would have been the perfect advice to me as I approached this new job of teaching seminary to high school students. It has been a bumpy ride. There are days when I feel like I am really getting somewhere (well as far as you can get at 5:50 am). And then there are days when I feel like I am crawling out of a crater where my lesson just bombed. I swear, when I drive away fom the church sometimes I can see a mushroom cloud in the rear view mirror.
Yesterday was a day from the basement... today was nearly opposite. Teaching teenagers is such a roller coaster of a ride! If just one kid is in a bad enough mood, it upsets the very fragile atmosphere. The whole spirit of the lesson can be chucked out the window at a single comment. Sometimes I think that I am too young to be teaching and other days I feel ancient. With all feeling involved in this calling, I have felt the FULL spectrum.
Every day you talk to me about seminary, those kids are different. You'd think that I was teaching several classes on a rotation! Inspiration, frustration, humility, pride, energy, exhaustion... all feelings of a seminary teacher. I do have to say that I have been truly blessed to be where I am, doing what I am doing and learning from these kids. They live in an ever changing world. Hopefully, I can still hold on tight and be happy when the ride's over.
p.s. We learned about John Tanner today- anyone heard of him? He is an inspiring man from church history that truly was the spirit of generosity and sacrifice.
here's an article about him too: The John Tanner Family
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