Last week was Open House for all my kids’ schools, including mine. Hunter, a junior, and Holly, a freshman, share two of the same teachers even though they are different classes at different times. (It will be interesting for me as a parent to hear the perception they will acquire of both with the differences and sameness in a classroom atmosphere. I’m curious.)
One of their shared teachers, Mrs. Newsome, is known to be a phenomenal English teacher who gains respect of her students and is a “nice” teacher. She displayed a phrase that I totally borrowed from her and said it in my own classroom orientation the next day. She said, “Don’t mistake kindness for weakness.” I love it!
I have been known (so others tell me) to be “the fun and nice teacher”, but I also require my students to work hard. So I mentioned the quote that Mrs. Newsome used in my own presentation. (I totally gave her credit for it too. “Give credit where credit is due.”) For me: Respect is required. Responsibility is expected. Studying is a necessity. The combination of these three qualities will make for a successful, and at times fun, year in the classroom.
Well, in today’s “Walking in the Word” I completely see where Mrs. Newsome’s quote came from. In Romans 11:22a it says, “So you see that God is kind, but he can also be very strict.” Yes! We have a gracious, kind, and loving God, yet He is tough. Here’s another saying that just popped into my mind as I typed the last sentence, “Don’t mess with the best.” Hmmm, that would be God. I wouldn’t want to be on His bad side.
When I Goggled the quote on kindness, I discovered that it is also a blues song title. I believe I’ll stick with the quote as being a remnant from the bible.
As I think about how to apply this to our daily lives, we can do this. Who wants to be around a grumpy person or someone who is nice, but you can tell it’s fake. No, let’s be real! Real followers of Christ. Like Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind, compassionate, and forgiving just as God has forgiven you.” You can be nice to all, but be strong in your faith and stance on God.
Blessings to you.
| August 19, “Walking in the Word” |
