There is an incredible power in doing the same thing over and over again. We see this power especially exhibited in things like finances, exercise or learning an instrument but it is also VERY true for teaching Sunday School. The teachers that are continually trying to improve themselves, always trying to be creative, always looking for new ideas and praying for their classes are the ones that are remembered forever.
Some people are very good at explosive effort – at HUGE amounts of work in isolated instances. These kind of people are very impressive and tend to gain a lot of attention. Then there are those that habitually, consistently do what they are supposed to do whether they feel like it or not. They aren’t necessarily doing heroic activities each time but they are always doing the RIGHT thing. They teach their class every single Sunday, they are always on time and always prepared. These are the truly great ones. These are the teachers that are remembered forever and these are the teachers that I want on my staff at all times. I would much rather have someone that consistently good than someone who only periodically is great.
There was a study on successful people and the deciding factor and difference in what separated successful people from people that were not was simply that, SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE DO WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO DO, WHETHER THEY FEEL LIKE IT OR NOT!
Truly successfully Sunday School teachers or bus workers:
- PREPARE PROPERLY whether they feel like it or not
- PRAY FOR THEIR KIDS whether they feel like it or not
- SHOW UP ON TIME whether they feel like it or not
- ARE CREATIVE, EXCITED AND FRIENDLY whether they feel like it or not
You may not feel like you are make progress or making a difference but YOU ARE. You may invest a LOT of time into a particular child and then they move away. You may have someone get the Holy Ghost and be baptized, start to become a bus worker and then their parents divorce and you never see them again (this happened to us). BUT YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE!
God only knows what is truly happening in their lives and how they will be affected in the future. There are many stories of kids that many years later came back to God and credit their Sunday school teaching. In all of the years that passed they never forgot what they were taught as a young child.
Like the Bible says, one planteth, another watereth but God giveth the increase.