faith not fear...

Today I was outside supervising the school and one of my Kindergarten students walked up to me all excited carrying a white box with something in it. My heart jumped as I thought of all the possibilities that that student could be "showing me". Is it a snake, a frog, a bug, or something that DOESN'T move? To my relief it was a shoe string and they were just excited to give this piece of garbage to me as honouring our playground by keeping it tidy. It reminded me of the other times I have not wanted to look in the box in fear I might not like what I find. Too many assumptions are put on students, a pre-conceived way the students are bound to act based on their sibling before them or an experience someone has already had with them. I have learned to see the students who come into my classroom as clean slates, new experiences and unique dynamics to the classroom. Each have their own giftings and abilities that they get to bring to the classroom and they truly are blessings. Some may be presented to me in a way that I don't know what to expect (just like that box), but I desire to think of them as gifts of honour that I can teach and help create a school of honouring students, training them the way God has commanded me to, in faith not fear.