"Morning After Morning"

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

It's funny, despite the title of the day's reflection, it's not really about anything happening day after day.  In fact, I was trying to rustle up a comment on keeping our ears open when I went to write the title in the right section of the post and realized that the message felt a bit run-of-the-mill because the point was more about how you have to listen with your ears and heart open every day.

Which was a good reminder for this week.  It's been rocky, to say the least, on a whole score of levels.  But I'll get up tomorrow morning, and all the good intentions from the beginning of the week need to apply.  All the willingness to listen and love needs to be in play.

Perhaps that's how you measure God's spirit's breadth.  I need to hit the same level in the classroom -- intellectually and spiritually and as a mentor -- I just need more help from God as I grow more weary.  I don't know how people without faith can teach school.  I really don't.  Each day requires so much, and well, I have all the variety of good/bad/odd days that all the rest of humanity has.  But I have to bring my best morning after morning.

Seriously, you try walking in there with anything less to face those kids.

But there are days my ears aren't as open.  Some other worries are screaming too loudly, and I know there are things I miss.  It's also a job that teaches you just how inadequate we are and how lucky we are to have an omniscient omnipresent looking out for us.

I'm not sure where this is going anymore, except that in trying to do a small part of God's work, I realize how very much we need Him.  And why the people who serve and love God the most understand best how terrible we are at it and how little even the best of us do.  Trying to be His agent even in a small classroom, you just end up leaning on Him and praying it all works out in spite of you.

That none of the message gets too garbled between your ear and your mouth.