In The Measure of a Man, Martin Luther King, Jr. made a statement that is challenging and encouraging to me as a teacher—and I pray that it challenges and encourages you too. As you look to point your students to Christ in your academic area through biblical integration, it can be hard. But note what King said about how we should understand our work:
“He should do it as if God Almighty called him at this particular moment in history to do it. He should seek to do his job so well that the living, the dead, or the unborn could not do it better. No matter how small one thinks his life’s work is in terms of the norms of the world and the so-called big jobs, he must realize that it has cosmic significance if he is serving humanity and doing the will of God.” (Kindle Loc. 199-203)
Remember these things:
- You have been called by God to do this work now.
- You must invest your best effort into this work that God has entrusted to you.
- If you are obeying the Lord, your work is significant.
Make the most of every lesson, every conversation, every disciplinary action, every grade. Why? Because you are called. Like Paul, pour yourself out to serve your students and your God (Phil 2:17). And never forget, that God notices. Your students may not notice your great work. Other teachers might not see it. But God sees and He cares.
All this to say, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.” (1 Cor 10:31-33).
