I’ve been doing a lot of thinking recently..
Well, if I’m being honest, I’ve been doing a lot of worrying and doubting of myself.
I leave for Georgia, where I will be launching on the world race, in TWENTY days. It hit me last night that these were my last 3 weeks here in Montana and I honestly felt like I was going to have a panic attack. (breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth, Bailey)
I kept thinking, “How am I supposed to teach others about Christ?? How am I supposed to lead others towards the Lord when, for one, they don’t speak the same language as me and two, I’m not exactly a great teacher as it is. I AM SO UNPREPARED FOR THIS.”
I kept going over the qualities that ‘good’ teachers possess;
1. Patience
2. Passion
3. Organization
4. Flexibility
5. Discipline
Honestly, I could go on and on but I’m thinking you get the picture.
Guys, I am not teacher quality. How do I prepare for something that I have no idea how to even begin?
Any of you that know me know that I am not patient. I am the type of person that wants things done right now, right this second. No and’s, if’s or but’s about it.
I’m passionate about many things.. Sports, music, art, fitness, reading etc. but I wouldn’t exactly put teaching down as a passion of mine.
Organization? Guys, have you seen my room? No.
Flexibility? Sure.
Discipline? When it comes to cake, no. However I find that I am pretty well disciplined when it comes to important aspects of my life.
That’s when It sort of hit me as I lay in bed, groggily praying to God and going over this list in my head.
Discipline. That’s basically all anyone needs to get better at anything, right?
I remember when I first started lifting weights, I had absolutely no idea what in the heck I was doing. My form was bad, I was out of shape, my muscles didn’t respond the way I had hoped they would.. putting it bluntly, I sucked at lifting weights.
BUT I kept at it. I went everyday. I read fitness blogs/articles and applied my new-found knowledge at the gym and though I was a little shy and unsure at first of what I was doing, each day I gained more confidence and became more sure of myself than ever. Now, 3 years later since I began lifting, I can say with confidence that I know and LOVE lifting weights.
Bada-boom-bada-bing. Discipline.
I honestly think the main reason why I’m not comfortable with teaching is because I truly know nothing about it. So, what do we all do when we have a question that we need an answer to?
GOOGLE!
I googled, “How to teach others about Christ” and this is a list that I found;
- Begin with prayer
- Teach from the scriptures
- Bear your testimony
- Share your experiences and invite others to do so
- Show your love for the Lord
The Lord said, “Seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.”
I finally, within the last 24 hours, realized that I did have a way to BEGIN my process of teaching. This simple list is something I am very much capable of.
I had been going about everything the wrong way. Instead of focusing on what I wasn’t comfortable with I should have been focusing on what I am good at, what I AM capable of .
Jesus sent his disciples out into the world with only the clothes on their back.. No cane, no shoes.. ONLY faith. And you know what they did? They trusted in the Lord and the Lord ALWAYS PROVIDED.
Jesus never taught his disciples how to preach, only how to pray.
In faith they went out into the world to teach others about Christ and in faith they succeeded.
I may not be a great teacher but I have faith.
Sometimes you have to go back to the very beginning, to the ABC’s of Christ and realize that faith is the seed in the garden of God. Without faith, you cannot grow.
So, I lift all of my worries and insecurities up to God. Right this minute, right this very second. I will read, I will study and I will trust that the Lord will provide me with the words to say to teach others about him.
I have always been a disciple of Christ and therefor I have always been a teacher, it just took planting a seed of faith in myself for me to finally see.
