my little mirrors ...

one of my favorite parts of being in the classroom is trying to figure out where kids fit. not that i ever want to stereotype or generalize, but it’s so interesting to guess which kids are (or will be) in which groups - popular vs. not popular, geeks, jocks, pretty, plain, wallflower, outcast - and why.

i find it particularly interesting because the groups definitely don’t seem as delineated as they did when i was in school. maybe that’s because i’m just not with most of them enough to really see them interact. or maybe that’s because the groups we fall into have more to do with our perceptions of ourselves and living up to perceived expectations. we’re dealt a certain hand of cards by our parents, and those are the ones we’re convinced that we have to play for the rest of our lives. but the good news is, we can choose to become more than who we’ve been.

but you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. you are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. as a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light. once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy. (1 peter 2:9-10)

my absolute favorite part of watching kids is deciding which one is most like me when i was that age, especially because it reminds me just how much God has saved me from. today was full of such reminders. i was the girl who was such a perfectionist that she had to stay in from recess to finish her work. i was the girl who got so upset with myself for getting a ‘b’ that i would do physical harm to myself. i was the girl who had to keep up with the boys. i was the girl who always argued with the teacher and other kids because i had to be right.

okay, so some of those still tend to be true, but by God’s grace He is bringing me out, painful lesson by painful lesson. i’m definitely not a fan of having to look at the crappy parts of myself, but seeing them in my young counterparts serves as good motivation to keep moving forward. it also helps me know how to pray more specifically for those students. as much as possible, i want them to be saved from my mistakes, my heartaches. i pray that their eyes be opened and their hearts be softened, just as i pray the same for myself as i interact with them each day. it’s easy to get so lost and worn out by the routine that i forget about the mission.

so let’s not get tired of doing what is good. at just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. (galatians 6:9)

may i always remember that there are precious little lives on the line.