Staying Focused

Staying Focused

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105).

• How important is the Bible in your everyday life?

• In what ways does the Bible influence the way you teach?

You’re probably with your students about one hour each week. During that one hour, you compete for their attention. Their minds are likely focused on many other things: school, peers, soccer, video games, movies, piano lessons, television…the list goes on and on.

You don’t have any minutes to waste, so it’s critical you stay focused on God and your students, and that the lesson do the same.

Evaluate your activities. Take a ruthless look at every activity in next week’s lesson. Is it teaching kids something new about God or just keeping them busy? Does each activity foster a real relationship with Jesus? Does it help kids see how to use their faith at school or on the playing field?

If there are more busywork activities than God-centered ones, you have work to do. Every activity needs to stay focused on a growing relationship with Jesus. Otherwise, you’re just filling time.

Evaluate your own goals in teaching. Are you there out of duty? Because you like entertaining a crowd? Or because you want to help kids know, love, and follow Jesus? 

Your personal goals for teaching will influence what you focus on during your lessons. Decide that your goal is to help kids know, love, and follow Jesus. 

Remove obstacles. Want to help kids grow spiritually? Then be growing yourself. Read your Bible. Pray. Trust the Holy Spirit to guide you as you teach.

When your personal focus and your teaching focus are the same—to know, love, and follow Jesus—your teaching will be powerful!

Take this training deeper as you think over these questions:

• How much of your teaching is meat, and how much is busywork?

• What can you do to make your teaching more focused and streamlined?

• What can you do in your personal life to make sure you stay focused on God and his Word?

Lord, thank you for your Word, and for the Holy Spirit to guide me. Help me to keep my teaching focused on you by…

You have the most important job of all—teaching kids about Jesus! Don’t let anything distract you from that worthy calling.

Write your own personal mission statement for your ministry. Tape it to the front of your teaching book, or frame it and hang it on the wall in your classroom. Read it before every class you teach. It will help you stay focused on the most important thing—Jesus!