![]() STOP EXPLAINING, KEEP WORKINGA Story by Himaya Ka![]() If the mind is closed, no matter how hard and how much you try to reiterate the message, it will never be sent or received.![]() STOP
EXPLAINING, KEEP WORKING Daily
In The Word May
3, 2021 Mark 8:11-25 11 And
the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign
from heaven, tempting him. 12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and
saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There
shall no sign be given unto this generation. 13 And he left them, and
entering into the ship again departed to the other side. 14 Now the
disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them
more than one loaf. 15 And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of
the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. 16 And they
reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread. 17 And
when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no
bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet
hardened? 18 Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do
ye not remember? 19 When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how
many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. 20 And
when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye
up? And they said, Seven. 21 And he said unto them, How is it that ye
do not understand? 22 And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind
man unto him, and besought him to touch him. 23 And he took the blind man
by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and
put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. 24 And he looked up,
and said, I see men as trees, walking.25 After that he put his hands again
upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man
clearly. This is great! I’m
excited to share it in my own language with people who are willing to listen
and to learn. But for now, I will just use whatever available vocabulary I
have. Little is much when it is used for the Lord. As an
elementary Filipino language teacher, I would always feel bad about myself every
time I lose my temper or patience with those students who still could not get a
very simple instruction after repeating it to them again and again. Translating
the instruction to them in English, Cebuano, and even in sign language demands so
much time. Sometimes, I even jokingly translated it in Chinese, just to let
them know how much I tried my best to let them understand what I mean. In my
frustration, I would tell them “Come on, one word is enough for a wise person!”
which is very wrong, I must admit. But this experience is not the same with
Jesus’. Jesus was not talking to elementary kids; He was talking with the so
called “wise people” the Pharisees and His supposedly “wise” disciples, for
they have been with Him. Sometimes, the
problem is not really the lack of ability to understand the language, it’s the
attitude of the heart. If the mind is closed, no matter how hard and how much you
try to reiterate the message, it will never be sent or received. It’s like sending
a message to someone without any signal or load. It’s a waste of time. So, stop
trying. Go buy a load, turn on the data and look for a signal first. I encountered several
instances like this in the classroom. Who would not, if you’re teaching the
most hated subject? The moment the bell rings for me to enter the room, I already
imagined and heard the sentiments of my students, “Not again!”. If I was able to
bear it for 18 years of teaching, IT IS ONLY BY THE GRACE OF GOD. God’s abundant
grace is given to me for the sake of His beloved children. I praise God for teaching me how to deal with
all the challenges I’ve met in teaching the language; without Him, I could have surrendered, resigned, and took a
detour a long time ago, but glory to God for His strength did not let me. I learned to choose which battle to pick. Listen,
consider, and make some self-evaluation. If it’s a teacher-factor, do
something, find a solution, solve the problem; if it’s a student-factor, stop
teaching the subject, focus on the heart. However, if it’s none of the above,
shake it off, and leave it all to the expert, stop explaining, keep working. Just
like what Jesus did, instead of proving Himself by giving them the signs that
they asked for, He left and stayed away from them. I could relate them to some
parents, whose children are not bad in the subject, they performed well, but still
they hated the subject simply because they didn’t see the value of it; for them
it’s useless, all they wanted to happen is to remove the subject from the
equation. So, what should I do? Respect their point of view, leave them alone,
and move on. On the other hand, with His
disciples, He did not leave them for their lack of faith, instead of answering
their questions, He gave them some questions to remind them what He already did
in the past, then, He kept working. Their questions were answered not with
words but with His actions. He continued healing and doing miracles to those
who believed. It is only by
the grace of God that we can do what Jesus did. I believe that what made Him
stick to His disciples was His personal relationship with them. If not, He could have left them also. He knew each one, He knew their heart. Their problem
was not their devotion or loyalty but their insufficient faith and
forgetfulness. So, what made me stay in this field is the same with Jesus, it
is my relationship with my students that keep me going. It has been my goal
since I started to teach to never let any of my students to pass by my hands
without sharing the love of God, the gospel of Christ to them. Those who
sincerely accepted Jesus as their Lord and personal Savior learned to enjoy the
subject not because they like the subject, but they knew that it is their responsibility
to study and to learn the lessons; and as God’s children they have to give
their best and to do all things for His glory no matter how hard it is. In conclusion,
if we want our students to learn what we teach, stop explaining the lesson
or the subject, work first with their heart, and everything will just follow. LET’S PRAY! Dear God, Indeed, You are
the GOD of all wisdom and understanding. Thank You for this great reminder. We
praise You dear LORD for the life of Your One and Only Son, Jesus. Indeed, He
is the greatest Teacher worthy of all praises and glory. Without His example,
where will we go? Thank You for teaching us not to exhaust ourselves with
people whose interest, devotion, and loyalty are not in You and in us. We pray
for them that You will soften their heart and enable them to humble themselves
to accept the truth of Your Word. We pray for
Your patience, grace, and unconditional love to rule over us, so that we could
also love people the way You love us. Enable us o Father to persevere and keep
working until You complete whatever it is that You have started in us. Please
help us to obey You circumspectly with a willing heart. These things we ask and
pray in Jesus name. Amen! © 2021 Himaya Ka |
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Added on May 3, 2021 Last Updated on June 3, 2021 Author![]() Himaya KaCebu City, Visayas, PhilippinesAbout...WRITING TO EXPRESS NOT TO IMPRESS I am God's creation. I am a child of God. I am redeemed. I am loved. I am secured. I am saved. POETRY IS LIKE A CUP OF COFFEE THAT I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT .. more..Writing
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