Good Reminder

...shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in you charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. I Peter 5:2-4.

This is a wonderful job description for parents and teachers. Children need loving parents and teachers to recognize and respect that they are persons too. We must not use force or manipulation(grades or stickers?), fear or intimidation to teach them; rather, we guide and train them in the ways of the Lord gently with patience for their shortcomings (especially since we ourselves have not attained perfection). We must not expect an earthly reward for our service; rather, we must strive to please our own Authority and be content with that. We must be vigilant and never weary of doing good because the children are watching and following our example. We rely on the aid of our Counselor and Comforter to accomplish these tasks with hope of our glorious heavenly reward.