“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.” -1 John 4:7-8

People show love in so many ways. Those who serve others, with love for them and love for the work that they do, seem to be the happiest people that I know. In every ministry, affiliation and career, we are reminded that we are to love one another. As I look at people who really love their jobs, I see that they really love the people they serve as well as the work that they do to serve their customers or clients. In my work as a teacher, I have to take actions sometimes that look a bit unloving and harsh from the outside. These actions are really taken out of love. The students need to be held to a high standard, and I believe that having a high standard for the students and knowing that they can reach this standard shows that I love them and want them to be all they wish to be. Children need us to love them and believe in them, even when they don’t believe in themselves or love themselves. If I did not love the students, I would not care for them so much. It would make my job so much easier if love for the students was not there. I could teach a science lesson, give assignments, grade them and not worry about how they perform. I could leave school at the end of the day and not think about my job until I returned in the morning. I wouldn’t wonder whether my students ate breakfast, were well-rested, or if their homes were safe. I wouldn’t be sad when the end of the year came, and they moved out of my class. I don’t know any teachers that can do their jobs well without love first.

Gracious God, thank you for all the teachers in our lives and the ways in which they do small things with great love. Amen.
-Bonnie Schuh