There are few moments more rewarding than those when you realize that the time and effort you have invested in your students have had a positive influence on someone’s life. The following situation that took place within one of our partner schools is a prime example. The teacher had dealt with a somewhat difficult student throughout the semester. Upon completing the course, the student wrote to the teacher apologizing for his lack of commitment throughout the semester and thanking the facilitator for their faithfulness in spite of his challenging attitude. The student wrote, “I fell off the side a bit towards the last half of this course, and while I could make excuses as to why, as you rightly pointed out, it has come down to a lack of personal discipline in my attitude towards the study.” He went on to say that he had confessed his wrongful attitude and was “seeking, by God’s grace, to build more effective disciplines into my life, to ensure that I become a faithful minister of this precious gospel that is entrusted to me.”

The facilitator responded with the encouraging edification, “the tyranny of the urgent is an issue every pastor must wrestle with—there are so many good things to be done each day. But the good can be the enemy of the best. Theological education has to be in the best category at this stage in your ministry… May the Lord bless and encourage you.  I praise God for you.”

Here, the faithfulness and commitment of a teacher encouraged a faithful spirit within the student. With grace and love, this teacher-student relationship exemplified what it looks like to disciple both inside and outside the classroom.