At school it’s not unusual to hear teachers talking about how many years until they can retire. It seems that no matter what school you work in the conversations are the same.
Fatigue comes quickly working with kids all day long.
I’m one of those teachers that started late.
I stayed at home for over 15 years raising our kids and babysitting friend’s children. Then I got the itch to step out and finish my degree and start a different kind of career.
So, when someone is talking about how many more years they have left in teaching I have a choice of either laughing or crying when I realize that in order for me to retire from teaching I would have to work until I was probably 80.
In order to keep a smile on my face, this is what I have to do. I teach for a different kind of retirement..
An eternal one.
I may last five years in a classroom. I may last less or more. I don’t know how many years I truly have left.
But I do know this:
I want to spend eternity in Heaven!
So, I teach like I think Jesus would teach. I teach with my heart. Yes, it’s exhausting but I’d say hanging on a cross was a lot more painful than doing a lesson plan or dealing with a difficult middle-schooler.
And if I reach a point where I can’t teach with my heart, I’m done.
I’m walking out with a smile and getting a job somewhere else, because if I can’t treat children the way I want my children treated than I don’t deserve to have my name hanging over my door.
I work with a wonderful group of teachers who teach for the same reason I do. Some of them have been doing this for a long, long time and they deserve to be talking about how many years they have left in teaching.
Eight years of teaching hardly qualifies me for retirement conversations.
So I’ll stick with my “forever retirement” plans and keep smiling.
Why?
Because I don’t know how many years I might have left on this earth and that’s what my heart is set on……..
Colossians 3:1-3
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
Looking up,
In December of 2007 as our youngest son, Nick, was fighting brain cancer, I began to blog. Writing provided a way for me to release all of my questions, fears, and doubts. It also allowed me to share the ups and downs of Nick's journey with people who were praying for him all over the world. When Nick went Home in November of 2008, my blog became my way of searching for God in the midst of my deep heartache. My heart was broken and grief brought to the surface every emotion imaginable. Being able to release those emotions through my writing brought a sense of purpose to my pain. Having already walked the road of grief in 1992 when we lost our daughter to SIDS, I knew I needed a way to keep from falling into a pit of depression and despair. I had walked close to the edge of a bottomless pit when we lost our daughter,and I knew I couldn't let myself get that close to the edge again. This blog has been and continues to be my tiny corner of the world where I can share My Heart as I journey through God's Word.......thus the name........ My Heart His Words. Thank you for taking time to share life with me. If we do not meet while here on earth, I look forward to hearing all about your life when we reach our final destiny.........Heaven! Email me anytime at 
Love today’s post! I am in the same situation with my job. I stayed home with my girls and went to work for the US gov. late in life. That is exactly how I approach my job, with kindness and the love of the Master. Simple acts of kindness….Our eyes should be set on eternal retirement. Thanks for sharing!