In teaching, and in life, it is easy to find ourselves in a rut. “The rut is easy” one of our teachers expressed to me. The rut of life can also be dangerous for our future progress. In our May In-Service time with our teachers, I asked our teachers to consider Numbers 13 – 14 that highlights the 12 Spies and the Promised Land. This passage starts out with the Lord telling Moses to send out men to spy out the land that He was going to give them! Which by the way was a promise made to Gods people starting with Abraham. So, the men went out into the land and came back and provided a report to Moses and the people of Israel. Ten of the spies provided a report that could be characterized as a mixed bag. On one hand, they said that the land “certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.” On the other hand, they also provided a negative report and tried to dissuade the people from going into the land that the Lord promised to give them! Only 2 of the spies returned with a positive report – “the land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.”
Aren’t you glad for the 2 spies?!?
It is easy to have a “NO” mentality isn’t it? We can become very comfortable and saying “NO” removes any risk and any discomfort in progress. Saying “NO” is easy and I encouraged our staff to take personal inventory of their responses. Instead of comments like: “I don’t want to do that”; “I don’t want to go there”; “That’s not going to work” – I challenged our staff to develop a “YES” mentality this coming school year and determining that they will think “YES” instead of “NO”. Now, this is not to say that there isn’t wisdom in evaluating, planning, considering the cost, etc. However, I tend to think that many of us are so far from that ditch that we could all use a good dose of “YES”.
A specific area that I encouraged our staff to have a “YES” mentality is in the area of our relationships. The relationship that demands first priority is our relationship with Jesus Christ. In order for our faculty to have a lasting impact on our students, their relationship with Jesus needs to be passionate and effective. Part of saying yes is the consistent choice to pursue grace-filled relationships with our students. Paul Tripp mentions that our lives are made up of 10,000 moments and our teachers realize that these moments can go a long way in building up a strong foundation in their relationships with students. We ARE seeking to be a staff who is more intentional and more accountable to each other. We ARE seeking to be a staff that is characterized by EXCITEMENT and RELEVANCE with our students and our parents.
We are getting ready to start our 21st year here at Faith Christian and I have never been more excited to start the year! In a sense, I feel like I am getting ready to enter into the Promised Land and I’m looking forward to the Lord’s leading and directing this year! There is a lot at stake and I am encouraged by our staff and by our students! “If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land, and give it to us- a land which flows with milk and honey.” YES, Lord!
