Dear Friends,
I can hardly contain my excitement. It’s back-to-school supply sale time!! Woo hoo!
Come on, admit it. As educators, we can’t help but get excited when the cardboard bins at the local stores are set up and filled with colorful crayon boxes, rainbows of markers, cellophane-wrapped reams of paper, glue sticks, and the never-ending array of two-pocket folders. And who doesn’t get extra ramped up by seeing the brilliantly colored cubes of sticky notes (my favorite)!?
The celebratory presentation of school supplies in stores signals the start of school for me. When I see those supplies, an alarm goes off in my soul as if to say, “Focus forward on preparing for what the school year holds for you.”
Complete preparation is not simply creating syllabi, hanging classroom posters, making name tags, arranging desks, and pouring over the curriculum. It’s easy to rush ahead with the list of tasks to make a learning space appear welcoming, and to be ready to deliver engaging and meaningful curriculum. (I typically get really caught up in that list of to-dos.)
Complete preparation really involves getting our heads and hearts prepared to make disciples who will make disciples. We need to prepare our hearts and minds to hear God’s voice, to love and serve those who are in our care, and to build community with the families and colleagues in our area of influence. Religious life and school life are not separate. How you prepare for the 2024-25 school year should be a profession of our faith in Christ.
Seek the LORD for his direction. Psalm 63:1-8 is a passage that helps me slow down and get my mind in gear for how BIG God is. Praying for my students, colleagues, and the school family helps my heart become in tune with the reality that there are all sorts of things going on in the lives of others that are beyond my struggles and delights.
1God, You are my God; I shall be watching for You;
My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You,
In a dry and exhausted land where there is no water.
2 So have I seen You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and glory.
3 Because Your [favor is better than life,
My lips will praise You.
4 So I will bless You as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
5 My soul is satisfied as with fat and fatness,
And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.
6 When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches,
7 For You have been my help,
And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.
8 My soul clings to You;
Your right hand takes hold of me.
Psalm 63 NASB
Teaching is a tremendous calling. We can’t pour into our students what we don’t already have in us. The time you spend at the feet of Jesus has eternal effects on the lives of others. And yes, it does take time from your day to sit quietly, listen to the Holy Spirit, study God’s word, and spend time in prayer with the Father.
There are many things to do, but you know what? Long before you even thought about preparing for the school year, or even a career in education, our heavenly Father prepared for this year. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them (NASB95).” Ephesians 2:10 reminds us that we are God’s masterpiece. Meaning, we’ve been created as a treasured handiwork. He has prepared good works for us, as his masterpiece, to do long before this school year. He has ordained certain things that we will be doing this year with students as teachers, special educators, instructional leaders, support personnel, and even homeschool parents.
That is a humbling and sobering thought. The Lord has big things for you to do that have been planned for a very long time. What might they be? You’ll recognize the opportunities easier when you stay close enough to the Father to hear what those things are.
Keep your eyes and ears open, and your mind and heart attentive to the opportunities the Lord provides for you to do good work. Know that doing so brings joy to others, to you, and to the Father. Enjoy the new school year.
Blessings to You,
Annie
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6 Responses
Thank you so much for this call to excellence. We can’t teach what we do not know is so true. God bless you.
Thank you for the blessing. Time with the Father is invaluable.
Dr. Gallagher, THIS warmed my heart this morning. Thank you for your faithful service to Christian Education!
Only by his grace am I able to do what I do. Blessings to you in your role as a Christian education leader. 🙂
Thanks for the wonderful reminder that nothing that happens this year will be a surprise to God. He has good works for me to do.
He certainly does. Our Lord is ever graceful.