ON THE CARPET
November 23, 2021
Prayer: Lord, we pray today for all those in authority. Give wisdom and Your Spirit to guide the leaders in our government, in our courts, in our homes, in our school districts, and in our schools. Amen
Scripture: Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.
I Pet. 2:18-19.
The principal said she needed to see me in her office. This new interim principal was assigned to our school for six weeks until our newly hired principal would arrive. I had known her from years of association within the school system, but had never directly worked for her. I went immediately to her office, never imagining that she called me there for a lecture. She shocked me by bringing up a conversation from the day before in which I protested the use of my classroom by an outside group after school.
Apparently, she felt that I undermined her authority by voicing my opinion, and now, I assumed, she waited for an argument from me about her reprimand. Although this confrontation embarrassed me and disappointed me because she didn’t value me as a peer and appreciate what I could contribute to her tenure with us, I quickly responded with an apology. After all, she was in charge, even over the use of my classroom. It must have shocked her that my answer came so suddenly because she dismissed me immediately and the incident never came up again.
I did not base my response to this “chewing out” on my respect for her, or my agreement for the way she handled me, but because I wanted Christ to be honored. I will never know what kind of influence the testimony of my submissive spirit had on this woman, but I know that I was obedient to my Heavenly Father, and I felt His pleasure.
Do you work for a difficult administrator? Some issues may be worth standing your ground about, but most incidents are within the realm of personal opinion, or the result of some kind of political power struggle. Can you, for the sake of your Christian witness, submit to this unfair authority? Remember the enormity of Christ’s humiliation and sacrifice for you. That helps put most small arguments to rest.
Copyright Shirley Wilson. To connect with the author, email [email protected]
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Thank you for this devotional because I was in a situation like this concerning our new reading curriculum that I do not care for and some if which teaches concepts that I feel should be taught by parents instead of the school. I voiced my opinion but not as well as I should have, I mean it wasn’t a well thought out response. I have since learned to change my attitude and teach what I feel Christ would want me to teach but also respect my administrators.