The Continuous Cycle of Frustration

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Sarah

Sometimes at the end of the day I simply feel like a failure as a teacher—once again my 8th graders were out of control today, and I did not know how to respond and did not respond well. I have had some good days with my 8th graders, but for the most part I feel as if we have gotten nowhere. Why does it seem that my classroom management today was no better than it was on the first day of school? The issues are mainly behavioral. These students are consistently rude and disrespectful to each other and to me. They seem to resist any type of structure and order I try to organize for class. I have tried so many different behavior strategies, and nothing seems to work. The things that do work wear off after a couple days or weeks and we’re back to square one. That in itself is discouraging. What do you do when you can’t see any growth or change?

Today started out ok, although I continually feel tense during the entire period of my 8th grade class—it seems like I have to constantly be on guard to catch every little wrong move before it explodes and the whole class dissolves into chaos…and often the class falls apart anyway. And to top it all off, the way class ended today left me feeling stupid and flustered. Instead of saying, “We did not do so well today during presentations; tomorrow we need to work on listening skills,” I said, “We did not do so well tomorrow…” And, of course, they all started laughing and did not even listen to what I was trying to say. :(

Categories: Teaching | 1 Comment

God is Compassionate and Patient

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Sarah

O LORD, give me a steadfast, faithful heart in trusting You.

The LORD brought the Israelites out of Egypt,
“Yet they sinned still more against Him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert. They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved. They spoke against God, saying, ‘Can God spread a table in the wilderness? He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can He also give bread or provide meat for His people?’

“Therefore, when the LORD heard, He was full of wrath; a fire was kindled against Jacob; His anger rose against Israel, because they did not believe in God and did not trust His saving power. Yet He commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven, and He rained down on them manna to eat and gave them the grain of heaven. Man ate of the bread of angels; He sent them food in abundance…And they ate and were well filled, for He gave them what they craved…

“In spite of all this, they still sinned; despite His wonders, they did not believe. So He made their days vanish like a breath, and their years in terror. When He killed them, they sought Him; they repented and sought God earnestly. They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer. But they flattered Him with their mouths; they lied to Him with their tongues.

“Their heart was not steadfast toward Him; they were not faithful to His covenant.

“Yet He, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; He restrained His anger often and did not stir up all His wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh. ~Psalm 78:17-39a

Categories: Humility, Spiritual Growth, Surrender/Repentance | Leave a comment

Treasures in Heaven

Posted on April 15, 2010 by Sarah

It’s amazing how quickly treasures on earth can be taken from you. In just one quick moment last Wednesday morning, I was in a car accident and totaled my car. After gathering my belongings and getting all the insurance paperwork taken care of this morning, I said goodbye to “Ruby.” This car that I bought less than a year ago was very special to me, though it was only an object. On a very small scale, it reminds me of the story of Job, a man who lost every possession he owned and his entire family except his wife – all in one day.

Yet God is sovereign and controls all situations – even the ones that are terrible and hard to accept. If the things in this world were all I lived for, this would be a strange, twisted thought. It IS difficult to understand why God would allow or even cause bad things to happen, but we must trust what we know about our God – that He is faithful and He is trustworthy. No matter what happens, He is in control of it, and we can trust Him because His character does not change.

Losing earthly possessions is a reminder that we need to fix our eyes and our hearts on what is eternal, and it is there that we find the treasures that we can never lose.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” ~Matthew 6:19-21

Categories: Just Life, Perspective, Spiritual Growth | Leave a comment

Jesus has overcome the world

Posted on April 14, 2010 by Sarah

Reflections on John 16:25-33:

“In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God” (vs. 26-27). Because Jesus came, we can have salvation and be reconciled to God. We can talk to God in Christ’s name if we believe in Jesus because we are reconciled to God the Father and He loves us.

The disciples still did not understand – even though they thought they did. They believed that Jesus came from God and were excited because they wanted Him to rule. But Jesus foretells their fickle faith – they will scatter, leaving Jesus alone (vs. 32a). But Jesus’ security was not dependent on how many people surrounded Him or stuck with Him. –>

“Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with Me” (vs. 32b). Jesus wants us to look to the things that are eternal, not the things that are temporal and of this world. “I have said these things to you that in Me you may have PEACE. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (vs. 33).

Categories: Peace/Contentment, Spiritual Growth | Leave a comment

New Mercies Every Morning

Posted on March 23, 2010 by Sarah

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

As a Christian teacher at a public school, my responsibilities, passion, and focus go deeper than merely teaching my students academic principles. Though I am not able to verbally share my faith at school, my hope and prayer is that I will be a role model for my students, reflecting the character of Christ. Yesterday I was reminded that my students do pick up on my character. Two 7th grade girls had chosen music for the background of their commercial, and while they were out of the room, another student quietly informed me that the words and message of the song they had chosen are inappropriate. As I talked with her, I could tell that her intention was not to get the other girls in trouble but to help me keep the standards I had set for class.

This year I have struggled with classroom management—a common struggle for many teachers. But what truly brings delight and joy to my heart in teaching is seeing the relationships I have formed with each individual student. Even on the most difficult of days, I am blessed through these relationships. As I reflected on Lamentations 3:22-23 this morning, I realized that another attribute of God I can reflect in teaching is mercy. It would be so easy to keep a record of all the times they have been inappropriate and disrespectful to me and pray to simply “get through” the year. But the Lord’s mercies are new every morning. Each new day I spend with my students is a day to start again, understanding that they are learning and growing. This does not mean that I will stop dealing with wrong behaviors or give up trying new techniques to manage class. Instead it gives me a new perspective of how to reflect Christ as I strive to invest in these students while they are under my care.

Categories: Character of God, Spiritual Growth, Teaching | 1 Comment

Personal Meaning from Psalm 34:1-6

Posted on March 19, 2010 by Sarah

vs.1 I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
–> To bless the LORD is to acknowledge that He is the abundant giver of all blessings. Because He continually blesses me, my response should be continual praise.

vs.2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad.
–> The more we learn about our weaknesses, the more we appreciate who our LORD is. In Him we boast because it is He who provides for us, satisfies our hearts, gives us strength, fulfills our deepest longings, loves us like no other, etc. This causes us to grow in humility; others who are growing in humility will see and understand, which brings gladness in our amazing LORD.

vs.3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together!
–> As we experience the love, provision, blessings, power, strength, mercy, grace, faithfulness, etc. of our LORD, our response should be to magnify and exalt Him. A person’s name has to do with their reputation. When remembering what the LORD has done, we are able to exalt His name because we see His faithfulness to us. Even in dark times we are able to exalt His name when we remember what He has done.

vs.4 I sought the LORD, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
–> God is more powerful than anything we fear; when we trust and hope in His strength, power, and greatness, we are delivered from all our fears. This fear is transformed into a healthy fear of the LORD (this is explained in later verses–7,9,11).

vs.5 Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.
–> What you look to is a reflection of your dependency. When we look to El Shaddai, our all-sufficient God, we will be radiant. He never disappoints, and the joy and blessings He gives are greater than anything else we could desire.

vs.6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.
–> Again we are reminded that in our weakness and need, the LORD is mighty to save. He is also faithful to hear our cries and to deliver us. We can depend on Him!

Categories: Perspective, Spiritual Growth | Leave a comment

Trust in God’s Faithfulness

Posted on February 12, 2010 by Sarah

I love learning, and it brings me so much excitement and joy to see how the Lord is working in my life and to understand what He is teaching me. It is very frustrating, though when I cannot see or understand what He is doing. It is encouraging to see growth, and when things continue in confusion I get bogged down with weariness and discouragement. When days and days go by with no answers to the questions that continually spin around my head, I begin to lose hope.

But I know that my God is a faithful God. He does not stop working in our lives, though sometimes it may seem like it. “And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 encouraged my heart tonight: “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

Even though it is still my desire to see and understand what the Lord is trying to teach me, sometimes His ways are not clear. But if we knew everything, there would be no reason to trust Him. It is in the times of confusion and “silence” from the Lord that we must trust Him the most.

Categories: Character of God, Spiritual Growth | Leave a comment