I was sort of surprised when I heard “a lot of really good teachers coming to the end of their ropes” and “a teacher living out of her car” last night when I asked for prayer requests at choir practice.
Sadly, I wasn’t surprised by the reality of the requests, rather, I was simply surprised that someone had actually voiced them. I was glad. I think that our reality needs to be spoken...especially since it’s not just our reality. It’s the reality of many persons working in the helping professions.
Long hours.
Little pay.
The expectation to be all things to all people.
Lack of respect.
(What is respect anyway? Media seems to have successfully made it into a joke.)
The demanding, “I.”
(It’s all about me, right?)
A culture of blame.
A black cloud of fear…of accusation, lies, and lawsuits.
Exhaustion so deep that it spans from eyes to heart to toe.
I suppose that there is a counter-balance to all of the above. And I know that the intrinsically rewarding work of helping someone find their voice (quite literally for me) pushes us forward. But I understand how easy it is to lose grip of the rope…and how hard it is to remember the purpose for which we are grasping the rope in the first place.
Lord, I pray for everyone whose hearts are breaking today.
Lord, I pray for everyone whose purpose is fading away.
There is so much hurt, so much blame
So many tears, so much anger
There are so many fears, so many doubts
Lord we need you, we need you, right now
God, we do need you.
You have called us to this work.
Help us keep sight of the goal:
Love that changes everything,
Light that sets us free.
Knowledge that gives humble power,
Courage to live in peace.
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