It’s Monday morning, grey and foggy, the air is damp and mild, and everything is a tad squishy.
But the trees are coated in beautiful white, a mysterious beauty encrusting their stark bareness against the grey sky.
And here in my classroom, all 23 of my people are working with me in our humming routine.
My coffee is steaming in one of my three favourite “at-school” mugs.
And it’s been a wonderful morning.
I arrived at school feeling sleepy after staying too late last night… set down my things on my desk, glanced at the daily plan, and saw the little sign beside my planbook. “But First, Pray,” it says.
I bought it at Hobby Lobby as a reminder to keep me praying for my students. It would be wonderful if teachers in Christian schools were something of the supernatural – some people think we are, it’s not true – and always managed to pray as much as we should for our students.
It would be great if I wouldn’t be prone to allowing my workload to cloud my vision and demanding priority, but I’m not supernatural. I’m fully human, and with a large class, I’ve struggled more than ever to keep up with everything I want to give my students this year.
But the letter board in my bedroom reminds me every morning when I rise, “yet not i, but through Christ in me.”
And the little sign I placed on my desk a few months ago calls me to prayer again when I arrive at school.
It might not always be long, but breathing a prayer for my students before they arrive, asking for an infilling of Spirit wisdom to teach not only their minds but their hearts, and eyes to see them the way their Creator does – eyes of unconditional love – it makes classroom life so much better.
There are often too many pieces to fit into a day, but when I invite Jesus into my schedule, He becomes the calm Center in my chaos and He always makes a way.
He’s there with me as I greet my students and ask about their weekends.
When class starts, I take prayer requests and am blessed to have so many students willing to pray for the needs of others in our global community of humanity. Hearing the prayers of their young hearts inspires me to keep tending their growth and never give up on them, no matter what may happen later in the day.
Christ is my calm as I walk them through the complexities of math class and answer an abundance of questions.
His Spirit provides answers in the moment-by-moment snap decisions that I need to make.
And somehow, at the end of every whirl of a day, the pile of books on my desk has diminished.
The lessons get taught, the work gets marked, and good conversations happen in the gaps.
I like my little sign that reminds me to pray.
Because the Lord knows I’m human, and humans forget, but it’s because of my humanity that it’s imperative that I remember.
No matter what I’m doing, I need to be stopped in my energetic tracks and let Him remind my soul,
“But first, Pray.”
Notes from My Heartsong 