The Teacher
Lord, who am I to teach the way
To little children day by day,
So prone myself to go astray?
I teach them knowledge, but I know
How faint the flicker and how low
The candles of my knowledge glow.
I teach them power to will and do,
But only now to learn anew
My own great weakness through and through.
I teach them love for all mankind
And all God’s creatures, but I find
My love comes lagging far behind.
Lord, if their guide I still must be,
Oh, let the little children see
The teacher leaning hard on Thee.
–Leslie Pinckney Hill
I read this poem this afternoon and I resonated so deeply with the message. Motherhood has a way of bringing out my weaknesses – many of which I even didn’t know existed before having kids… or at least not to the degree that I have been shown them now. If you are a parent, then I think you know what I am talking about.
I experience so many challenges everyday in governing my own self and I often wonder how in the world I am supposed to teach (or am even qualified to teach) my children how to be like Christ if I struggle so much myself.
But then I realized that being imperfect and having weaknesses (and a God-given, unique, mother-child relationship) is actually the thing that qualifies me to be the best teacher for my children.
The main and most important thing that I am to teach to my children is an example of someone who is constantly turning to the Lord for guidance, repentance, forgiveness, help, strength, hope, comfort, and change.
As for the other learning, I provide and offer the resources, but God is the true teacher. I keep my children home so that they can be in an environment where they are able to be taught by God. Even I, as the mother and teacher, need to learn to get out of the way of the teacher/student relationship between the child and the Lord.
