Dear Christian educators,
Who is your neighbor? Naturally, they can be the people in your neighborhood, but who do you spent more time with? Your school community - whether it is your students or colleagues, we spend the greatest part of our day in school. As we interact with so many image-bearers, this commandment applies. Since love has been the focus of our last three days, let's specifically look at loving our colleagues today.
Each day during this season of Lent, I will post one verse and pray it with you. Consider saying the verse in your quiet time and praying it also. You may use the same prayer or try your own. Each day until Easter (except Sundays) there will be a new post that contains: a verse, a small reflection, a prayer using the Scripture and an image. Feel free to share the images because I made them with the Bible Lens app and took all the pictures. What a creative God we serve!
Day 4
Matthew 22:39 English Standard Version (ESV)
39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
How do we love our colleagues (neighbors)? At times, it is simple because we have learned to work together much better since PLC (Professional Learning Communities - or whatever the most popular term is today). However, that never erases the natural ebb and flow of being human, being flesh and blood. Without a doubt, we will rub someone the wrong way whether it is intentional or not, by commission or omission. When we know we have offended, may the Holy Spirit convict us quickly and go to the person one-on-one to make amends. When we don't even realize we have offended our neighbor (colleague), be prayerful each day for awareness of other's feelings. If someone seems distant, be the first to be friendly. As Christian educators we have the call to love our neighbor as ourself.
Dear Lord,
This command is hard. I'm not sure why. We want to please You with obedience to the 1st command by loving You with our whole heart, our whole soul and all our might, but then You added the 2nd one: love your neighbor as yourself. Our colleagues should know us by our love and when they don't, we are not able to give You the glory. Create in us a clean heart, O Lord, that we may love our neighbors, our colleagues, with intention. Help to always go to them first face-to-face to resolve any issues that we may win them over with our conduct. To You be all glory as You help us, Gracious Lord. Amen.
Prayerfully yours,
K
Karen C. Seddon
CEAI - Christian Educators Assoc. Int.
State Director for Florida
407.892.5651
....an unqualified recipient of His unconditional love
2 Timothy 3:16 -17- All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
No comments:
Post a Comment