Today's passage is Job 1:1-11.
Job was a rich man, blameless and upright, fearing God and avoiding evil. He had ten children who were nice to each other. He sacrificed every morning for them in case they'd sinned and cursed God. One day when Satan came to God, the Lord pointed out Job as a good example.
Satan said it was because Job had everything. He said if God took it all away then Job would curse him.
Job was such a perfect man that he even sacrificed on his children's behalf for the possibility of their sinning and cursing God in their hearts. I have never done this.
I have never even thought of doing this, but I will now.
This is a Christ-like action. This is loving my children objectively.
Job is the rich man who might get into heaven because his focus is on God and a right relationship with him.
He knows how we sin without mentioning it. He does QT every morning.
I have spent a few days attending workshops on different aspects of education and listening to speakers tell me how I can change the world by making myself a better educator, making my school a better place for students to learn, and helping my students be better prepared for an unknowable future by having them learn how to be collaborative learners, innovative thinkers and global citizens.
God is nowhere in the picture.
Even the religious schools don't mention him or the primacy of our relationship with him.
He has been replaced by Education and we are the high priests who make successful churches.
We measure our success with data on how our students are improving their learning.
There is no humility in anyone.
There are only excuses for our failures in the face of success stories.
We receive endless encouragement that we too can do it and advice on how.
Overwhelmed by it all, I confessed I had failed to the chief of our accreditation organization.
I blamed myself for not filing annual reports even though I was unaware I was supposed to.
The chief, a daughter of a pastor, said it was probably a breakdown of communication, that they hadn't told me about it. I guess these things have happened before.
I went on to talk about the excellence of my teacher, all of whom were at my school because I had prayed to God to send them and trusted that the Lord would send the right ones.
The look of joy on the woman's face was the brightest moment of the conference for me because, beneath all the methodology, I saw someone who understood.
I am not a good principal.
Conferences like this remind me in a hundred ways just how and where I fail.
Other than to face me with my broken relationships with the Lord, my family and others, I don't know why God sent me to my school to be principal.
Hanging out with educational rock stars is humbling.
Hanging out with prideful, rationalizing, self-praising educators aspiring to greatness is disturbing.
No one talks of failures, no one admits failing.
Everything is part of the never-ending journey of getting better and improving student learning.
Education is important but it's just one item in a larger context of life's purpose of holiness.
I'm grateful that no one has told me that education will make students happy.
Maybe someone will today. I hope not.
So far we seem to be focusing on the twin holy grails of global citizenship and teaching kids how to be innovative.
No one mentions the elephant in the room which is fallen human nature, our sinful, sinning nature that turns us away from God.
Job was right to fear God and pray about the possible sins of his children.
He needed to look harder for his own. Me too.
Lord, forgive me for thinking lustfully of my wife. Forgive me for my criticism of fellow educators because of my jealousy. Give my the courage to accept the circumstances you have placed me in and the perseverance to seek and follow your way.
