For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV

A collective shudder went around the entire school as word spread like wildfire that the Thompsons had arrived! The way the doors slammed, you would have thought the school was being invaded by aliens instead of difficult parents. The school went into a veritable lockdown. The purpose of their visit was to select a classroom teacher for their son who was entering sixth grade.

I knew I’d be chosen to teach that boy. I just knew it. Yet when I was summoned to come into the corridor to meet the obviously very educated parents, I felt anger mixed with fear. Why me? The boy’s father was pompous and hostile toward Christians and he gave a new meaning to the word argumentative. Involved in over fifty lawsuits and known to disrupt school board meetings, they now wanted me to teach their son whom they considered to be a near genius. After observing my teaching style and interactions with my students, I was chosen.

I left the school that day with a heaviness of spirit, and sleep did not come easy that night. Very early the next morning as I was pouring out my complaint to the Lord, I distinctly heard God ask me, “Will you teach this boy for me?”

That settled it. I would teach the student for Him. During the course of the days and weeks to follow, I discovered the student was a rather ordinary, very average boy who did well in some subjects and not so well in others. I liked him, and unknown to him, sympathized with him over the fact that his parents were difficult and angry. Their aspirations for their son far exceeded his ability.

Have you ever had to deal with parents like that? They’re pushy, insulting, and inspire fear. While you feel you could teach just about any student, you feel you don’t want to get entangled with this type of parent.

When faced with these types of situations, we are brought back to these questions: Why are we educators? What is our purpose? How are we to approach any given assignment?
We must remember that we are His representatives and His ambassadors in the workplace. We teach for Him.

Please help us today, Lord, to remember we are working for You above all. Amen.

Copyright Clara Ruffin.

Clara is a lifetime member and retired educator from Connecticut.