we have You, as long as we walk with You, and as long as we cling to You, nothing is impossible. Amen.

Copyright Doug Ponder.

Doug is a member and a high school special education teacher in Kentucky.