THANK YOU

Submitted by Tamra Gutierrez

But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught.  You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you.  You have been taught the holy scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.  2 Timothy 3:14-15

This message is a huge THANK YOU to all our preschool, elementary, and youth teachers out there.  Whether you teach babies or high school, we say thank you!  I teach a preschool class on Wednesday nights, so I may have a different experience than Junior high teachers, but sometimes on those crazy nights when everyone is running wild and I can’t believe that any spiritual insight was transferred to those little munchkins, I have to remember that God takes every effort I make in that classroom and uses it to further His kingdom.  I know, at least for teachers of young kids, it may seem like what we do doesn’t matter; we are just teaching basic stories.  But 2 Timothy proves that what we teach DOES matter.  Each story and each lesson that is taught builds on one another giving each child the wisdom they need to eventually understand their need for Jesus and salvation.  From the nursery worker rocking that baby telling him that Jesus loves him, to the preschool teacher teaching him that he can trust in God, to the elementary teacher teaching that we needed a savior, to the high school teacher talking about redemption in Jesus, everyone works together to build a Christ follower. 

For those of you who teach, I know you will agree that just because you teach a class doesn’t mean that you are no longer a student.  In fact, I hear from a lot of teachers that they learn just as much as the kids do when they teach the lesson.  It’s amazing how God knows what we need to hear and how He often uses the stories we are teaching to teach us a lesson as well.  Even if you are a teacher and can’t attend a class, you can still learn a great deal.  I find that when I bless others by teaching I get blessed in return.

For those of you who don’t teach, please take some time and thank a teacher.  Each Sunday and Wednesday we have about 150 people who give their time to teach you and your children.

Henrietta Mears, the founder of Gospel Light (the company that produces our Preschool Sunday School curriculum) said “First a child learns to love his teacher, then he learns to love his teacher’s God.”  I’m so thankful we have many teachers at North Side that love our children and students. 

Scripture to Claim:
God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.  Psalms 46:1