If others had peeked through the windows during your years of teaching, what would they have seen? Many days, educators feel like the circus performers who balance the spinning plates on top of a pole as we attempt to balance the needs of each student in our classroom, along with the needs of our family!

On any given day, we try to spin our spouse’s plate with affection and undivided attention after work. We also work hard to spin our creative plate, making classroom science experiments that hold student interest. That isn’t even to mention the hours of ending grading and nights bringing home projects.

We know we need to stop the wobbling of our best friend’s plate and be there to help her. Finally, to top it all off, there are students with emotional needs, needing their plates spun through encouragement and a listening ear. At some point, we’re going to run out of energy trying to keep each of their plates turning and wonder, "Who’s going to spin my plate to keep this whole act going?"

Praise God, the plates never do crash, but each of us have learned how to keep them spinning with someone else’s energy other than our own. That someone is Jesus. We should run to Jesus each morning for the power to keep our plates spinning. Knowing we only have so much strength, He shows us when and how to spin the plates of everyone who needs it most.  

Christian teachers realize, too, that as much as we love and want to help everyone, we’re not responsible for making everyone happy or fulfilling each need. The power is simply not in our hands! Just as we go to the Lord for strength; we also needed to learn to cast our cares on Him. "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee" (Psalm 55:22a).

Do you feel some days like you’re teetering? If so, you may need to hand off those spinning plates into the hands of the One who can balance them much better than you. "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 1:24).

How does the Lord help you when you’re facing the pressures of being a teacher?