May the God who gives you endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth may you glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NIV, Romans 15:5)
How are you feeling today? For me personally, I was feeling defeated. Work was tough this week. Yes, I have rough days. We all do. As a teacher, some days are a lot rougher than others. Teachers strive for student success, and positive teacher-student relationships. When that doesn’t happen, work is hard and discouraging. When students act out for whatever reason, some of us teachers take that hard. It’s because we care so much.
When work, or life, gets hard go to God first for endurance and encouragement. Remember God is behind you. Stop thinking that you are alone. Whatever you are going through, the Lord is with you. He promises to work all things out for the good (Romans 8:28). You work hard, you give it all you have, your efforts will be rewarded. Keep moving forward with great endurance. Forget past mistakes and focus on the good things that happened this week instead of the negative. Keep your God-given goals in front of you.
Be encouraged.You are loved and appreciated even though you may not feel like it right now. Allow the Lord to encourage you by His presence through times of praise, worship, prayer and meditation on God’s encouraging word. Then spend time with friends and family that love you. Life has many challenges. It’s important to be recharged and given a fresh batch of courage. Do that today. Throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles (Heb. 12:1). Look to Jesus and those who love you for joy, hope and new courage.
Faith, Hope, & Joy Ministries 