a new lesson

The school year is not quite halfway through, but the Christmas break provides an excellent time for reflection. It has been a trying first year with numerous ups and downs within the same week. I have been brought a long way since school started on August 31, and I know there is still a long way to go. I am excited to see God's hand of grace continue to work in the lives of my students and me. The glimpses I have seen leave me with nothing but awe and gratefulness for God's faithfulness. My biggest lessons thus far have definitely been patience and love. They typically go hand-in-hand which has been a tough thing for me to grapple with. I either feel as though I am loving my students but lacking in patience or being patient with them but lacking genuine love. As we reach this point in the school year, the Spirit has done a marvelous work in my life, but the work is nowhere near complete. There is ample room for growth in making my love mimic the radical love that joyfully drove Christ to the cross.

Just this week, however, I received a glimpse of the next lesson God has in store for me, more specifically my love. It stems from Romans 12:9 where Paul says, "hate what is evil, cling to what is good." Hating what is evil brought to mind "Hosanna" by Hillsong where the refrain reads, "...show me how to love like you have loved me. Break my heart for what breaks yours..." To be honest, I can hate evil as well as the next guy. I'm not saying I am perfect, but that I have learned to hate the sin still prevalent in my life. I also do a good job of hating the sin in the lives of others (sometimes too good of a job). This is where I need to allow my heart to start breaking.

Sin breaks the heart of God as much as it invokes His righteous anger. As a Father, He daily watches His children leave what is good and true for things that can never satisfy. I am not a father, but, knowing my own, I can imagine the devastation this attitude can bring. God wants the best for His children, and His heart breaks as they decline His offer. This is the attitude I need to put on display for my students. Yes, they are not my children, and I don't want them to be. However, my initial reaction to their mistakes should not be anger and frustration, but a broken heart. My desire should be to see them live as God originally intended them to and grieve when they fail. This will not only keep a proper perspective on God, but also keep me much more patient and compassionate. And these two qualities are what most of my students long for because they have never tasted it; the salt of Christ.