I have an inkling that the time leading up to my departure date is going to fly by. I only have 192 days before I go! What will I be doing in that time, you ask? Student teaching! I will be finishing up a post-baccalaureate certification in English. I just found out today what school I will be at, and which teacher I will spend the semester learning from. I also found out that I will be with high school seniors!
Can I just say that student teaching in an American high school makes me far more nervous than teaching college students overseas? However, I know that the time I spend in the classroom this next semester will prepare me even more for the journey ahead, and I am thankful for that time of preparation. I know that the Father is working. Once again, I'm thankful that His purpose prevails over my puny plans.
I was reminded by a friend tonight of the very important truth of keeping my gaze fixed on what is ultimate. She shared with me the passage in 1 Cor. that speaks about living as though not living. It specifically mentions several areas: marriage, mourning, rejoicing, buying, and dealing with the world. We should do all of those things as though not doing them, meaning that while we engage with the world, we should always remember that we have a higher Hope. This life is momentary, and we should fix our gaze on what is ultimate. So, we mourn and we rejoice, remembering all the while that our Rescuer is standing sovereign over our mourning, and that our greatest joy here is but a mere glimpse of future glory.
So, to apply this to now, I hope to student teach as though not student teaching. I will work to my fullest, all the while remembering that my joy is not found in how well I do here. I will work hard and do my best, all the while remembering that it is not ultimate.
As John Piper put it, "We should not withdraw from business. We are involved, but as
though not involved. Business simply does not have the weight in our
hearts that it has for many. All our getting and all our having in this
world is getting and having things that are not ultimately important.
Our car, our house, our books, our computers, our heirlooms—we possess
them with a loose grip. If they are taken away, we say that in a sense
we did not have them. We are not here to possess. We are here to lay up treasures in heaven.
This world matters. But it is not ultimate. It is the stage for living
in such a way to show that this world is not our God, but that our Savior is
our God. It is the stage for using the world to show that our Hope is
more precious than the world.
As we deal with the world, we don’t give it our fullest attention. We don’t
ascribe to the world the greatest status. There are unseen things that
are vastly more precious than the world. We use the world without
offering it our whole soul. We may work with all our might when dealing
with the world, but the full passions of our heart will be attached to
something higher. We use the world, but not as an end
in itself. It is a means. We deal with the world in order to make much
of our Rescuer. "
I am so encouraged and challenged by those words. My they be true in every area of my life, including my relationships, my work, and my leisure.
