Good or Bad

There is a quote I have on my side wall that I think comes from Lincoln and it goes like this, "The good or bad, you'll find what ever you are looking for."

As a math teacher, I put out a lot of effort, looking for mistakes in my student's work and their answers.  I find myself focusing on and looking for what they did wrong, when grading quizzes and tests.  But I always need to keep refocusing on what each of my students are doing right and have improved on.

I want to find areas where each of my students can improve, but I desperately want to look for opportunities to encourage and motivate my students as I see areas of strengthen and growth.

IMPROVEMENT IS THE CONSTANT GOAL.

EFFORT, SELFLESSNESS, RESPONSIBILITY, HUMILITY, PERSISTENCE, DETERMINATION, RESOURCEFULNESS, COACHABILITY, COMPASSION, AND A PASSIONATE DESIRE FOR ACCURACY ARE SOME OF THE CHARACTER QUALITIES I CONTINUE TO HOLD UP IN HIGH REGARD FOR EACH OF MY STUDENTS TO STRIVE FOR.

They will always fail me and I will always fail them.  Just like when you put a black dot and a white board and ask the students to tell you what they see... they'll tell you that they see a black dot.  It is in our nature to see the negative or the flaws.  The board was 99.999992% white and we all will point out the black dot.

My goal is to love, encourage, challenge, exhort, teach and motivate each of my students relentlessly and unconditionally.  I fail at this every day.  But as with them, I want to look for successes and growth in myself.  I seek God's love, grace, power and strength every day.  I pray for my students and myself.  I desire to be the best teacher I can be for His glory, my joy and each of my students benefit.

I don't want to go through life looking for black dots.  I know they are everywhere.  We all have them in our lives.  I want to go through life expecting the best from others.  I want to help each of my students get to a place of self-esteem, humility and responsibility.  I know I need God's help for me to love each of my students.  I know that when I am loving them, with His love, I stay in the place I call HOPE... and here I can not be hurt by their black dots nor they by mine.  I also know that when I am being selfish and focusing on their black dots, I get FRUSTRATED... and this emotions is like an alarm going off to me that I have moved out of HOPE and into a dark place... a place away from love.  It is in these moments that I sense God's Spirit convicting me to die to selfishness and seek His grace to love each of my students selflessly.

"There is no greater love than to lay down your life for another."  I believe that this verse is not just talking about being willing to physically die for someone else.  I believe it is also talking about being willing to 'die' to our own selfish desires for someone else.  I believe it is saying, 'I have a lot of black dots.  I know you have a lot of black dots.  I want to love you in spite of our black dots.  I need God's help.  "In my weakness, His strength is made perfect."'

Pride says, I can love in my own strength.  Humility says, I am selfish and I need God's help to love Him and others like He want me too.

Seek God's love first for yourself and then for the ability to love others.

Day 34