Third Wednesday of Lent by Hogan Carringer 3/03/21

Scripture Reading: Romans 1:28-2:11

"You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth."
-Romans 2:1-2 NIV

While it is hard to believe, I started teaching high school English almost ten years ago. When I arrived bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, I automatically assumed that ALL of my students would be as motivated as I was to learn about English. "But of course, they will relish reading every single page of To Kill a Mockingbird!" and "But of course, they will be weeping by the end of Romeo and Juliet!" were some of the thoughts running through my mind as the school year began in August. Rest assured, I did not think that by the time my students who had struggled all their lives with English showed their true colors in my classroom by the end of September. Some had never read a book they liked, and some had never read—period. In my disappointment and disillusionment, I mentally condemned these errant pupils time and time again. I'm surprised my teeth didn't fall out of my head from gritting them so much day in and day out when I saw certain students—all because they didn't like what I liked, and nothing I did seemed to work.

Here we are almost ten years later, and I'm still teaching in the classroom. Those students didn't run me off, and we made it through together. Most of my classes are honors now, so more (but not all) students have a willingness to engage with me as we read and discuss through the semester. These verses from Romans help me approach how I see my students who are different from me and have their own interests. It is self-defeating to pass judgment on those who are different in whatever ways from ourselves. If anyone is to make a call about someone's character, it is our Creator and Heavenly Father. I believe that every student on my roster each semester is there for a fateful and divine reason, and I learn more from them than they from me in most instances. Give thanks to God for those who are different from us, for we have so much to learn from and share with each other.

Thought for the day: Instead of thinking negatively about those who are different from you because of how they are different, think of what you can learn about yourself and others through our differences. Give thanks to God for variety and the spice of life!

--Hogan Carringer