Blessed

Over the last 5 years I have had many people come up to me and ask me what I do for a living. I tell them I am a teacher. Most people smile at me in approval. Then comes that next question what grade do you teach. I reply back with middle school (7^th and 8^th). The replies to this are usually a little funnier I have heard

- God Bless You

- Takes a Special person

Oh my

- What is wrong with you?

Did you get stuck in Middle school and you really wanted elementary?

- My favorite response was there will be more jewels on your crown in heaven some day.

Anyways I love middle school kids. I love my job. This all came to even more of a realization for me today when I was thinking about my stop at the teacher store yesterday.

I stopped at the teacher store to find some things for my classroom. I found a poster that said Be still and know that I am God with a beautiful picture in the background. While I searched around the store I saw others carrying items and things for their classrooms and I did not envy them a bit. I may get paid less, I may have more classes to teach, I may have more hats to wear (counselor, teacher, mom, nurse, doctor, pastor, etc), I may even have more gray hair but I am blessed. I took my poster to the check out and the two ladies checking out both commented on my poster that I was purchasing. All I could say is “it is the blessing of teaching in a Christian school I get to hang that in my room all year.” I am blessed. I get to talk about my best friend Jesus in class. I get to stop in the middle of my Geography class and pray for missionaries or religious persecution of the area we are studying. I can give a student a hug, cry with them, love on them in the name of Jesus and I will not get fired. I get to read faith journals, hear lifesong speeches, and witness the spiritual formation of teenagers everyday for 9 months. I get paid to open the Word of God and read it and discuss it with students. I am blessed. The poster is going in the back of my room so every time I get up to teach my students I will see it and be reminded of the incredible blessing that I have to combine my passion for kids, my gift of teaching with my favorite thing- JESUS! Wow I am blessed- Thank you God.

May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb.- Deuteronomy 32:2