Today was one of those days.
One of those faith testing,
patience pushing,
how far can you go without snapping
kind of days.
That faith testing?
A BIG portion of today.
Like... HUGE.
Now let me give you an idea of my work environment...
I teach preschool at a Christian school.
We just hired a new asst principal who is a pastor/church planter/counselor/etc.
Our school is housed in a building with a church who is very much NOT our cup of tea.
I have the best co-workers in the world.
Also, our school theme this year is the Armor of God.
(Random bits of info... I know)
Every year our school has a school wide theme.
And every year our school is pushed in ways that fit perfectly with our theme.
Cause God's good like that.
So... Armor of God?
Of course we're going to be pushed and tested in that area of our lives.
Today. Was one of those days.
I had a four year old use profanity for the second time this year.
I have a bully situation in my classroom.
I have children who unfortunately have an unsettling home life.
I have children, Lord bless them, who do their best to make good choices.
Talk about being tested and pushed beyond my limits on a regular basis.
Before I go more into detail, I want to share some scripture with you. I love The Message's version of the Armor of God.
A Fight to the Finish
And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Be prepared. You're up against for more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spririts up so that no one falls behind or drops out.
-Ephesians 6: 10-18
Wow.
I love it.
We are to put on the FULL Armor of God daily.
Belt of Truth.
Breastplate of Righteousness.
Helmet of Salvation.
Shoes of Peace.
Shield of Faith.
Sword of the Spirit.
All of it.
And the most important part?
We need to support each other.
Because we can't fight this war on our own.
We need God and we need each other.
So how does this fit my day?
Well, it fits my whole year really.
I've been struggling with whether or not this is still the place for me.
Whether or not this should be my last year teaching.
And with everything that happened today, I want this to be my last year teaching for awhile.
Me. I want this.
But I think God has other plans for me.
I'm here at this school, with this group of teachers, with these students, in this whole situation... for a reason.
Luckily, today I was blessed with an impossible amount of patience.
I had a calming feeling over me all day.
I had the right words come to me when I needed to talk to a parent about her child's rough day.
I was able to get everything done on time.
I couldn't have survived the day without our amazing asst. principal.
Without him, I wouldn't have been able to teach my class and give the needed amount of attention to my other students.
He gave me scriptural reminders.
He continuously prayed for me and my students throughout the day.
He was able to offer help when he saw I needed it.
He was able to talk to one of my students 4 times throughout the day and help talk him of the "edge" so to speak.
He helped me to breathe.
The bottom line?
I had to put on every piece of that armor today.
Shoes of Peace to stay patient and not lose it with my students.
Helmet of Salvation because I needed reminding of who my Savior is and He is the reason I'm here at this school.
Breastplate of Righteousness to remind me to do good. Continuously do good.
Belt of Truth because there is spritiual warfare happening within some of these students and it's my job to be the light and truth for them until they are able to seek it themselves.
Shield of Faith because I needed to have faith in God in all those trying times.
Sword of the Spirit which, thankfully, was provided by our asst principal with all his scriptural reminders throughout the day.
And I honestly believe that's the only reason I survived today.
So put on the full Armor of God.
It's worth it.
And if you already trust in God?
Please send up a prayer for me, my students, and our school whenever you get a chance.
God's working in our school, our students, and our lives.
He's going to do miraculous things within all of us this year.
