Thanks to Trudy Kellum for the last two Back-to-School Devotionals!

Scripture: Psalm 63: 1-4 (NRSV)
O God, generic thou art my God, I seek thee, my soul thirsts for thee; my flesh faints for thee, as in a dry and weary land where no water is. So I have looked upon thee in the sanctuary, beholding thy power and glory. Because thy steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise thee. So I will bless thee as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on thy name.

Thought for the Day: :  After writing yesterday’s devotional about standing firm in faith – faith in God, others, ourselves – my own encounter with the administration at my school challenged me to do that very thing.

After teaching a long and laborious math lesson, using an arsenal of teaching strategies to help my second graders with a difficult math concept, I let the students have a moment to take their math work and sit anywhere in the classroom, to tackle the last few problems on their own before coming back together to review them as a class.  That’s when the principal blew in like a tornado, spoke with one student who happens to be one who struggles the most in math, and then began shouting about how the students don’t know what they’re doing and why am I not teaching them.

Needless to say, morale around the room plummeted quickly, as I tried to salvage what was left of both the lesson and the kids’ spirits.

Starting the week like that zapped a bit of my energy for rising to the challenges of this new day.  Usually I start the day by walking the dog, and I’m always inspired by the calm serenity of the glassy lake outside. This morning was different.  The entire sky was illuminated with quiet but powerful flashes of lightning that continued without pause the entire time I was walking the dog.  That was the scene I needed to start this day.  As always, God provided the perfect inspiration for me to get my spark back and to joyfully tackle the tasks before me.

Prayer: Loving God, thank you for your endless inspiration; for Your spirit that sparks and encourages all the time, becoming especially obvious when most needed.  Help me not to miss those beautiful reminders of Your love, always keeping my sense of humor, strength, and joy in daily serving You.  Amen.