Teach Us Your Way

Teach me your way, Lord; lead me in a straight path

because of my oppressors. Psalm 27: 11

There's a time during summer break when I begin stressing out about the mountains of work I've ignored since the end of the previous academic year...that's the time when I realize I have procrastinated long enough and I have no wiggle room left so I better get my head back in gear so I can organize my classes for the new year...well...that time has arrived.  UGH...sigh...roll eyes...

The "things-to-do-over-summer-FOR-WORK" list that began as a thin outline back in early May is now fully fleshed out...and I'm beginning to fret.

The most important things in that highly cryptic and borderline schizophrenic list are the lessons I need to teach.  I have to go over each of the courses I'm teaching in the fall and spend time designing the outcomes I want my students to achieve by the end of the semester in each of them...and then...I have to figure out fun/intelligent/entertaining/engaging/impactful/differentiated/non-boring ways to teach them...sigh... I'm exhausted just contemplating the task.

Thinking about all these, and now looking at verse 11 in Psalm 27 I'm reminded that one of the names of Our Lord is "Teacher." Oh, how I love that Name! If there was ever a most glorious role model for how to be a good teacher, that was Jesus, no contest.  He sure knew how to design a most effective lesson plan, that's for sure!  And His delivery methods...WOW!  He knew how to command an audience!  I doubt anyone would ever fall asleep, stare out the windows, zone out or aimlessly scroll down their social media on their phone while He was teaching...

Jesus not only taught...but once they heard Him, people wanted to be taught!!  They followed Him and clamored for more! I cannot even jokingly fantasize about it:  "Please, pretty please...teach us more!!" HA! Yeah...that'll happen...NEVER!  But with Jesus, we feel the urgency of the message, and we want Him to teach us!  He need to hear from Him to know which way to go, because He IS The Way! Without Him, we are utterly lost...no hope of ever finding that straight path.  

It's peculiar to me how the verse ends kind of openly...it almost feels as if it is left hanging...lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors... I almost want to say, "because of my oppressors, what?? What is it?"  But we know, don't we?  It goes without saying that without Him as The Way, the road leads straight to death.

As a teacher, I know I will never be even a pale, very distant and faint reflection of what Jesus is...but as a teacher I also know that one of our main jobs is our willingness to be constantly learning...so I pray the Lord teaches me and all educators, His Way as we walk with Him Who Is The Way, so we can find the straight path in this world of confusion, conflict and uncertainty.  May the Divine and Most Perfect Teacher who ever walked this earth guide us and lead us as we try to find our way on these rocky and muddied roadways. And may He also inspire me to start working already! In the Precious Name of Jesus.  Amen!