Devotions for Teachers: Teacher Tired
The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life”
-Job 33:4
Let me walk y’all through a typical morning over here in my little corner of the world.
I wake up at 5:30 am most mornings. I have to do this if I want to drink a cup of hot coffee before my family descends on my day. My husband leaves earlier than I do, but sleeps in a little later. He doesn’t drink coffee, and he’d prefer to maximize his sleep. Which is cool with me because I really actually want to be by myself first thing in the morning. We will never be one of those couples who rises early to get some quality time together. No no no. If you try to make direct eye contact with me before I have consumed an appropriate amount of caffeine, it’s at your own risk. I don’t like to be held accountable for what I may say or do before I’ve had coffee.
Anyways, the hubs leaves with enough time for me to take a shower at hyper-speed and get the kids up and dressed. I spend a brief amount of time navigating urine-soaked sheets, tantrums that one kid has more cereal than the other, and spills of all kinds before my mom walks in the door, allowing me to sprint off to work…to a room full of other people’s children. Each one with their own personality and set of unique needs.
I use the little time I have to myself in my classroom to try to mentally prepare for whatever the day may throw at me. Then, before I know it, it’s time to roll my sleeves up and teach another day. My coffee will sit cold on my desk until I remember it a few hours later. I will be dehydrated for most of any given work-week because I don’t have the freedom to pee as often as I need to, so why even drink water? I’ll have days that are so hectic and filled with so many planning meetings and working lunches, that I’ll realize around 3 pm that I haven’t even eaten yet.
Does any of this sound familiar? Please tell me I’m not alone. I don’t want to gripe. I absolutely love my life and the career path I have chosen. But sometimes I just feel used up. Like, everyone else gets all of the best parts of me and I have nothing left for myself, let alone any friendships I have outside of work, or any quality time with my husband other than a mumbled, “Have a good day”, before we leave for work in the mornings.
Jesus knew about people like us, guys. When he taught at the Festival of Tabernacles, He knew there were people in that very crowd who felt just like that, and that there always would be. He was talking about us in John 7:37-39 when he said
On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those believed in him were later to receive.
He knew that we would have these moments where we felt that we had nothing left to give. He gave this speech to serve as a gentle reminder to all of the teachers, and parents, and spouses, and friends out there that when you feel like you have given the ones you love all you have, you’re pulling from the wrong source. The river of life that flows within you is constantly replenished when you are looking to Jesus for your strength. The Spirit will fill you with life and overflow so that you spill over to all of the people you know, and they will also be touched by God’s goodness.
Next time you feel that ever-present #teachertired, and you don’t know how you’re going to gear up for another day, spend some quiet time talking to Jesus about it. Read over John, Chapters 6 & 7 to remind yourself of how life-giving Jesus’ love is. You don’t have to rely on yourself to keep going, friend. There is someone much stronger waiting to give you life, if you’ll only remember to ask.
I hope you all a fantastic week at school, friends. ❤️ If this resonated with you, and you would like a take away to meditate over, grab this free download below! You can cut out the individual cards to keep on your desk and/or somewhere at home, or you can fold them in half to stand up and write your prayers for the week on the inside!
