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By Ed Sunday-Winters
Last Sunday night, our children presented their Summer musical, “Splash Kingdom”. They made clear to all who were present the Good News that God has made a way for each of us to enter His kingdom. If you were not here, you missed a real treat.
Our boys and girls did an outstanding job. They said their parts with enthusiasm and sang with joy. I know every parent and grandparent was beaming with pride.
We are fortunate to have leaders in our church who have both the ability and the desire to lead our children in such an endeavor. Preparing a children’s musical is no small task. The commitment of time and effort is essential if the result is to be as uplifting and enjoyable as what we experienced last Sunday night. Those leaders who made that commitment and provided that time and effort are certainly deserving of our gratitude and applause.
As I think about those who share their time and talent with our children, I immediately think of school teachers. Our boys and girls have been back in school now for a couple of weeks. They have had a chance to get to know their new teachers, meet new classmates and renew old friendships. These relationships are all very important to our children. We ought to pray daily for our children’s friends and for their teachers. In some cases, they will spend more of their waking hours with their teachers than with their parents.
Can you remember a special teacher or two? When I start to think about them, I am surprised by how many of their names and faces I can remember. Every day they came to class and taught their subject. Back then, I never really thought much about what they were doing and how important it was. Some of them went well beyond teaching their subject. They challenged and disciplined. They recognized that some students (not mentioning any names) just were not going to do their best without a little extra push.
Some of them shared their special interests with students in clubs, on field trips, and in athletics. I never thought much then about why some teachers did all that extra stuff. I just figured they did it because they enjoyed it. Now that I know how little they were compensated for some of those extracurricular activities, I know they were doing it because they loved it.
Teaching children is something that requires a special gift, a mountain of commitment, a heart that gives and gives, eyes that can see possibilities and potential, and ears that can listen with compassion.
We are so blessed in this community to have teachers who care about our children. We certainly ought to remember them when we pray. We ought to also remember them and speak up for them when we have opportunity or they have need. Some day, our children will be recalling their school days and those teachers will be the ones they will remember. Let us do all we can to make those memories good memories.
Joy and peace,
Ed
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