I love children.
Sometimes I feel more than the average person.
Right now I am a teacher’s assistant but they know I’m certified so I do a lot of teaching. In the morning I work in two 1st grade classrooms, and in the afternoon I pull 2nd and 3rd grade students to prepare them for testing. Overall I see 104 little faces every week.
And I love every second of it.
I love it so much that I teach a Kindergarten Sunday school class at my church, making Saturdays my only real kid-less day.
Kids say the silliest things. They make you laugh, they make you smile, and they hands down give the best hugs. So many hugs!
I love everything about teaching and being in a classroom. The look on a child’s face when they understand something or master something for the first time? There isn’t a feeling like it in the world.
Unfortunately as much as I love them, they also drive me nuts.
I know all teachers and parents can relate.
There are days I check my hair because I’m pretty sure they are aging me.
So many questions asked. So many directions to be given. So many directions to be given again. And again. And again.
Sometimes I feel as though my days are just filled with reprimands.
“Sit down. Stop talking. Go clip down. Is that how we sit on the carpet? Should you be talking? Eyes should be on me. Why are you talking when I am talking? Sit down. Don’t do that. Please don’t call out. Do you want to walk a lap? Pay attention. Please don’t make me repeat myself. Why are you still talking?”
Or something like that.
It can definitely be tough.
There are days I just want to shout “Why don’t you listen? You’re sweet smart kids. I’m trying to help you here! If you would only listen you would learn so much.”
One day I was driving home thinking about the craziness of the day, and I started to talk to Jesus about it.
“Jesus I so enjoy these kids, but they just don’t listen sometimes and that gets tough! Why don’t they want to listen?”
His problem solving answer? “You don’t always listen to Me.”
Busted.
Is this how God feels about me sometimes? About us?
He loves us like crazy, more than we can comprehend.
He loves it when we talk to Him and spend time with Him.
He loves it when we read His Word and learn something we haven’t before.
But sometimes we don’t listen. Sometimes we think our way is better and we do what we want.
I can just picture God looking at us and shaking his head.
“Why aren’t they listening? Don’t they know I only want to help? I know whats best for them.”
It reminds me that as much as I self-check my students to stay on track, I have to do my own self-check.
What does God want for my life? What does He want me to learn?
What are the areas of my life that I’m holding back and not listening?
Through it all I will always love my students. They’re the reason I get up and go to work every morning. They might put me through every emotion, but in the end my heart is so full of love for every child I work with.
