Hey everyone! Here it is 2:00 am and I’m JUST writing my
post. I’m finally getting back to myself…went on a last minute road trip to
Illinois Friday and Saturday and boy am I beat, but it was so worth it!
Am I
the only one excited about celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior
Jesus the Christ!!
While we’re all dying eggs, giving away baskets, buying beautiful bonnets and cute little shoes, let us NOT
forget what this holiday is REALLY about y’all…LOVE!
Yep, the unconditional love that our Heavenly Father had for us to give us His ONLY begotten Son AND the love that Jesus gave us by giving His life for ours…NO QUESTIONS ASKED!! Now that’s REAL love folks! And we have a problem serving Him why?
While we’re all dying eggs, giving away baskets, buying beautiful bonnets and cute little shoes, let us NOT
forget what this holiday is REALLY about y’all…LOVE!
Yep, the unconditional love that our Heavenly Father had for us to give us His ONLY begotten Son AND the love that Jesus gave us by giving His life for ours…NO QUESTIONS ASKED!! Now that’s REAL love folks! And we have a problem serving Him why?
As I mentioned earlier, I went on a last minute 12 hour road
trip…ikr! My husband was in Illinois last week, for a wonderful conference hosted by Dr. Bill Winston, and
wanted me to join him on Friday evening, as he was a part of a very special ceremony(so proud of him)!! Even though I missed all the wonderful speakers during the
week, such as Bishop T. D. Jakes, I did have the honor of hearing Dr. Steve
Perry, if you’ve never heard of him, you MUST...read his bio HERE, which brings me to the point of my post this week. Dr. Perry is a passionate educator and it shows. He challenged the church on being an
advocate for the success of OUR children. The most profound thing I took from
Dr. Perry’s message was LOVE. He talked about how children aren’t learning
because, unfortunately, most often than not, they don’t feel loved. Why,
because we send them to schools that are subpar…being taught by teachers who
really don’t want to be there, as the church sits by and says it’s not their
problem, all the while our children are being lost in the process. Don't get me wrong, we have MANY great teachers, but we must admit, there are a few bad apples in the bunch. When a teacher is great, it shows in his/her students. Their students are the ones who LOVE school, who LOVE learning and who thrive. Yes, there may be some students teachers won't be able to reach, but when more children than NOT can't be reached, we.must.go.back.to.the.drawing.board! When a child's home life is lacking, that's where the professionals(teachers), take up the slack. I'm not saying it's the teacher's responsibility to raise that child, but come on...you definitely can't ADD to the problem, you MUST be a part of the solution! What happened to the innovation, what happened to the vision, what happened to the passion? My oldest son and I were talking and he made an observation that I hadn't realized before. He said elementary aged kids LOVE school because the teachers are excited, the classroom is engaging and school is fun, whereas the older the students become, the fewer teachers you see excited about teaching. It has become a job...the teacher going to work, getting a paycheck and going home. Listen, I highly respect teachers and YES, I'm one of those who think teachers SHOULD be one of the highest paid professions in the land, BUT, if a teacher can't and won't run his/her classroom in a way their students can successfully learn, then perhaps they should find a new career. Dr. Perry said
something that was so prolific…if our children can’t read, that means they can’t
even read the Word of God…wow! How unfair is that? I’m sure just as it did with
me, it struck a cord with you. I refuse to sit by and see our children fall by
the waste side. We ARE all responsible for the outcome of the children in our
lives(those in our families, our churches and our communities). One of the
reasons we have children committing crimes, failing in school and making
decisions that are off the wall…is because they’re hopeless, and they’re just
looking for love. They feel as if their tomorrow isn’t worth the consequences
of their actions today. Dr. Perry said a child who is loved acts like there is
a tomorrow…he values his future. Wow! A child who’s lost hope is a very sad
thing to see, it absolutely breaks my heart! Proverbs 13:12 says “Hope deferred
maketh the heart grow sick; but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life”.
When are we going to step up and bring about the solution that brings forth the
desire?
Remember, the children we see today will be the leaders we
have tomorrow!! So what if they come from a bad family and an awful neighborhood…that’s
even more reason to show them you care and to assist in their nurturing! Every child deserves the chance to
thrive, regardless of their environment…that’s the very least we can do. Now
how fitting is that…seeing as if this is the week leading up to the resurrection
of our Lord! The greatest act of LOVE ever known to mankind!! Everything our
Savior did was motivated by LOVE. 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that we can have
and do all those things that make us LOOK good in the sight of man, BUT if we
DON’T have love…we benefit NO ONE and we are USELESS!!
As we celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of our
Lord and Savior, let us not forget the one thing that motivated Him to allow
Himself to be beaten and scourged, to be humiliated and hung on a cross and die
for US…His unfailing and unconditional love! Even though we’ll never be able to PAY Him back…the least we can do is PAY it forward by passing it on! Now how hard is that?
All Rights Reserved copyright© 2012-2013 Michell Pulliam
“Prowess and Pearls” Devotionals by Michell Pulliam
Having a blast serving Him !
Xoxoxo
Michell
Amen.
ReplyDeleteHi Denise! Thanks so much for dropping by! Have a blessed week!
DeleteEXCELLENT post!!! And, as far as the dying eggs, and the whole lot, I couldn't agree more. I "don't do" commercialization anymore. Or I should say, I keep it to a minimum. LET US REMEMBER THE REASON FOR THE SEASON! As far as the schools, I homeschooled our daughter for pre-K, for just the reasons you are talking about. She is an only child and she's lonely. She wanted to try "big school", and loves it (unfortunately for me, lol!) Thankfully, she got a strong Christian teacher. Next year onward, it is looking like a Christian school will be the way we go.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sue! I so agree with you! I had the privilege of homeschooling our children until they were in 1st grade. The elementary school we sent them to was an excellent one! Our two oldest graduated from excellent high schools and our youngest will be graduating next year from an excellent school as well. I know exactly what you mean about sending them off and them "liking" their school, lol! My husband and I started the Christian school at our ministry for the purpose of nurturing each and every child! The school is ran by a great director and has an AWESOME teaching staff! ALL the students are excelling! Might I add, we do this with NO financing from outside sources and with a pay as you're "able to" tuition for most of our students. Which goes to show, the success of a school isn't necessarily based on finances alone...it has much to do with the passion of the school itself for the caring and nurturing of a child. So glad your daughter has found an educator who truly loves her job! May she have a successful education throughout her years! Thanks so much Sue for stopping by...have a blessed week!
DeleteWow, you have a pay as you're "able to". You guys truly are in it for the love of teaching, and not for the paycheck, lol! And you must have a HUGE passion for teaching to be willing to do that! I'm impressed! By the way, thanks so much for stopping by my blog and putting in the comment on my bookshelves! I'm not sure what I did, but I couldn't send you an email back.
DeleteAwww...thanks Sue! We had parents in our church and neighborhood who did want to send their kids to the schools they were zoned for or just wanted an environment where their child wasn't just a number. My husband and I have always pushed education in our home and have always challenged our children to perform their best. We just believe EVERY child deserves the same opportunity to be in an environment where they're able to thrive. We could no longer talk and complain about the problem, we had to be part of the solution. Thanks again Sue and I DO love those shelves, lol! As for the email, I thought I had that fixed. Oh well, back to the drawing board, ughh! Thanks for letting me know! Have a blessed week!
DeleteAmen. Amen and AMEN!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHey there lady! Thanks so much for dropping by...have a blessed week Stacey! ;-)
DeleteI can't tell you how much I enjoy your posts :)
ReplyDeleteAwww...thanks so much Ren, that means so much! Have a blessed week my friend! ;-)
DeleteYou've made so many good points. I think we all should work together but recognizing that educators are just like any other professionals and the sad truth is that more people than not are operating out of necessity. They have found themselves in a career that they have to do in order to provide a home and food for their family. Very few people get to operate gaining income from a true passion. Knowing that about teachers, I feel it's the parent's ultimate responsibility to look out for the child's educational needs & tutorials and you can get assistance from the church because we know better and should recognize opportunities for guidance/mentor relationships. I don't think teachers have enough help to appropriately assist each child that needs the extra without limiting the child who is at the appropriate learning curve for that grade. It's a catch 22 in education & parents need to take an active interest or the cycle will continue. Oh, & little ones are sweet, older kids are smelling themselves, lol..I know it's not a joking matter, but even working with the children at church....it's clear that once they hit adolescence, they think they're grown and it's hard to tell them anything. Might be why H.S. teachers are not checking for that genuine nurturing attitude...they'll get run over! Just my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteHey Joi...too funny(about the older kids and younger kids)! I couldn't agree with you more...it is a Catch 22 situation! You know how I feel about slack parents(remember my post from last week), lol. This week, I'm just spreading the love, lol! Yes, we all should work together. There is definitely a weak link, because so many schools are operating at subpar levels. Everyone plays a part(teachers, administrators, the school board, the PARENTS, the community). The list goes on and on! My question is...if one school can do it, then why can't more? Not all parents are slack and for those parents who aren't, what answer do we give them? Most parents do care about their children's education. The problem becomes why isn't their child getting the same opportunity? Lack of money isn't always the problem either. One of the school district's in my area gets the most money per child, yet performs at the bottom of the barrel. Yes, I agree, most educators are operating out of necessity, and may be dealing with administrators and school board members who could care less as long as they're getting paid, but there has to be a balance. Out of all the people in this equation...the child should be the LAST one to suffer. No child should be left to the whims of an educator who is really just there for the paycheck. I know I wouldn't want my child to. Just as I wouldn't put the care of myself in the hands of a doctor who's just in it for a paycheck, I sure as heck wouldn't put my child's education in the hands of a teacher who thought the same way. Again, I LOVE TEACHERS! My problem is with those who aren't very good at it. Thanks for stopping by and chiming in Joi. Have a wonderful week lady! ;-)
DeleteExcellent post Michell. I feel that parents should be ultimately responsible for making sure that their child is getting quality education. However, it's unfortunate that many of them work so hard to provide, and are often too tired to assist with additional educational needs of their child. I don't doubt that these parents love their children, but a part of loving is sacrificing to make sure that the educational, spiritual and emotional needs of their children are being met.
ReplyDeleteHey Hope...thanks so much! Couldn't agree with you more my friend! Our children are blessed to have us as their parents! :-) Unfortunately all parents don't take a big part in their child's educational needs and sad to say, you have some who don't care at all. For those kids, my heart aches, because no one is there to see that they won't fall between the cracks. In those instances, is when an excellent educator steps in and does all he/she can. Thanks for stopping by Hope...have a blessed week!
DeleteI love this post, I am so excited to see you went on a trip, we just did too! Bless you, sweet friend. You never cease to encourage me and uplift me when I need it most.
ReplyDeleteHey there girlie! Thanks so much, I'm going on a real, much needed trip next week! The one last week was a true "road trip", lol! Only had enough time to literally go to the conference and rest a few hours, lol! Hope you enjoyed and were refreshed on your trip! Thanks for stopping by Ashley...have a blessed week! xoxo
ReplyDeleteI am loving this Michell. Once again you are inspiring and speak truth. It is sad when you see a child with so much potential and yet no one takes the time with them to help them flourish. Teachers chose this profession to help grow our future leaders... they need to pay closer attention and remember what they signed up for. The same goes for parents.
ReplyDeleteAnd as someone who is not a parent or a teacher, but a Christian member of my community, this still matters to me... So I feel I am also responsible. We all are.
Have a beautiful week!! God Bless!!
Thanks so much Nichole!! Correct, the Bible tells us to count up the cost. It is very sad to see a child lose hope, as all kids start off the same way...full of curiosity and wonder, ready to soak up life. You're correct, as Christians, our level of compassion must be bigger than it is and YES, we ALL are responsible. Thanks so much Nichole for stopping by, have a lovely week!;-)
DeleteLOVE is truly the key component in doing everything as it relates to kids. It is so sad that many children never understand the true meaning of Easter. Because of their lack of knowledge, 'resurrection' is a foreign word. The best way that we, as believers, can show children HIS LOVE is by being an example of everything that Christ stands for.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, last night I just finished watching Bill Winston on the Believer's Voice of Victory. I love to hear him preach the Word.
Yes it is Trinity...LOVE is the key factor! We all are teachers and the number one way to teach is by example.
DeleteHe is an awesome teacher isn't he. After Dr. Perry addressed the audience, I thought the service was over, but to my delight...Dr. Winston got up and taught the Word. Thanks for stopping by Trinity, have a blessed week! ;-)
Amen on that. Being an educator myself I have always tried to model good behavior and take the time with a kid.
ReplyDeleteI think many people look at kids and see what is wrong with them. I take the approach (stolen from Apollo 13,when Ed Harris' character is hearing all that is wrong with the ship) and say "What is good on the ship" (or with the kid) and build on that.
Patrick
csuhpat1.blogspot.com
Amen Patrick! May the school system be filled with educators like yourself! I believe EVERY child has good in them...a good educator will uncover it, so they can flourish! I applaud you for having the heart and passion for caring for one of our most precious jewels...our children! Thanks so much for dropping by...have an awesome week!
DeleteWonderful post Mitchell; sounds like it was a wonderful conference! As parents, we hold the key to the atmosphere in the home, and the school system (and the teachers they employ)hold the key in our children's education! And it is in these relationships that love is felt, love is nourished, and it grows. And with the strength of this love from our homes and our teachers, our children will sense the necessity of reaching out and passing it on to those around them to share this love; it will come naturally. :) :)
ReplyDeleteBlessings on this Holy week sister!
Denise
Thanks so much...and it was!;-) A perfect combination Denise, love from home and school! We need more of the children who are experiencing this to influence their peers, through the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Love begets love! Thanks so much for stopping by...may you have a blessed Holy week as well my friend!
DeleteI was an elementary school teacher before having my daughter. From the other side of the fence, you can't teach a child whose parents don't invest in their education. I saw way too many parents who didn't care about their child's education, wouldn't help them with homework, didn't praise them when they achieved and didn't hold their feet to the fire (not literally) when they didn't do what was asked of them. I went into education thinking that I could create a place that would combat this apathy. What I quickly learned is that children look up to their parents first and foremost, and, if the parents didn't care, usually the kids didn't either.
ReplyDeleteOh it just breaks my heart to think of all the children who are neglected both in their homes or in their schools. I am convicted in this need and will start praying for more opportunities to be God's Hands and Feet. Thank you for this truth sweet friend!
ReplyDeleteHi! Just wanted to pop by and let you know your blog was featured on this week’s Wednesday Weekly Review #23! (http://blueeyedbeautyblogg.blogspot.com/2013/03/wednesday-weekly-review-23.html) Congrats!! Be sure to stop by ad grab an I was Featured Button!! (http://blueeyedbeautyblogg.blogspot.com/p/grab-button.html)
ReplyDeleteHelen
Blue Eyed Beauty Blog
Exercise Encouragement Group Blog
It's not hard at all to pass it on. Happy Easter to you, I really enjoyed your post!
ReplyDeleteLove this!!! I never tire of sharing how awesome God and have been so blessed to have some wonderful and inspiring people cross paths with me during this season of teaching that He has me in.
ReplyDeleteThanking God for safe travels for you and your husband! Glad you were able to get away!
Have a fantastic week!
Happy Resurrection Sunday!
~Michelle