People

    I am thinking about the people in my life today.  Some rather complicated issues have come up lately at work and I am trying to figure out how I am supposed to act in these situations.  First of all I am a Christian, not just someone who has certain religious traditions but someone who tries to always follow the teachings of Jesus.  I am also in a career where one must stand up for oneself, be assertive and be able to confront others when needed.  How do I combine these two things?  This week I would have to say "not well"!
     I think the secret lies in looking at how Jesus handled complicated issues in his life. He was not a doormat that is for sure!  He created discord often.  But the big thing that stands out is that Jesus was very clear on his motivation.  Everything he did was out of love for God, even his anger was out of love for his Father.  His goal was to have everyone come to God.  His goal was to love all people.  Loving people isn't always making them feel good, sometimes it is confronting them with things that need to change.
     Here is where it gets tricky.  I don't always see the picture clearly.  I may not know all the facts, and working for a public institution people keep knowledge for themselves on purpose because it gives them power.  If I went with my religious training I would never confront and I would be a beaten down rug for all others to walk on.  If I go with the public institutions way of dealing with things I would grab a hold of knowledge and keep it to myself until just the right time when I would pull it out to look  like I was in charge.  
     My choice is to try and do what Jesus did.  Notice I said "try", knowing full well I will fail sometimes.  There are certain things that I know are best for my students.  I need to continually be willing to work for those things even if it means confronting someone.  I need to confront someone instead of making them the subject of conversations with others.  My motivation needs to be my love of Jesus and what is best for my students.
      What a tall order!  I need to pray....often.....continuously......from the heart........