“And Christ is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:17
There’s an entire drawer in my desk that is dedicated to things that stick. Do you need staples, glue, sticky tack, Command hooks, or tape (Scotch, packing, painters, double-sided, Duck…)? I’ve got you covered! As I’ve decorated and prepared my classroom for the coming school year, that drawer has been opened countless times. It’s taken some trial and error to figure out the best methods for hanging posters and name tags, but I think I’ve got it figured out. My room is being held together by a variety of sticky things, ready for 21 students to fill the desks next week.
It’s going to take more than tape and glue to hold my class together. 21 students means 21 unique individuals with different personalities and interests. They will surely share many things in common, but you don’t have to be a teacher to know that children (and adults) don’t always get along. I need a glue that can hold my class together throughout any ups and downs.
This mystery glue is found in our theme verse for the 2021-2022 school year. “And Christ is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Of all the things my students will share in common, their identities as children of God are by far the most important. When God is our focus, our relationships with each other become stronger. The best thing about being at a Lutheran school is that our faith in Jesus takes center stage. My biggest classroom goal is that each of my students will know how much Jesus loves them. When we are filled with Jesus’s love, that love spills over into our other relationships. Rule #1 in my classroom is “Love God and each other.” If this rule is followed perfectly, I’ll never have any problems!
But the truth is, none of us can follow that rule perfectly. That’s where Christ comes in. When we are held together by Christ’s love, we are also held together by His forgiveness. His love is a forgiving love. Psalm 86:5 reminds us, “For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.” Because of His immeasurable love for us, Jesus died and rose again so that we can be forgiven for all the times we fail to love others perfectly. Jesus has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). With this kind of overflowing forgiveness, how can we withhold forgiveness from others?
What’s holding you together? My prayer is that we may all be held together through Christ. If Christ is the glue in my classroom, I am confident we will have a successful year. With the active ingredients of love and forgiveness, the bond of this glue can never be broken.
Mrs. Hannah Schultz
4th Grade Teacher
Immanuel Lutheran School
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