In a past post, I’ve mentioned having done a study of the short writing “Practicing the Presence of God” by Brother Lawrence. (If you haven’t read it yet, find it online. It’s very old and still very relevant.) This last fall, I went back to teaching at my old military-ish school, and finding quiet time has been a challenge. And when I say “quiet time,” I don’t just mean official prayer/devotional time. I mean that my life (between teaching kids and having 5 kids at home) is literally noisy. I don’t even want to listen to audio books or podcasts while washing dishes or driving home from work. My brain craves an actual break from hearing words.
But God has given me an interesting gift: an annoyingly quiet minute or two at the same time every weekday. Every morning, the whole school gets quiet as we solemnly wait for the “colors” (flag-raising process) to happen. We’re in the gym grouped up in our little homeroom platoons, standing at the position of attention until the order is given to salute. Sometimes it takes a while. It’s so quiet you can hear a pin drop. I see the 7th graders facing me from across the gym and try not to yawn when I see them yawn.
I used to dread that time of day. Most of the kids probably do. Squirrelly 6th graders trying not to move? Good luck! Even my 11th & 12th grade homeroom kids have a hard time! But one day, I realized what a gift that minute or two is. Peaceful quiet. Some might say it’s a good time to practice mindfulness before the craziness of the school day. I hope many of the kids think of it that way. But I decided to take it a step further.
Nowadays, when we all go to the position of attention and await the order to salute and the sound of the bugle, I take that time to pray. I pray for the day ahead: for the safety of the school, for the welfare of the students, for me to teach well, etc. Even though things don’t always go well (we live in a broken world, and God is not a genie that just grants magical wishes), I always feel a bit more at peace after praying. It reminds me that no matter what happens, God is with us.
I save the bigger prayers for Wednesdays, when a colleague and I meet up outside of school hours to pray. This is when we pray for the bigger student needs, bigger school needs, our own families, and heck, we pray for the whole world while we’re at it, because it’s a hot mess right now.
Would you join me in these prayers? For hope and peace/safety in our world, country, state, community, families, schools, and in the hearts of kids. Thank you.
Psalm 46:10 NKJV
Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
About the Author
Jessie is a novice writer, with several books in various stages and a blog about travel and the journeys of women. She is very excited to be a part of the CitySalt blog team. She has been blessed by a few communities of Christian writers that have encouraged her dream. She lives with her sweet husband, Chris, their 5 funny kids, and 1 fluffy cat in Springfield. She loves hiking and other outdoor and indoor adventures with her family.