The Unwanted

There are a great number of people who ask me why I would ever want to go into the Public School System. This is an issue near and dear to my heart. I get questions ranging from "Do you hate homeschooling?" to "Why do you want to teach where you can't use the Bible for class or discipline?" I am here to put all these questions to rest, and to explain why I want the unwanted. 

To start off I went to public school from Kindergarten through 12th grade. The incident that made the most impact on my desire to be a teacher was in the 3rd grade. There was a child transferred into my class because the other teacher couldn't handle him. My 3rd grade teacher accepted him with open arms and told him that no matter what he did, she would never, EVER give up on him, or hate him. What followed is something that I will never forget, he became a kind little boy. This is not to say that there was never any issues, but he knew that no matter what happened she would never give up. This showed me that teachers DO make a difference, teacher DO touch lives, and teachers CAN make an impact on the future generation. 

Now, do I hate homeschooling? The answer is a resounding no. God leads some to home school, some to teach in Christian, and some to teach in public. I do not think any less of one or the other. For me, God has put a burden on my heart for the unsaved children of this world. The public schools need Christian people more than ever. I know it is not for every teacher, but for me I know that is exactly where God wants me. So, wherever God wants you, serve Him there to the best of your ability.

Lastly, why do I want to teach where I can't use my Bible for teaching or discipline. My reason (besides this is where God wants me) is that I want the unwanted. The children that most teachers reject, put in the back and ignore, or even the children who are not wanted at home are the ones my heart craves to help. God gave me a loving home, and a caring family to be around. I will always be grateful to them for their gentleness and kindness, because it made me into the person I am today. Now I want to share it with all of my students and let them know that someone notices when they get an A on their paper, someone cares if they fall on the playground, and someone misses them when they aren't around. I care so much about those precious little children that words can barley express how I feel. If I'm not there to show them even a little glimpse of Christ's love, will they ever see it? That is what drives me.

The Unwanted, the Unloved, the Children most people shy away from, the ones that do bad things so they get ANY form of attention they can because otherwise their parents don't care. Those are the children I want, and those are the children I pray for already, even as God prepares me to be a teacher. So, to sum up my view, I believe that you should serve God to the best of your ability weather he puts you in Public School, Christian School, or Home school. Honor Him in all you do, and touch the little lives that need and crave Him.

The Journal

I have struggled over the years to get a consistent routine down of devotions. I tried to find books to prompt me, intensive studies, reading through the Bible in a year, and they all fizzled out. This January however I knew I wanted to look at it from a whole new perspective. I needed a new outlook on things. 

As I was falling asleep on New Years Eve when I remembered something. I had read books in my teen years about a girl who did her devotions by journaling every night. She journaled half a page about how her day went spiritually, and then the rest of the page was for her to write about her devotions. It allowed her to see how she had implemented what she learned the day before.

I was still sketchy because SO many times I had failed at this, but I needed to try. I decided to dive right in on New Years Day. It was hard to get into the routine of doing it every night, but I finally started doing it daily. Coming up to college I was determined not to let the change get the better of me. I kept it up without missing a beat.

It has now become something I look forward to doing every night, and am growing SO much because of it. I love how much it has infiltrated my life and how much of an impact its making. I can't wait to finish this journal and start the next. :)