Like many Adventist educators, my main motivation for teaching in a church school setting versus teaching in a public school setting is the ability to openly and freely share Jesus and His love with my students. This year that privilege seems to have presented itself more frequently and in more ways than usual.
One day, just as we were heading in from recess, one of the lower grade students noticed a perfectly formed snowflake that had landed on her glove. Then, we noticed another on her hat, one on another hat, coats, gloves, the grass… everywhere! We spent the next several minutes admiring God’s handiwork in the striking beauty all around us. The experience left our hearts filled with thankfulness for such a sweet “little” reminder of God’s love, power and careful attention to even the smallest details in our lives.
God can be found in every detail of an ordinary day at school. I have overheard lunchtime chatter filled with unprompted student dialog about God, His love, salvation and answered prayers. God and His unconditional love is a topic that weaves its way into every subject and every part of the school day; it does not have to be planned or scripted.
Our weekly Revelation studies, joint worship with our pastors, and daily class morning worship almost never end “on time.” This is because we regularly find ourselves completely caught up in engaging and inspiring discussions about the devotional thought or that morning’s Bible verse and what God is teaching us through it. Our main worship topic or theme Bible verse always sparks additional topics and spiritual questions from the students. Sometimes students even bring questions they have thought of outside of school, written down, and want to discuss during worship.
I treasure these opportunities and know that no extra time spent on sincere, spiritual questions is ever wasted. On one occasion, when we had already gone far past the allotted time for morning worship, I reminded my class that it was time to wrap-up and move into our other subjects. In response, a fourth grade student pleaded, “Can we not do any school work today and just spend the WHOLE DAY with God!?”
The spiritual eagerness, faith and sincere love for Jesus that is displayed in the life of my students fills my heart to overflowing and reminds me why I do what I do every day. I praise God for the opportunity to be part of my students’ spiritual journey, and for the lessons they teach me every day.
