Source of Energy

It's been a while since this blog has seen any posts, but lately I've just felt like it's something I should get back to. So, here are some thoughts on what the past 2 days of Gospels have been teaching me about being a teacher.

In yesterday's Gospel, Jesus has just found out about the death of John the Baptist, yet when He tries to get some time to grieve, the crowds keep following Him. Jesus sees the need these people have for Him and ministers to them. This even leads to one of His most well-known miracles - the multiplication of loaves and fish to feed over 5,000 people!

As the story continues in today's Gospel, Jesus takes time by Himself to pray... and then goes and saves His disciples from a storm, while also rescuing Peter when his fear gets the best of him. I think the most important moment in these two stories is the bridge that connects them - Jesus's time in prayer.

While Jesus is the Son of God, His time reconnecting with the Father is still something He takes time for and is where I believe His strength to reach out to crowds of needy thousands and doubtful Peters comes from. As I first started thinking about these stories and how they could apply to my life, I realized that as a teacher, there are times where I might need some personal time, or might tire from having to help the same students over and over again. But, like Jesus, I'm called to give of myself and strive to minister to their needs. This sometimes seems like a daunting task. In fact, what makes me a little nervous about school starting up again isn't the lesson plans or knowing the math I'm supposed to teach - I'm nervous about having enough energy to teach in the way my students need!

What I can learn from Jesus is that my strength needs to come from where His strength came from - time in prayer. My fear of being not having energy should be what leads me to give time to Jesus. Not only will He help me to teach and help my students, but He will also help me to still have energy left to spend time with my husband and prepare for our son to arrive! I know that if I make prayer a priority, Jesus will help me to teach as He taught, especially when it comes to giving of myself when it may seen most difficult.