I AM @ work

It is not easy being a Christian in education. Then again, the same is true of every other sphere of human endeavour. I know that Christians working in the criminal justice system, in healthcare, business, politics, media and the Church face their fair share of challenges. 

It is one thing to say we strive to live out Paul’s injunction in Colossians 3:23-24 (that, whatever we do, we should work at it with all our heart, as though working for the Lord, not for people), it is quite another thing to put it into action in a meaningful way.

In an educational context, what does it mean to plan and teach lessons ‘for the Lord, not for people’? How does a Christian Ofsted inspector or HMI go about the business of inspecting ‘for the Lord’? What does school leadership ‘for the Lord’ look like?

Is Paul saying Christian teaching assistants and teachers should ‘work hard’ or is he saying they should ‘be professional’ or both? And how does this relate to issues of time management, overload, stress and burnout? Clearly, a distinction needs to be made between (a) putting in due effort but knowing when to stop, and (b) becoming a stressed-out workaholic. The former pattern brings honour and glory to our Ultimate Boss, whilst the latter is a poor advertisement for our faith.

The picture becomes more complicated if we pause for a moment to re-evaluate the kinds of things we are expected to do in the name of professional competence and good practice. We should not just ask ‘Is there a more efficient and God-honouring way of doing this?’ but ‘Should we be doing this in the first place?’ For example, should we unquestioningly fill out forms and tick boxes ‘for the Lord, not for people’ or should we cry out: ‘This is a pointless exercise and a colossal waste of time, talent, money and paper!’

As Christians engaged in education, are we reflective and prayerful? As well as praying for enough strength and patience to see us through to the end of the last lesson on a term-time Friday afternoon, do we also ask God for the wisdom and discernment we need to better understand and, perhaps, redefine our roles in education? 

But we cannot, and should not, do this alone. As Christians, we work with and for God. And, more significantly, God works with and for us.

The phrase ‘God is with us’ (‘Immanuel’) lies at the heart of our faith. We believe God, the creator of all things, the great ‘I AM’, is always with His people. God is with us in the person of Jesus and He is at work in us through His Holy Spirit. God is with us when we mark, assess, plan and teach. He is with us in the assembly hall, classroom, staffroom and playground. He is with us on field trips and excursions. God is always with us.

When we are at work, I AM is at work. 

Posted by Rupert Kaye, former ACT Chief Executive (2002-2008), on 26 July 2007

Footnote

To find out more about God’s promise to be with His people read:

Genesis 26:24
Genesis 28:15
Exodus 3:12
Deuteronomy 1:19-45
Deuteronomy 20:1-4
Joshua 1:5
Psalm 27
Isaiah 8:10
Isaiah 43:1-5a
Isaiah 44:1-8
Jeremiah 1:1-4
Jeremiah 15:20
Matthew 8:23-27
Matthew 10:26-31
Matthew 18:20
Matthew 28:20
Acts 4:23-31
Acts 18:9-10
2 Timothy 4:17
1 John 4:18