There are days when I am not sure what I am doing with my life. It's so easy to get bogged down in the details of everyday obligations and tasks that I lose sight of the bigger picture. There are days when I ask myself how I became a middle school music teacher. I question if I just haphazardly landed where I am because I was swept away by a flood of chain-reaction circumstances or if I am where I am because I intentionally sought the will of God.
This is a topic with which all people, especially all believers, struggle. It's one of those concepts in life that provides no clear-cut answers. Of course, I trust that no matter where I am, if I am seeking God with my whole heart, He will use me in the midst of my circumstances and I can rest in His sovereign orchestration of my life. However, there have been many days, especially in previous years, where I could not swallow or accept that God wanted me to be a teacher...at least for longer than short term.
I don't know why I didn't want to embrace my job fully. Regardless, I can tell you that God has been revolutionizing my heart concerning what it means to be a teacher. I am beginning to not only love my job, but to more seriously consider what a privilege it is to impact so many precious lives.
With that intro, I bring you into my life today. This semester, my 8th grade choir got off to a sluggish start (I receive almost all new choir students at semester). I had a handful of students who were simply put into choir without choosing it. I knew this in advance and knew what this fact would mean for me: an uphill battle. It is no small task to prod 8th graders into enjoying choir if they enter the room with an established notion that they will not like the class. This is especially true of the boys.
Auditions for high school choir were today. The choral director from the high school came over to hear interested 8th graders. Of course, many girls eagerly signed up. The small miracle is how many boys decided to audition. And...two or three of them were boys that were not exactly overjoyed about being in choir this semester. That was enough to make my day.
Yet, it got even better. A bright-eyed 8th grade boy who behaves well for me in class but who I was worried wasn't sure about singing at the beginning of the semester, came to me this morning and asked to try out for the high school choir. Really?! My heart was thrilled...
After the audition, I saw him in the hall and asked him how it went. He told me it went well, then went on: "I'll be honest," he started. "When I was first put in choir, I wasn't at all sure about it. But, now that we are a few weeks into it, I am really enjoying it." His expression added to the truth and enthusiasm of his words. Of course, I was elated and told him so. I also praised him for the talent he truly displays.
As I moved onto my next class, I wanted to sing (how cheesy for a music teacher to say.:)). I felt blessed. Period. Those are the moments that make a teacher want to keep going. Wow. I cannot credit myself for making these moments happen. God is the only one to be praised.
So, God, thank You. Thank you for knowing what job is right for me and for providing me with enough encouraging moments to carry on. Please help me to continually know what it means to love students as a teacher in thier lives.
1 comment:
YES! Dad
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