"One of the greatest gifts we can offer another person is a safe place to fail." --John Lynch, Bill McNichol, and another author who I can't remember, TrueFaced
I've got a pristinely-perfect, unopened package of Oral-B Satin Floss in my desk drawer at school. I just opened the drawer to check the spelling of "Oral-B." I reread the above two sentences three times for errors before continuing to type . . .
Being me is often not a safe place for me to fail, let alone offering a truly safe place for others to fail.
"Without somehow destroying me in the process, how could God reveal himself in a way that would leave no room for doubt? If there were no room for doubt, there would be no room for me." -- Frederick Buechner
That struggle between grace and striving . . . where is the line drawn when a student has not practiced and comes ill-prepared to a lesson? Governments and education systems have not been built on grace. A man steals and is sent to jail for his crime. I was rewarded for my performance in school with plaques and praise and A's. I am unfamiliar with grace. And if I cannot recognize it, how can I begin to offer it to others?
"'Small herbs have grace, great weeds do grow apace.' And since, methinks, I would not grow so fast, Because sweet flow'rs are slow and weeds make haste." -York in Richard III
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Thanks
- Wedding gifts - We are overwhelmed and blessed by the notes, cards & gifts. Thank you for the help & encouragement!
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Needs
- Students - this is a big time of transition for new and returning students alike. Please lift them up as they say goodbye to friends and some to family as well.
- Routine - Please ask that we would be able to start the year well & quickly figure out what our time management should look like.
3 comments:
I thank God for you Suzanne. You are askig good questions. May God grant you wisdom to discern between grace and discipline. May you give to your students what you were not given, an understanding of grace, not just a desire for acknowledgement of performance.
Hi, Lady! I don't know how much this has to do with grace or not, but one of my favorite quotes about God is: "He is easy to please and hard to satisfy." That pretty much defines who I want to be as a violin teacher... someone who is easy to please and hard to satisfy... happy about every millimeter of progress but not giving up until the entire marathon is complete!
Hey Suz. I've been enjoying reading here. Hard to put our fingers on grace isn't it? The OT law was so cut and dry, but this grace thing...
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