by Return to Me: Lenten Reflections by Holy Cross 2019
As a student, I experienced difficult classes, lack of time and effort that seemed to go unnoticed. As a teacher, I am faced with the challenge of educating the next generation – a work that also seems to go unnoticed. I write lesson plans, teach and coach, but feel as though my effort is never enough. I consistently press myself on how things could have been better, how my time could have been used more wisely or how I could have done something differently. It seems easier to judge and criticize actions, but today’s first reading invites me to do the opposite:
“Yet my reward is with the Lord, my recompense is with my God.”
God has an infinite amount of love for us, and our daily challenges shouldn’t have to be “applauded” by our audience. God’s love is more than enough. Our everyday challenges are a reminder that God loves us, He formed us and has made us his servants; He is our strength. It is because of Him, and through Him that we are allowed to do our duties. Our responsibilities are to spread His love and message, and so, in moments of sadness or feeling of failure, it is important to remember that God is always protecting, guiding and helping us to deliver His message. At the end of the day, our lessons, practices and projects are not really the end, but the beginning of a journey God has planned for us.
“It is too little, he says for you to be my servant, … I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”