STOP EXPLAINING, KEEP WORKING

STOP EXPLAINING, KEEP WORKING

Daily In The Word

May 3, 2021

 

Mark 8:11-25

11 And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him. 12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation. 13 And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side. 14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf. 15 And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. 16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread. 17 And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? 18 Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember? 19 When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. 20 And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven. 21 And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand? 22 And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. 23 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. 24 And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.25 After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.

 

 

This is great! I’m excited to share it in my own language with people who are willing to listen and to learn. But for now, I will just use whatever available vocabulary I have. Little is much when it is used for the Lord.

 

As an elementary Filipino language teacher, I would always feel bad about myself every time I lose my temper or patience with those students who still could not get a very simple instruction after repeating it to them again and again. Translating the instruction to them in English, Cebuano, and even in sign language demands so much time. Sometimes, I even jokingly translated it in Chinese, just to let them know how much I tried my best to let them understand what I mean. In my frustration, I would tell them “Come on, one word is enough for a wise person!” which is very wrong, I must admit. But this experience is not the same with Jesus’. Jesus was not talking to elementary kids; He was talking with the so called “wise people” the Pharisees and His supposedly “wise” disciples, for they have been with Him.

 

Sometimes, the problem is not really the lack of ability to understand the language, it’s the attitude of the heart. If the mind is closed, no matter how hard and how much you try to reiterate the message, it will never be sent or received. It’s like sending a message to someone without any signal or load. It’s a waste of time. So, stop trying. Go buy a load, turn on the data and look for a signal first.

 

I encountered several instances like this in the classroom. Who would not, if you’re teaching the most hated subject? The moment the bell rings for me to enter the room, I already imagined and heard the sentiments of my students, “Not again!”. If I was able to bear it for 18 years of teaching, IT IS ONLY BY THE GRACE OF GOD. God’s abundant grace is given to me for the sake of His beloved children.  I praise God for teaching me how to deal with all the challenges I’ve met in teaching the language; without Him,  I could have surrendered, resigned, and took a detour a long time ago, but glory to God for His strength did not let me.  I learned to choose which battle to pick. Listen, consider, and make some self-evaluation. If it’s a teacher-factor, do something, find a solution, solve the problem; if it’s a student-factor, stop teaching the subject, focus on the heart. However, if it’s none of the above, shake it off, and leave it all to the expert, stop explaining, keep working. Just like what Jesus did, instead of proving Himself by giving them the signs that they asked for, He left and stayed away from them. I could relate them to some parents, whose children are not bad in the subject, they performed well, but still they hated the subject simply because they didn’t see the value of it; for them it’s useless, all they wanted to happen is to remove the subject from the equation. So, what should I do? Respect their point of view, leave them alone, and move on.  On the other hand, with His disciples, He did not leave them for their lack of faith, instead of answering their questions, He gave them some questions to remind them what He already did in the past, then, He kept working. Their questions were answered not with words but with His actions. He continued healing and doing miracles to those who believed.

 

It is only by the grace of God that we can do what Jesus did. I believe that what made Him stick to His disciples was His personal relationship with them. If not, He could have left them also. He knew each one, He knew their heart. Their problem was not their devotion or loyalty but their insufficient faith and forgetfulness. So, what made me stay in this field is the same with Jesus, it is my relationship with my students that keep me going. It has been my goal since I started to teach to never let any of my students to pass by my hands without sharing the love of God, the gospel of Christ to them. Those who sincerely accepted Jesus as their Lord and personal Savior learned to enjoy the subject not because they like the subject, but they knew that it is their responsibility to study and to learn the lessons; and as God’s children they have to give their best and to do all things for His glory no matter how hard it is.

 

 

In conclusion, if we want our students to learn what we teach, stop explaining the lesson or the subject, work first with their heart, and everything will just follow.

 

 

LET’S PRAY!

                                  

Dear God,

Indeed, You are the GOD of all wisdom and understanding. Thank You for this great reminder. We praise You dear LORD for the life of Your One and Only Son, Jesus. Indeed, He is the greatest Teacher worthy of all praises and glory. Without His example, where will we go? Thank You for teaching us not to exhaust ourselves with people whose interest, devotion, and loyalty are not in You and in us. We pray for them that You will soften their heart and enable them to humble themselves to accept the truth of Your Word.

We pray for Your patience, grace, and unconditional love to rule over us, so that we could also love people the way You love us. Enable us o Father to persevere and keep working until You complete whatever it is that You have started in us. Please help us to obey You circumspectly with a willing heart. These things we ask and pray in Jesus name. Amen!