Do it with all your might

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom." (Ecclesiastes 9:10)

Sometimes, I feel like my job as a high school English teacher (at the private school I work at) is the most important job in the whole world. Where else do you get the opportunity to pour into the lives of so many young people – to introduce them to the rich world of a number of written and visual works, to encourage them to use their creativity and individuality to create new pieces of art, to help them think critically and to express their ideas and opinions clearly and interestingly, to prepare them both for further education and also for navigating the world around them (for communication is, of course, essential in most areas of life). It’s a rewarding and immensely pleasurable calling, and I love my job.

I heard the question posed the other day, “If you died tomorrow, is this what you would want to be doing on your last day?” and it truly is. But some days, I catch myself wondering if – as a Christian - it’s enough. If teaching high school English is really “going about the Father’s business” to the extent I should be. It’s not that I don’t feel called to teach – I do. Really do. And I feel rewarded and fulfilled and all that important stuff. And my students! I LOVE those kids. They’re so funny and creative and amazing. BUT, sometimes… sometimes I wonder if teaching essay writing and marking test papers on “the form of a short story” has eternal value. When I stand before my maker, will he feel like I spent my days on things that built his kingdom? Things that made this world better? Things that have, as I said, eternal value?

A colleague mentioned the other day that as a Christian teacher, everything I do – including teaching an essay and marking a test – should be done in a way that honours Christ – that points students in the direction of God. It helped, to think of my job as that, as being a living testimony And, of course, to remember that verse that says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” (Colossians 3:23).

It also helped to remember that being able to think critically and to understand texts can help students as they navigate this life through their faith lens, and being a good communicator can also be a tool in kingdom building. And that seeing things from a variety of perspectives (as we strive to do through texts and discussions in English class) is an important step in loving the world around them, in wanting to make change things. And these things do have value, I think.

 And maybe my humble job as a high school English teacher can help build future generations of thinkers and communicators, who will make a lasting difference in this world. And if that's the case - or actually, now that I'm writing it down, if I even manage to point one person in the direction of their loving, forgiving, redeeming, amazing creator - then none of this is meaningless. And then this is enough.