This got me to thinking about my experiences in Mexico and
Kenya. Both of these countries place a
high value on relationships, much more so than on work or production (which
leads to MANY of my frustrations). This
switch in mindset is one of the reasons I believe God took me away from my
American comforts of hard work = success.
Although my job in Colorado was not without its trials and frustrations
or impact on relationships, I became consumed with being the best I could be as
an educator. I don’t think that was all
bad—my students and colleagues deserve the best I can offer them, but the
problem began when I lost my eternal perspective. I was no longer trying to be the best at my
job so that I could impact lives for Christ; it was about earning more money,
earning the admiration of my coworkers, employers, and my friends. It wasn’t that I became a horrible person and
became work-obsessed, but rather it was I lost my vision. I think that is why God put the bug in me to
look at teaching abroad so that He could refocus my vision and purpose.
If you have read my blog entries from the first part of the
school year, you have seen how painful this object lesson was and continues to
be for me. It is never easy to be
stripped of a habit. Ask any ex-smoker,
ex-drinker, ex- anything that was addictive and I’m pretty sure that person
will tell you it was incredibly difficult to quit and the temptation to start
again is overwhelming at times. I feel
the same way about this shift in thinking.
In a world that constantly inundates us with the belief that to be
successful means higher salaries, expensive possessions, and having more than
your neighbor, it’s difficult to live for something else, something more
meaningful. Yet that is what God calls us to, and it is more than anything this world has to offer.
When I first came to Mexico, I thought it was because of the
job. I was hired (at least this is how I
perceived it) to help usher in the IB Programme to this school in Mexico. My expertise
in the program was going to help bring great change to the school… But the great change hasn’t happened in the
school. In fact, my expertise has no place here, at least for now. God did not bring me to Mexico so that I
could use all of the knowledge I’ve gained in education to help the
school. On the contrary, God brought me
here to reprogram my thinking, to show me that this life is not about the acquisition
of knowledge or becoming the expert.
Life is about relationship. It is
through relationship that Purpose is free to ask questions and learn about God. It is through relationship that people are
touched and brought to the feet of God.
It is through relationship that God is able to use me to further His
Kingdom.
When I get to Heaven and give account of my life, I don’t
want to give a list of all of the degrees I’ve earned or all of the knowledge I’ve
gained, I want to tell of the people I’ve loved and the relationships I’ve
forged that helped bring people into relationship with God. And I think it is through relationships that
God will say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant,” and oh, how I long to
hear those words from my Father and Master.
And ironically, as I write about a need for a change in perspective, I am in the midst of teaching a unit about perspective to my 6th graders with the guiding question, "How can I flip my thinking". God certainly has a sense of humor!
No comments:
Post a Comment