Matt. 10:24-33. Why donamprsquot I have that?
ampldquoThe student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his masteramprdquo(24), says Jesus. When I became a teacher I thought that about my arrogant students, but I didnamprsquot see it in myself. My pride didnamprsquot let me.
When I was a high school student, I thought I was better than my teachers. I never thought I was better than my Math and Science teachers because my marks were too low, but I believed I was better than they were physically and in savoir faire. I definitely thought I was better than my English teachers. And my girlfriend was prettier than the women teachers and the wives of the men teachers. I pridefully thought I had nothing to learn in high school and that somehow, without my doing any sustained work on anything, I could be a success. In fact, I already was!
When I became a teacher, I immediately felt superior to the older and more experienced teachers. In my first school I thought I should be department head and, unfortunately, I was promoted to that position in my first year. I felt proud of the title but did nothing to merit it. I did not serve the other teachers. I was merely a good and popular teacher.
A few years later, I thought I should be the principal despite having no training. My lack of administrative success as department head did not in the least dissuade me. My pride whispered that I was above my principal. I could do a better job although I scarcely knew the job. I was judging by what I could see while most of the job is not seen or known by teachers at all, certainly not by me.
When I lost my high school teaching job and the Lord graciously gave me a temporary job as a replacement professor for someone on sabbatical, I instantly put myself above the other professors. When my teaching evaluations were higher than those on the committee deciding whether to extend my one year contract, well, I soared high above them on giant wings of pride despite having no publications as they did.
God in his mercy dropped me to unemployment after that and then sent me to Korea to work at small jobs teaching and writing and going to Wooridle, learning to carry my cross and mortify my pride by seeing more and more of my sins and repenting. Those were humbling years. Then, when I thought my school career was over, God gave me my current job as school principal. Thatamprsquos when I saw that God is the one over me.
When I opened my eyes to that reality I realized that God had always been the one over me, he was just disguised as teachers, department heads, principals, and academic deans, thatamprsquos all. And so I repented. I wrote letters of apology to my longest serving principal.
Application: Keep my pride in check when the examining team comes to judge my school.
Lord, let me not be swollen with empty pride and do no work, thinking I deserve to be a master. Let me see my sins and repent and always look up to you, my saviour on your cross.
