Sow with a view to righteousness, reap in accordance with kindness, break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord until He comes to rain righteousness on you. Hosea 10:12, NASB1995
Teaching is a hard job. Newsflash of the day, right? And after being in it for a while, you can look around and start to observe different personality types that develop in this kind of environment…and they all fall into two basic categories: optimistic vs pessimistic, hopeful vs cynical, and filled vs drained.
You may even be able to think of a colleague who fits some of these descriptions. How would you classify yourself?
Teacher burnout has become an increasingly serious issue in America; just recently, I saw a data poll from my own state that reported an 11.5% attrition rate in the profession last year, which was even higher for beginning teachers at 15%!
As Christians, we are certainly not immune to the pressures that all teachers face, and we may even feel more of a squeeze due to an increase in conflicts between our values and beliefs and a workplace that stifles or even flat-out opposes them.
This is hard.
But in the midst of these trials, Christians are also called to be the light. We are to be the optimists, the hope-filled ones…because WE have a fountain of living water that never runs dry and a source of eternal peace that surpasses understanding.
It is so easy to join in the complaint-fest that runs rampant in our workplaces and faculty rooms. But I challenge you to instead obey the commands of your real boss: sow with a view to righteousness (do all things as unto the Lord) Col. 3:23; reap in accordance with kindness (love your enemies) Matt. 5:44; and break up the hardened ground of your heart that is tempted to grow cold and cynical in response to the ongoing challenges you face year in and year out.
Today is the day to seek the Lord. When He returns, how do you want Him to find you: grumbling and burdened, or shining the light of His love to those around you? Who knows, the simple testimony of your unwavering hope and inexplicable optimism may just be enough for some to ask, “What makes you different? How do you keep that smile on your face?”
And then, you must be ready to tell them.
Dear Father, thank you that You are our source of life and light in dark and troubling times. Lord, thank you for holding us up and giving us peace in the midst of difficult circumstances and trying days at work. I pray that You would fill me once again today with Your Holy Spirit and enable me to exude Your light. May those around me notice the difference that Your love makes. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Copyright Rhapsody Jordan-Parisi.
Rhapsody is a Christian Educators member and high school English teacher from North Carolina. She is passionate about helping struggling teachers strike a balance between success and sanity at her blog, tightropeteaching.com.
