I heard a very profound story a few nights ago. He was a retired teacher. In his last year as a teacher, some of his students asked him why he chose to be a teacher. He said that he had wanted to change the world. Then he said that obviously he hadn’t succeeded. His students then said that he had changed their worlds.
There are many good people and many followers of Christ in the teaching profession. Many start out with the desire to make a difference in life by making a difference in the lives of their students. After a while many are frustrated because they are bogged down with lots of duties that have nothing to do with their time with their students. At some point some leave the profession. For many it is not a matter of money. They leave because they are exhausted and they believe they cannot really make a difference in the lives of the students. Then there are others who come to terms with the fact that no one serves under ideal conditions and continue to soldier on.
I don’t think we should judge people for the decisions they make. All of us are unique and we have our own journeys to walk. But for those who choose to continue to be teachers, I hope the above story encourages you.
Exercises like teaching and mentoring are finally acts of faith. We may not see the fruit of what we do when we do it. The fruits may come much later in life. That is one blessing of being older. You begin to see some of the outcomes of the work you did a long time ago.
We are called to be salt and light. We want God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. We await the return of Christ to finally make all things new. In the meantime, we invest in lives. I suspect the world is changed one life at a time.
