Colossians 3:1-17

Living as Those Made Alive in Christ

The school year has just ended. I am a special education teacher. Sometimes I take student teachers into my classroom and work with them on honing their skills to prepare them for managing their own classroom. I finished this school year with a lovely young lady named Morgan.

Morgan entered my classroom well prepared for a regular education classroom, but not one such as mine. These students, though beautiful, have many challenges cognitively as well as behaviorally and physically. She was hesitant and uncertain at the beginning. As our time together continued, she experienced a change. Through observation, study and trial and error she evolved into a confident and passionate teacher ready to take on new challenges. I could see the love in her eyes as she worked with my students. I had the opportunity to observe an awesome transformation. She left at peace with herself and her abilities.

In a thank you card she gave me on our last day together she wrote: “In the short nine weeks we were together I learned more about myself and my faith than I would have imagined.”

As I modeled my instruction and interactions with both students and staff, I was hopeful I was instilling the importance of some of the things noted in Colossians 3:12 “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” 

Times when the adults we were dealing with did not follow through as I hoped they would I attempted to demonstrate the importance of Colossians 3:13-15 “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…”

I was extremely happy and humbled that she took away much more than teaching strategies and classroom management approaches. She got it!

I thank God for those opportunities. The occasions to make a difference in the lives of others are ever present. Colossians 3:16: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another...”  

Read/Listen to Colossians 3:1-7