A tornado of maroon and white uniforms whirls toward me. Tiny legs scurry to the black iron fence that separates the Kindergarten class and playground from the path to the Hogar. This flurry of excitement has become a part of my day. Happy voices clamor “Viene la teacher, viene la teacher,” and the cry of “Give me five” spreads along the fence like a piece of juicy gossip. Hands are thrust at me and a few brave souls clamber over, seemingly unaware that the fence is there to keep them inside. I feel like I’ve just finished the world’s longest marathon or discovered a cure for cancer. Some days the gate is left open and the children gush out to meet me, enveloping my frame in a moving hug of childish exuberance.
It’s moments like this that keep me going. This week I needed an attitude adjustment. There were a few days where I let my frustration and bitterness simmer inside of me until the ugly concoction began seeping into my actions and attitude. I felt frustrated with the staff, with the kids, with my surroundings, with my work, with myself. A wise person [my dad] once told me that being happy is a choice and that while we’d like to blame others for our shortcomings or poor attitude, we are the ones who are ultimately responsible.
One day after lunch this week I was helping Marta scrub pots in the kitchen. There had been a pan sitting under the sink for two days. I picked it up and watched as the amber colored water swirled around a few burnt plantains. It kind of looked like my attitude. I grabbed a scrubber and got to work. And thanks to some prayer and a conscious decision on my part, I started to scrub my attitude clean too. Of course that won’t be the last time I have to scrub a pot, or my attitude.
Changing my attitude was only difficult because I made it difficult. I indulged in my bitter thoughts and frustration for a few days, kind of like letting the burnt plantains sit in the dirty pan.
While I am sure the next six months hold plenty of challenges, I am determined to run the race Paul talks about in Hebrews 12:1-2.
“. . . Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross. . .”
And not only do I have a few Kindergartners cheering for me, but the entire universe and my heavenly Father.
2 comments:
you can't help but have to tame your attitude once in a while when you've got standards for yourself miles high. :) I bet that scene of the kindergartners greeting you would be excellent on a documentary.
"Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old, together; for I will turn their mourning to joy, will comfort them, and make them rejoice rather than sorrow. I will satiate the soul of the priests with abundance, and My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the LORD."
Jeremiah 31:14
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