It was a Hard Day

Tuesday was a very difficult day.  I was exhausted by the end of the day and felt as if I hadn’t done anything right.

How do I handle a very trying day?  How do I respond so that I can go to school the next day with motivation and a good attitude, ready to teach again?

I had just read from 2 Chronicles 20 and was reminded of verse 12. “Our eyes are on you – we don’t know what to do!”  It felt like this great company (KJV) or great horde (ESV) or vast army (NIV) was advancing.  I studied through the chapter.  When Jehoshaphat receives word of an approaching enemy, he is afraid, so he “set himself to seek the Lord” (v. 3).  I need to follow this pattern: I don’t know what to do, but my eyes are on You, Lord.

When they began to sing and praise, the Lord intervened and worked for them.  I love that thought of WHEN they began to sing and praise.  They had to take that initiative first, and then the Lord worked.

I’m going to put this in my day.  “Our eyes are on you.”  Tuesday as I was escorting a student back from the gym, I prayed, “Help me know what to do.”  This was about 8:35, our day had barely begun and this was the second intervention with this child.  I thought of this: let’s start this day again.

So we went out the front door, looked at his bus sitting there, came in and said “Hi” to Mr. C who had been on door duty, and said “Hi” to Mr. G who had greeted this student. Then I quickly got ahead of him so I was in the classroom and greeted him as he came in for the second time.  The bus was not really there, and neither were Mr. C and Mr. G, but we were re-doing the morning.  We talked a bit about having a good start, and starting over, and I took him back to the gym, with a reminder to cooperate and that I would be checking back in 10 minutes.  I did, and he was playing nicely.

The idea of starting over was an instant answer to prayer.  That evening, as I continued to pray for wisdom, I thought of some more ideas for working with this child.

I add the “singing and praising” to my day.  Colossians 4 has four notes about thanks: be thankful, having thankfulness in your heart to God, giving thanks to God, and being watchful in prayer with thanksgiving.  I will think of things for which to thank God:

• I am thankful this is not my first year of teaching.
• I am thankful for years of experience to draw on.
• I am thankful for the support of my administration and colleagues.
• I am thankful for friends who listen and pray with me and share hugs.

I had felt like there was no encouragement in that difficult day.  As I thought back over the day, though, I realized that, yes, there was.  I had received two gifts from students that morning.  A mother who had sat in our classroom for a while commented that it was a big class but they were very quiet and good.  (I hadn’t felt that way, but was glad she did!)  The administrator had been observing me teaching that day and he rated my teaching “Effective” on all the rubrics.

I need to remember!  That will help with a difficult day.

• Remember God’s help in the past.
• Remember God’s faithfulness.
• Remember my calling.

As in 2 Chronicles 20:12 “Our eyes are upon thee.”  I must keep my eyes on the Lord.  He is my rock, and He is faithful, and will do what He has promised!  With His presence and wisdom, I can make it through the difficult days.

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CONTRIBUTOR: Arlene Birt