Work Willingly

I saw this bible verse on one of my friend's Facebook page today.

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Colossians 3:23


It really struck me because it seems I have lost sight of this lately.  I really do enjoy teaching and I love my students.  It just seems that there are so many other things that get in the way of actually teaching.  There is always paperwork and documentation to contend with.  Since I am a special education teacher, there is always conferences to prepare for.  None of that bothers me too much.  What does bother me is the lack of trust in teachers now.  "They" don't believe that we are doing the best we can.  I'm not even sure who "they" really is, but we are always working to prove that we are really doing our job.


Most teachers I know really care about kids and want all of them to meet their potential.   I think our biggest problem as teachers is that we have gotten too caught up in the expectations placed on us by people, we forget the real reason for our job and often times we lose the joy of our work.  At least I know this has become a problem for me.


I want my work to reflect God and his love for the children.  I want to be joyful in my work and not get caught up in the drudgery of it.  I want to be an encourager to my students and believe in them and the progress they are capable of making, even if that progress doesn't meet the expected standards.  These children are all loved by God and I want to reflect that love.


While I know there will always be standards for students to meet and paperwork and other things for me to do, I'm not going to let those things define who I am as a teacher.  My students and God deserve more than that.  I know God is always with me and I want him to see the joy I have for my job and for my students!