Let's admit it, as teachers we have really become quite presumptuous. Yes, I am a teacher. I make this statement because I find the attitude creeping into my own heart, and I breathe it from the exhale of my colleagues.
The presumption I am talking about is this belief that we are quiet deserving. By deserving I mean that we believe we have full authority to speak into our job assignments, our wages, and a thousand other topics. Yes I am part of the teachers union.
I completely understand the reason that the union was established, but haven't we gone a bit far? Too often I can sense myself cowering behind the power of a unified front. If I want to be complacent, stoic, and repetitive for the next 25 years, I could assume those roles with little opposition. Are we cheating the next generation?
The reason I am writing this post is because I have done something a bit crazy. I have relinquished some of my power. What would your principal's face look like if tomorrow you walked in and said, "Boss, I am willing to submit to you. You can place me in the job assignment you see most fit." Tell me they wouldn't be stunned.
The crazy thing is, most other jobs, an employee walks into work each day already submitting to the wishes of their boss. The things they ask of you are not danced around or negotiated.
This pattern of thinking did stem from a passage I was reading in the Bible. It was Matthew 8:9, where the Centurion is essentially telling Jesus he can submit to Him, because He recognizes his authority over him.
Check it out for yourself.
What keeps us from surrendering to the leadership in our lives? Do you have leadership over you, you can trust? Do you play it safe because protection allows us to play it safe?
photo credit:
Nikhil Kirsh via
photo pin cc.
12:36 PM
Ian
