That was the question a student asked me as I tried to communicate to him some things he needed to focus on in order to be a successful student. It was an intense conversation about his future and his current academic struggles. His genuine curiosity caught me off guard; it seemed irrelevant to our conversation and very much out of the blue. I had to pause to gather my thoughts.
On the surface, it seems very natural and normal to care for our students. “Of course I care about you! You’re my student!” But it was clear he needed a deeper reason from me. The emotional investment into his and the lives of all our students is an insurmountable task if I’m only doing it because it’s my responsibility.
My response was simple: “Well, God cared for me first. So now I can care about you.”
I’ve thought about this before. You could say it’s been in the files of my brain to have at the ready when necessary. But the emotional aspect of this conversation made me realize how sure I need to be convinced of this truth in my own heart.
For instance…
Have you ever noticed how much we act or speak out of insecurity? I’ve noticed often when I feel the need to snap back, subtly boost myself up, or subtly tear someone down, I’m actually trying to cover up something in myself that I think is lacking.
That comes from a lack of truly knowing that God sees me and calls me His; I don’t need to boost my ego in order to please Him more!
Or what about the fear I may feel when I’m tasked to do something that might make me look foolish or incompetent?
If I know that God has fully accepted me, despite the largest failure I could possibly make, then fear doesn’t need to be a factor in decision making!
Jesus puts it bluntly in Matthew 18: when you understand the tremendous amount of forgiveness, grace, and acceptance we’ve received, the only right response is reciprocating that same tenderness to others.
My student allowed me to share that good news with him: that when I had my back turned against God and didn’t care about Him, Jesus died for me, showing that he cared, even if I didn’t. (Romans 5:8).
