"They will know I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands that enslaved them"- Ezekiel 34:27b-
Love Each Person Not Just All People
We are the land of opportunity; our government and policies allow every student to reach their full potential. Many countries educate their best and brightest to become globally competitive, but we hold to the idea that every student has value and a chance to become great. The problem is not in our philosophy but in our execution of that ideal. We throw money at a problem that can only be solved through the love of Christ through His people. Giving every student a computer and a better learning environment is great, but it will not solve the problems of inequality in society. A good teacher in the school is the same as a good teacher in the church. Good teachers love with all they have, and all they have is more than enough. I know that I could teach students reading, writing, and arithmetic without SmartBoards or even textbooks. I could teach from the fire that is shut up in my bones. I have been anointed to teach, and imagine how much greater that anointing is for teachers of the gospel. We need to see ourselves as hand chosen by God to teach individuals not classrooms. You were hand chosen to be the teacher of a future president, bestselling author, or a faithful usher handing out bulletins each Sunday. Does it really matter how much money or notoriety your students will attain? No. Does it really matter how much they were loved by the one God sent to them? Absolutely. Reaching 99% of students sounds like great odds in the school system, but when you are on a mission from God 99% is never enough. We are not called to keep these individuals out of the way so everyone else can learn. We are not called to deal with a difficult child; we are called to be Jesus to a difficult child.
See Them as God Sees Them
If we see people as God sees them, they will see themselves as God sees them. God does not create junk. He made each of us with a hope and a future, and it is our duty as teachers and as Christians to use our spiritual eyes to see what each student was created to be. We spend a lot of time teaching students how they should act and good things they should do, but we forget to teach them who they are. God wants fellowship with us, and though he loves to see us serve Him, He is more in love with us than the good things we do. Children need to know that they are loved for who they are and not what they do. Convincing individuals to work harder and act better in order to earn love or acceptance from God is not the way God intended for us to share the good news. God wants all to come to him so that he can make them a new creation in which old things have passed away and all things become new. The first thing to pass away is their old worldview and self-image because the lie of the enemy is being replaced with the truth of Christ. God wants to change the way individuals see themselves before he changes the way they conduct themselves. Because, when anyone surrenders his/her soul and character to his/her creator, good things are sure to follow.