Message from Jay Hendricks, High School Teacher

Matthew 7:7 (ESV) "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

“Love is a peculiar balance of self sacrificing and self seeking; of giving away and getting; of blind following and perceptive, determined, faith-filled action.” Sarah Hornsby

The challenge is to find the balance between wanting, seeking, finding, and sharing. As a teacher, I often ask myself how much of myself I should give; how much should I hold back; when do I demand space for myself, and when should I enter the fray without reservation? In the effort to be more Christ-like, I remember that even Jesus held back at times; even he sought refuge from his followers, who had to be at least as annoying as some students in my classes.


Ultimately finding the right balance between give and take is a day to day, moment by moment task. It is a matter of weighing the need and the reward, of recognizing my limitations and my strengths and trying to act appropriately. It is a matter of trusting God to fill in the gaps left by my shortcomings. I cannot be all things to all people, but God can.

1 John 3:19-24 (ESV) “By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him.”