The one who teaches the teacher

I'm thankful for the teaching and ministry I receive from God.

It's amazing the things he can shed light on and define and expound on, even for situations I'm not living in now but will live in in the future. We're talking about the greatest teacher of all time, and he has the willingness and availability to take me on as his student.

These days, God has a lot to say about husband and wife relationships and the love of Christ for the church.

The latest lesson I'm glad he taught on the subject involves forgiveness, love, and relentless pursuit of relationship. Not only does that lesson speak to the way I need to conduct myself as a spouse someday, but also it helped me in the past week when my relationship with a group of my junior high school students felt strained.

Every year, it takes time for students to adjust to the high level of expectations I have for behavior and academic rigor. But in one class this year, the students appeared to be especially struggling to accept what I require.

When everything in me felt like letting a wall go up between them and me, I remembered the counterintuitive lesson from God and decided to find ways to move toward my unhappy kiddos instead of becoming disconnected.

And already, things are getting better.