Food for Thought: Living in a Hectic World

I taught visual arts for many years, first to elementary-age school children and college students from the university who were completing certification to teach art. Later I taught classroom teachers learning to integrate the arts into their curricula. I always reminded teacher-education majors and in-service teachers that they are not just teaching their subject matter, but that they are also teaching young people how to live in a complex world. I told them that they needed to be aware, at all times, of why they were having students do a particular project. The reason for the lesson might be as simple as having students learn how to measure accurately, or how to clean up after themselves after a messy project. Or, it might be how to get along with the person beside them who seems to be copying what he or she was doing or otherwise irritating them. I told the teachers that at the end of the day they should be able to look back and say that they had helped a child learn something about how to live more calmly and creatively in a chaotic world.

Knowing why we are doing what we do is always a good idea, whether we are teaching or learning something new about how we can deal with other people or how our lives will be better if we learn to do God’s will and fulfill His purpose for us in this world. We all learn from the examples around us. If we surround ourselves with good role models, we can learn a great deal. If we seek advice from wise counsel, we can learn to behave appropriately. We can learn to be not only better stewards of God’s gifts to us, but also become more appropriate role models for others.

“Be careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15

“For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.” Deuteronomy 30:16

May God bless you with a clam and creative heart to deal well with the problems you encounter in this life!