In Good Company
Can you remember what it felt like the first time you walked into a teachers' lounge? Whether it was with triumph or trepidation, you couldn't ignore the fact that you'd finally arrived - you could now enter the inner sanctum legitimately because you belonged. You just may not have realized in the beginning what you were walking into. It seemed like an exclusive club to which you were finally accepted after all those years in school, trying to catch a glimpse of its insides as you passed the door between classes. You assumed the teaching elite hung out there to ponder the possibilities and spur each other on to excellence.
What you found was quite different.
Sometimes it's a den of complaints Other times it's full of mockers and scoffers. And once in a while it's a lions' lair waiting to devour fearful newcomers. Well, maybe it's not as bad as that, but you might want to pay attention to who doesn't frequent the lounge. It says a lot.
They say misery loves company. But sharing in misery, grumbling, and complaining only brings you down. The frustrations, disappointments, dangers, and discouragements we face daily as teachers fall under the category of sufferings, not misery. Sharing in sufferings is a way of bearing each other's burdens, and it builds you up. What a privilege it is to share in the sufferings of our colleagues, and even more, to share in Christ's sufferings. Remember, you are never alone in suffering. Whatever you suffer, Jesus suffered first; you are in good company!
When you retreat in times of suffering, you are never alone - you are right where you belong!