Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12
Our oldest was blessed with having fantastic teachers while he was in school from kindergarten to third grade. When he was assigned his teacher for second grade, we didn’t know anything about her because she was new to the school. As the time of open house approached, he became more and more excited to see his classroom and to find out how many classmates he already knew.
We entered the classroom to see a very young teacher fresh from college. She greeted us with an innocent type of enthusiasm and encouraged our son to look at the pictures of his schoolbooks. He glanced at us with a funny look on his face. He couldn’t understand why he’d just look at the pictures since he was in second grade, and had been reading for some time.
That night, my hubby and I talked to our son about how fun the school year was going to be and what a nice teacher he had. Unfortunately, we weren’t positive how productive the year would be if his new teacher was going to be focusing on things that had already been taught. We knew there wasn’t the experience that previous teachers had due to it being her first year in the school and a first year teacher.
His second grade ended up being a wonderful year! Our son’s teacher that year ended up being someone very special. She was a cheerleader, an advocate, and a committed teacher to her students. She showed more discernment than some teachers show in all of their years of teaching. She wanted the parents to be involved and to know what was going on in their children’s education. She was a fantastic communicator. She handled problems not by using a standard way of dealing with things, but with compassion and wisdom that doesn’t come from a college class or even experience. There was something more to her…a light that shined from her. It was as if a higher power was guiding her. One day I knew for sure; she was wearing a cross necklace.
I learned a few things from that teacher. First, age has nothing to do with wisdom. It comes from God. Second, actions are so much more powerful than words. The light that shined from her spoke so much more than if she would’ve preached about Jesus. She was a perfect example of living out her faith. I could see she had a calling. She was in God’s will and He had blessed her with wisdom beyond her years.
There are times when talking about God is important, even necessary, but more often than not our actions speak much louder than our words.
If you feel self-doubt today, as we all do, be confident in your calling from God. Open yourself up to be a vessel of God’s love and wisdom. This is the way that His light will shine out of you for all to see.
