I am One with the Force - End of the Year Devotion for Teachers

Well, the school year is over and summer is almost here!!
Teachers everywhere are wiping a tear, closing the doors of their classrooms, waiting a few seconds, and then shouting, "Whoop, whoop!!!"
However, this school year as I said good-bye to some of my preschoolers, I left school slightly depressed.

During the last week of school, among my fellow teachers, there was a burden in our hearts to impart the Salvation message to these little ones. We’d shared all about Jesus throughout the year, especially with the Easter message and Christmas story, but there was some driving need in us to make sure they didn’t leave our preschool without Jesus in their hearts.

Some may read this and think, “Isn’t preschool a little young for them to get it?”
Years ago, I watched the testimony of a man who had nearly died on the operating table. In those moments between eternal life and death, he was given a terrifying look at hell. He experienced utter darkness and torment. While living through a nightmarish experience, he felt the absolute devastation of rejecting Jesus his whole life. As he lay in darkness sobbing, he remembered a memory of himself as a child in a Sunday school classroom singing, “Jesus Loves Me” and he recalled believing in Jesus as a child. In that moment, Jesus reached down and rescued him from that pit. God honored the decision a child had made to give his heart to Jesus. You are never too young to commit your heart to Jesus. He will honor that commitment for eternity.

The reason I got a little depressed as I was leaving school was because I left thinking, “Jesus, did some of my little friends get it?”

One of the last preschool skits my co-teacher and I did for our classroom was an illustration of the Armor of God. The day before we had tried reading a book about a little boy putting on the armor but our kiddos didn’t seem to understand why God wants us to put on His armor. So, Miss Yolanda figured they needed a little demonstration. As my beloved co-teacher read the scripture Ephesians 6:11-17 I acted it out. The skit proceeded to illustrate how Miss Yolanda had woken up in a very bad mood. She stubbed her toe on the way to make coffee and then was running late for school so she threw a big fit. Then, God reminded Miss Yolanda to put on her armor. So, as I proceeded to put on each piece of God’s armor, my attitude changed from bad to good by the power of the Holy Spirit. Finally, I held up my shield of faith while my co-teacher shot pretend arrows at me from the wicked one. As arrows of bad attitude, anger, selfishness, and lies flew at me, I was able to fight them off with my shield of faith. It was pretty cool if I say so myself. They laughed and sat enraptured by our story.

However, as the day progressed, I continued to wonder, “LORD, did they get it?” I really wanted this class to get it, because I know the challenges facing these little ones growing up in the world today. I want them protected and shielded by the Armor of God.

I left the school with my head down feeling a little mopey. A few hours later, I realized I left my keys at work so I had to go back to school. As I walked through the parking lot, I saw two of my little ones heading to their cars. One gave me a big hug and said “I love you, Miss Yolanda.” And my other feisty one, said, “Mrs. Yolanda, pretend to throw arrows at me.” I noticed that she was holding up her little shield we’d made in class. I laughed and proceeded to throw arrows of “bad attitude”, “anger”, and "selfishness". She held up her little shield and fought them off  with gusto. I gave her a big hug and said, “That’s right! Fight them off with your shield of faith. You got it!”

Ephesians 6:13Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, STAND!

As I walked away from school, my mopey spirit was gone, the burden on my shoulders lifted ,and I said, “Thank you, Jesus! Thank you that I forgot my keys and had to come back to school. Thank you for letting me see that they got it. I needed that!”

God’s Word says, “My Word will not come back to Me void. It will successfully accomplish the mission I have sent it to complete.” Isaiah 55:11

So, teachers, job well done. Mission accomplished. It may not have been an easy year for you. Every year has its challenges, but if you are a Christian then your classroom is your mission field. For the harvest is plenty but the workers are few. Teachers, we need to be armored up for the mission field, because I have a feeling its not going to get easier, it’s going to get harder. It's just a sign of the times. As the world gets darker with violence, hatred, and evil, we have to shine brighter with the love of Jesus, showing His goodness, mercy, and light.

The other day, I was in the car with my hubby and he was in a terrible mood. He was nagging, grumbling, complaining, and all of a sudden I quoted a line from one of his favorite movies, Rogue One:

“I am one with the force and the force is with me. I am one with the force and the force is with me. I am one with the force and the force is with me.”

I said it over and over again until he started to laugh and I started to laugh. I told my husband that this movie line has become my life motto. I am one with the force [Holy Spirit force] and the force is with me.

In the movie, Chirrut is blind and he relies on the “force” to fight the enemy. My favorite scene is when he’s walking through gunfire saying, “The force is with me and I am with the force. And, I fear nothing for all this is as the force wills it.”

That’s how we have to be everyday. Without the Holy Spirit force in us, we are blind in a very dark world. And when the fiery arrows come from the evil one, we are going to go down. Maybe it’s being overcome by depression, stress, worry, anger, or impatience. We need to armor up every morning before we come to school because all these little ones in our classroom are beloved by God. God has placed us there for such a time as this. We're not just getting them ready for the next grade level, we are training them to be recruits in the Lord’s army ready to battle the evil one. Spiritual warriors for God, full of the Holy Spirit, with the knowledge of how to pray, planting seeds of God’s Word in their hearts, and sending them on their way where we entrust God to water and have those seeds take root.

So this summer, I’m going to pray up, armor up, and train up so that I’m ready for the next class of recruits. How about you?

Love,
Miss Yolanda

This post dedicated to all my beloved co-workers and teachers.
"Give yourself fully to God. He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition you believe more in His love than in your own weakness." Mother Teresa

Watch this very powerful testimony.
Video testimony of Howard Storm's near death experience