There are moments when I step back & look at my classroom and think, “wow, I am doing a good job!” Okay, sooooo to be honest, that’s a pretty rare event. I would say it’s about as rare of an event as all of your students having a sharpened, ready-to-use pencil in the month of January. It can happen…but it’s a pretty remarkable and blessed event when it does! Usually I am looking at my classroom and thinking, “man, I am so bad at this.”
Teaching is immensely daunting. Teaching will quickly expose your fears, insecurities, and your sinful flesh. How do we respond when we face…
- a mountain of paperwork & red tape to work through?
- an angry email from a parent?
- how academically low your class is & how far they have to go?
- a struggle with a student who outright defies you?
- juggling personal problems while still being there for your students?
- the feeling that we genuinely have nothing left to give.
As I was praying through Psalm 62 the other day, the Lord reminded me of the secret to being unshaken in any area of my life, including teaching. I saw how David faced difficult circumstances, yet twice in this passage, he repeats, “I shall not be shaken.” How I long to have that kind of security and confidence! Instead of riding the roller coaster of emotions when difficult circumstances come, I want to stand undaunted, unshaken, as David did. But the secret of being unshaken has nothing to do with what an incredible man David was…the secret had everything to do with Christ. I realized that I,too, can be undaunted because…
1. I am provided for in Christ
For God alone my soul waits in silence;
Ps. 62:1-2
from him comes my salvation.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.
God has already provided for my greatest need in saving me from my sin. As David said, my salvation rests in God alone. My standing in God’s eyes is not based on my students’ achievement test scores, my patience, my teaching ability, or how many students I can “rescue”. When I was His enemy, He unconditionally loved me enough to send His Son to die for me…that love hasn’t changed now that I am His child! The most important identity in my life is that I am a child of God. Nothing that teaching throws at me can ever shake that reality! So while there are days when I will feel like a horrible teacher, I can be unshaken knowing that my teaching doesn’t define my value or who I am. Certainly, on those bad days, I should step back & examine what made me have those feelings -are there areas I can & should improve? However, I don’t come crashing down into despair because on my very worst day, God still loves me, and I have a home in Heaven with Him. He has already taken care of my greatest need.
If that wasn’t enough, He promises to meet all of my needs (Phil. 4:19)! He tells me that He will provide strength (Is. 40:31), He will provide wisdom (James 1:5), and He will be with me (Josh. 1:9).
2. I am protected in Christ
He only is my rock and my salvation,
Ps. 62:6-7
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
I love how David refers to God in this Psalm – God is His mighty rock, his refuge, his fortress. David would not be shaken because he was clinging to Christ as His security. Christ was His hope. His soul waited for God…not the approval of others, a relationship, a job, or a change in circumstances.
In verses 3-4, David observes how people have attacked him when he was already in a weak state. He felt like a leaning wall or a tottering fence as they tried to take him down. He felt betrayed. I think we can sympathize to an extent!
Have you ever received an upset parent email when everything else already felt like it was crumbling? Or had a power struggle with a student when it’s already been a tough day? How can we be undaunted when more trouble comes on top of everything else?
By realizing that our hope must be in Christ & not anything or anyone else.
If I cling to the approval of others, that parent email will devastate me. If I cling to the hope of being a perfect teacher, then that power struggle or student failure will crush me.
But if my hope is in God & His promises to me, those issues can be dealt with knowing I am secure in His family, He loves me, and this is part of His master plan for me (Jer. 29:11, Rom. 8:28-29). Sure, it still isn’t easy…but it’s not the end of the world.
Trust in him at all times, O people;
Ps. 62:8
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.
Also, when those tough times come, God invites me to pour out my heart before Him. Just think about that for a minute – the God of the universe not only allows us to speak to Him, but He actually wants us to share every single detail and emotion with Him! As an elementary teacher, I am especially in awe of the vast love that God demonstrates to us in asking us to pour out our hearts before Him. I have been on the receiving ends of stories from students that seem like they will never end, and I can fall into the habit of just smiling & nodding, “mmhmm”, as they share every teeny tiny detail of their day at the park. When I asked them about their day, I was thinking more about the highlight reel since there are several more students waiting to tell me about their day. So when I think about God having many children clamoring for Him, and yet He still asks me to run to Him & tell Him everything (not just the condensed version!)- my heart is overwhelmed (and also a little convicted).
3. I have the power of Christ
Once God has spoken;
Ps. 62:11-12a
twice have I heard this:
that power belongs to God,
1and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.
After reminding us again that we shouldn’t be putting our hope in anything else (v. 9-10), David finishes by reminding us that power belongs to God.
This teacher can breathe a sigh of relief when she realizes it is not up to her to rescue every child that walks through her classroom door. I am not the savior in this story. The power to change Darren’s stubborn heart, the power to help Lisa have a breakthrough in this math unit, the power to have any impact on my students — none of it depends on me! In fact, when I try to save them all & solve all of the problems in my own strength, I end up exhausted, frustrated, and definitely shaken. But I am only the tool – God is the One who supplies the power. His power is at work in my students, and He is also at work in me. On the bad days, I can be undaunted knowing that He is in control…not me.
So whatever challenges you are facing…you don’t have to ride the emotional roller coaster with its exhilarating highs and debilitating lows. God is your refuge & strength. Pour out your heart to Him, and receive the comfort & grace that only He can give.
