The Pep Talk
As a former school teacher, I understand that we put our heart and soul into our work. The children creep into our hearts and we try to find purpose for what we do. We convince ourselves that we are doing a good work, and all the honour that we can get, we welcome.
For the most part of our career we get the pep-talk from upper management about the meaning of our careers and the positive impact we have on our youth; similar to the soldiers that are about to go into battle. These are revved up about the importance of the future of the country, and how heroic it is to lay down their lives
These kind of pep talks are inspirational, but somehow never sat right with me… it always felt like a psychological game, which was used to manipulate and control the psyche of emotions to make believe how heroic people were about going into war, leaving loved ones behind. Or how it was such an honourable sacrifice to neglect the family in order to raise up a nation of kids whose parents are absent.
It felt good to be looked up to; for people to depend on us teachers as the ones who controlled the world; filled with pride that we are managers of the most important resource- children.
This is what children have become in this day and age- a resource. A resource is something we use to reach our goals; to fulfil our greatest ambitions. The words we say can be very pleasing to the ear and show how children are so valuable; marketing is believable and tugs at our heart strings, yet in context of how we subject our kids to all sorts of heavy content and assessments, with gruelling homework and extra hours of therapy and gap-fillers, our words drip sweetly but our actions with its consequences have been far off.
‘For the good of our country”, we who have been conformed to lay down our lives, are now subjecting our own kids to such a cause with the same soldier-like behaviour. Such a factory-model society does not question the programme; they “get with the programme”.
In the flow of life, we all make the best with what we have and where we are, so there is no insult from me. I do not attempt to look at anything as a glass half empty, but I do believe that we need to begin to discern the times and see things for what they really are.
Light shed on a matter is to bring truth and clarity so that we can begin to be the solution, rather than keep injecting fuel to the engine that turns the wheel to the problem.
As spirit-filled believers we need to begin having vision. When we have no vision, we perish. We know we are perishing when we willing tred the hamster wheel; we feed on the heroic pep-talk, and the fuel of reward and benefit. This becomes our vision- our pride and our belly; the pat on the back and our swelling of pride keeps us motivated, while we keep the wheels of the big factory machine turning.
Yet, however far off our boasting and pride may have taken us, God is merciful and so patient with our circumstances, for to change an entire system within a day would topple many. So, He graciously allows the wheat and the weeds to grow together, in order to preserve the wheat… yet in the mean time He is ever gently nudging a prodding us to separate ourselves inch by inch from the tares.
In this awakening to walk a narrow road (not conformed to the world), I can count how many times, I have wanted to return to Egypt (the ‘machine’ He so graciously saved me from). Yet, through the empowerment of the Word, He preserves me from returning. The Word must be the fuel to our spirits to seal the vision and keep us faithful to our the call.
On the one hand I must stand firm om my convictions, and on the other hand I have compassion toward society who knows no other way. There remains a great need- children need caregivers while parents work all day.
Yet is this not the problem? The machine is built that way…
Both parents are ‘forced’ out by good marketing, and over time this trending culture has evolved in to compulsory school attendance by law, while schools are conformed into agents of the state who lord over families. Society, as I did, see nothing wrong with this.
That is the purpose of education: to factory-produce ‘soldiers’ (aka employees), who will not question the machine and who will willingly give their own kids to this beast; for the good of mankind.
When we come into line with the Heavenly Father’s heart, we will begin to see things for what they are; His love measured up against humanity reveals the purposes and intent of man’s heart.
Man uses godliness (goodness and service) for gain, and our children are the resource for that gain. While most teachers have good intent and may be the nicest people we know, it is the system that is beyond their control.
In closing, with humble and contrite hearts, let us give begin to ponder about the current pull we are in; how we just fall into the flow of things without a second thought. Our children are given to the societal current of schooling, while we are busy in our own ‘gardens’…
While we are watering our garden, our sons are drying up at a stranger’s place. While we are planting daisies and lawn seeds, a foreign institution is planting weeds in the minds of our daughters.
Are we ready for a reset of heart? Where water turns to wine, and weeds turn to wheat? Are we ready for the turn, from our own gardens and houses to our sons and daughters?
The heart of God goes deep. I’m not sure that we are ready to dive in that deep?
It may seem foolishness to most… but be ready.
Hearts are turning to the Lord, bringing with them their sons and daughters.
