A day of deep thought...
Sep. 4th, 2005 05:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_vultureToday I went to church for the first time in many, many years. The service didn't do a whole heck of a lot to convince me that I oughta be Christian, but it did set me thinking about a profound message that, for me, relates strongly to my experiences last year.
The pastor spoke of each person's duty, upon becoming saved, to bear the cross (a metaphor for enduring the challenges that will come to us in our lives as they have a purpose, either functionary or preparatory). I likened this to an analogy I used of each of us being clay to be shaped by the Creator (however you choose to envision such). In order for that clay to become useful, it will have to be shaped, dried out, and eventually fired to achieve hardness (the hotter the firing, the stronger the pot (if it survives...)).
I was fired very hot last year. To say my performance as a teacher left a bit to be desired would be an understatement. However, I've come to salvage what remains of my professional ego by realizing that I had overcome a number of extraordinary challenges and that, by the end of the school year, I was doing what I needed to be doing. There were many times I wanted to just give up, but I stuck through it and, as a result, I am a much better teacher. I go into the new school year a much better teacher than I was the year before. I survived the firing.
The pastor spoke of each person's duty, upon becoming saved, to bear the cross (a metaphor for enduring the challenges that will come to us in our lives as they have a purpose, either functionary or preparatory). I likened this to an analogy I used of each of us being clay to be shaped by the Creator (however you choose to envision such). In order for that clay to become useful, it will have to be shaped, dried out, and eventually fired to achieve hardness (the hotter the firing, the stronger the pot (if it survives...)).
I was fired very hot last year. To say my performance as a teacher left a bit to be desired would be an understatement. However, I've come to salvage what remains of my professional ego by realizing that I had overcome a number of extraordinary challenges and that, by the end of the school year, I was doing what I needed to be doing. There were many times I wanted to just give up, but I stuck through it and, as a result, I am a much better teacher. I go into the new school year a much better teacher than I was the year before. I survived the firing.
