I don't think I ever really realized how hard my job would be sometimes. For those that are not already aware, I work with kids...every, single day. I took Stephen's job at ESP when he left for another job within the ESP department. Back when he used to work there, I would sometimes get annoyed when he would complain about his day. I used to think, "How hard could his job be? All he does is watch kids all day!"
Well, lo and behold, the job is hard. Watching kids and planning activities for kids is hard. They test my patience every single day. They are learning what bothers me, and it appears that they delight in doing what bothers me. There are days where I cannot stand being around them. Through these days, I learn perseverance. Romans 5 speaks of perseverance, where Paul writes that through our sufferings we learn perseverance, and character develops from perseverance, and hope produces from character.
And therefore, I am applying Romans 5 to my experiences at work. My sufferings (i.e, bad days at work) produce perseverance (i.e, the willingness to go again the next day). Perseverance produces character (to be a hard worker and strong role model), and character produces hope.
And as Romans 5:5 says, hope does not disappoint us. I have hope in Christ.
But in application with my job, I have hope in these kids succeeding. I can have one of the craziest work days, but if the "lightbulb" goes off in one of the kid's minds, then I know I've done something right. If they understand a difficult concept, or learn something on their own, it shows that perseverance has paid off.
I know that I have completely butchered Romans 5, but these verses come into my mind every time I have a hard day at work. Just thought I'd share!
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