January 12 Home Communicator –
Psalm 71:15-18
My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds,
of your saving acts all day long—
though I know not how to relate them all.
I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign Lord;
I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
Since my youth, God, you have taught me,
and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.
Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your mighty acts to all who are to come.
Staff devotions at the elementary building look a little different this school year, much like everything else in these Covid times. Instead of gathering shoulder to shoulder in our cozy teachers’ lounge to share and pray, we are spread out in the east gym and wearing masks. But facemasks and an extra bit of distance are no match for the power of the Holy Spirit.
During one of our first gatherings, a teacher shared a story from her life and spoke about how God worked through a difficult situation. She encouraged the rest of us to share stories from our own lives in future meetings and a beautiful thing started happening. Each week, we’ve gotten a glimpse into God’s work in the life of another staff member. People I’ve worked with for years have shared things I’ve never heard before! They’ve told stories of how God has been faithful through the years, how we can still have joy while going through difficult circumstances, how others in their lives have been examples of God’s unconditional love, and how God is good–period. These stories have helped to build community and foster deeper relationships on staff.
Leading a group of colleagues in devotions and prayer can be a nerve-racking experience for some people, but I have seen this year that when staff members start sharing stories of how God has been moving in their lives, the words flow easily. The Spirit is present as they speak. Every week I step away from staff devotions thinking about how blessed we are to have these God-loving staff members working each day with our precious students, filling them with the knowledge of Jesus Christ and guiding them in what it means to live a Christian life.
I think sometimes we feel that our stories aren’t big enough or newsworthy enough to share, but when God is involved in our stories, they are never insignificant! My encouragement to you this week is to reflect on how God has been at work in your life. Can you think of someone who might need to hear your story?
One Body in Christ,
Tricia Kiepert, Elementary Principal
