Teachers

Teachers are on my heart today.

At the moment one of Pink's teachers is living her last hours. I'm not actually sure if she made it through the night last night. She is a wonderful, caring, God loving woman with a husband and three young children. DH went to school with her and her husband (who is also a teacher) we have known them almost all our lives. Currently she is losing the battle with a very aggresive form of breast cancer. She was diagnosed six months ago, three weeks ago she was looking really well. A week ago she was flown to Adelaide in a critical condition, unable to eat, walk or communicate. She is home again now and yesterday they doubled her morphine. She will be missed and grieved over by all the students that she taught. She is one of those rare teachers who really cares. Sometimes she cared too much, and got too emotionally involved and was hurt in the process. People said (and I was one of them) that she took what the kids said to her too personally but that was because she cared so much.

Teachers are such an important group of people. They touch and influence many. They can make or break a child with a single word. Robbie had one such teacher, last term we were struggling to get him to school. It was a fight every day. His report card showed that he was marking time, not moving ahead or learning. That teacher has emotional, mental and a drinking problem and has since been removed from the school. Robbie now has a wonderful, caring, creative teacher and the change in his approach and attitude is marked.

Today I would like to pray for all our teachers.

Father, I would like to pray for those in our church family and the wider community who have children or teenagers in their care as teachers. Raise up Christian teachers for our young people. Help our teachers serve and teach as they are gifted by the Spirit. Help them instruct and genuinely care for the students whom they are responsible.

May our teachers set an example for all the kids they teach through the lives they are living, may they always speak Your truth and not be carried away by or promote the ideas and opinions of men.

May others who have responsibilities over our young people, such as coaches, Sunday school teachers, youth leaders and others who supervise them, never grow tired of doing what's right, for You will not forget their work or the love they show our kids. Keep our teachers strong in the Lord and may Your word live in them.

May our teachers devote themselves to teaching, giving themselves fully to it as the work You have given them to do.

And a special prayer for Pink's teacher, her husband and their children Lord. I pray that she will have peace and rest with you soon Lord, and that her husband and the children can trust in you and look to your for comfort in their grief. I pray that their families can remain strong and support each other in this difficult time. And if there is something I can do to ease the burden, then please show it to me Lord. I also pray for Jane's students. This will be the first brush with death for many. Support and counsel them Lord and show them Your love.

In Jesus' name, amen.