The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, skillful in teaching, patient when wronged. 2 Tim. 2:24, NASB

When did you first recognize that you were born to be a teacher?

Personally, teaching has always been a part of me. At family gatherings, I would automatically round up all the little ones and organize games for them. While babysitting, I would tell the children great stories from Shakespeare. In school, I was the only one paying attention when we diagrammed sentences in English class, and I felt bad that no one else was listening to the teacher. And even though I took 12 years off from teaching to raise my children, I have always been a teacher. Recently, I taught someone in the library how to use the computer to find a book. Then, while I was getting my nails done, I heard a teenager confused about her future, so I taught her how to do research on possible careers. For those of us to whom God gave the gift of teaching, we know that it is just a part of us, even if we aren’t in the classroom.

Help me, Lord, to be an excellent teacher every day. Help me teach what matters to You. Thank you for trusting me enough to give me the gift of teaching. Lord, give each of us the gifts of the Holy Spirit that we need to do the job You have given us. Amen.

Copyright Cheryl Skid.

Cheryl is a member and retired educator from Missouri.