Devotions for Teachers: Worry

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Psalm 23:1

“He’s mine! He’s mine!”

This is the sound of Josie recognizing her dad from across the parking lot this morning. Chris and Isaiah had gotten out of the car faster, and gotten a head start on getting into church (as usual-nothing with Josie is ever fast). Josie was holding my hand, toddling across the parking lot, when she spotted Chris in the distance.

“He’s mine, mama! He’s mine!”

In her little life, the sight of one of her parents brings a flood of comfort. Relief. Assurance. She sees the people who make her feel safe and love her the most, so she feels like she belongs there. The presence of her dad in the distance made her feel immediate joy. This is the innocence of a child played out in real time, and it was so sweet.

He’s mine.

And then in church this morning, one of our pastors pointed out that in the classic Psalm 23, the psalmist does not say “the Lord is THE shepherd”. He doesn’t write “the Lord is A shepherd”. He doesn’t even write “the Lord is OUR shepherd”. What does he say?

The Lord is MY shepherd. He’s mine. It’s personal. It’s a one-on-one relationship. This little word choice creates that sense of safety…of worth.

We’re all grown up now, but we still want to know that we belong. We still want to know that someone is looking out for us when we’re walking into a new situation. We still scan the room and look for someone who makes us feel safe. We’re no different from a two-year-old.

This is the thing: the Lord really is my shepherd. And he’s yours. But the wolves are real. In the teaching world, the wolf can be something as large and overbearing as an active shooter, or a child going home to an unsafe situation. The wolf can also be a bad policy. A difficult colleague situation. An upcoming evaluation. There is literally no shortage of things that make my lay awake and worry about the next day. I think about facing another week, and all I can see are the wolves.

So what do you do when the thoughts of the wolves consume you? Remember that the Lord is your shepherd. He isn’t passive, only casually observing the trials you’re undergoing right now. He’s active, and he’s yours.

What do you do when the wolf shows up? Pay attention to what the shepherd was guiding you to do all of that time. You’ve been given the strength to deal with that moment, but you are promised nothing more. You’ll make it through, but then you need to pay attention to where the shepherd is herding you to next.

How do we pay attention? How do we see the shepherd in the distance, when our short-sightedness keeps the wolves front and center?

We pray. We ask for help. We ask for reminders of that safety and comfort. We read our Bible and look for examples of those before us who found peace in a world full of wolves.

My prayer for myself and all of you this week is that we worry less and find more comfort in our daily lives. I want to feel peace rather than anxiety. I am looking for The Light when there are days where all I see is darkness. I know it’s possible for me, because he is my shepherd. He’s mine.

Teach with joy this week that you are His and He is yours.