These internal dynamics that weigh us down and keep us in bondage limit our effectiveness as educators and as human beings. However, the teachers who have been set free by faith in the victorious Jesus, the powerful work of the Holy Spirit, and the crazy, awesome love of the Father are truly free to teach…to unleash joy.

And here’s the best part—when we are set free of these inhibitions there is no limit to the joy we can experience in our classrooms, locker rooms, and even the teachers’ lounge. Furthermore, joy defeats the work of the enemy and draws others to Jesus in us. Of course, you know all that already…the hard part is actually walking in it. Not all of us are Ms. Frizzle. So how do we increase our joy in order to partner with the Lord to unleash it in our schools and classrooms?

A more complete answer to that will require more space than I have here (I’d love to hear how you do this in the comments). But I can offer two observations. First, working to apply Philippians 4:4-9 has been a major part of my growth in this area. Rejoicing always and setting our minds on the true, the good, and the beautiful are not mere suggestions or good ideas for when we feel like it—they are life-giving commands. Let’s do it together and experience the blessing.

A second major piece has been listening for God to speak over me about my unique identity…let me explain. While we all share important corporate identities as Christians, like “child of God,” “chosen,” or “beloved,” God also has unique identities for us that reveal how we are uniquely created, gifted, and called. Think of Gideon when God called him out as a “mighty warrior” to deliver Israel. Recently, I had the great privilege of exploring this concept further with Jamie Winship as part of our Rise Up Summit. Consider watching our session (for free!) to learn more.

Learning to walk in our unique identities led by the Holy Spirit frees us from comparison to others, rebukes the accusations of the enemy against us, places us in the light and easy yoke of working with Jesus, and helps us release our fears of rejection and the need to defend our territory or reputation. That, my friends, unleashes joy.

Now, so that our joy may increase even more, let’s pray for God’s purposes to be accomplished regarding several developments happening around the nation. Praying over them is so much more helpful than just feeling any anxiety or anger some stories can evoke.

• First Liberty is representing eighth grader Elijah Nelson in a lawsuit against a New York school district for refusing to allow a Bible club simply because it was a religious club. According to the suit, the district believed that they had to refuse the club to avoid sponsoring or funding religion. I’m sure most regular readers of this column know that the exact opposite is true—actually, they cannot discriminate against religious clubs if they allow other clubs.

• We can rejoice over a successful settlement in a lawsuit that halts the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s attempt to require schools to adopt new “woke” teaching guidelines. The guidelines are now no longer required but are similar to the Minnesota standards I wrote about in September. They would have actually mandated beliefs about various issues like “microaggressions.”

• Michigan is considering a bill to require elements of “Comprehensive Sexuality Education” (CSE) in their state’s sex ed courses. 

• The Florida Education Association lost over 15% of its members (over 20,000 teachers) in the 2023-24 school year following the passage of a paycheck protection law that banned teachers’ unions from deducting dues directly out of teachers’ paychecks.

• Two Missouri school district employees have new hope for their lawsuit against required “anti-racist” training that allegedly taught that all white people are racist and that it is our “​​duty to vote for socialists and teach students to do the same.” The 8th Circuit Court voted to resurrect their lawsuit, despite prior defeats, and will hear oral arguments on January 15.