“Mrs. Zamudio, could you pray with me before I go outside for recess?” said the sweet little voice of Amanda* from my kindergarten class. “Of course, sweetie! What should we pray for?” I answered. “Because I really want to stop hitting my friends, and I know God is the one who can help me to stop.”
This recent conversation is the fruit of months and months of pouring into little Amanda, hoping and praying that she would find other ways (aside from violence) to respond during moments of frustration. Rewind about three months and we arrive at a time when nearly every single day little Amanda was sitting in the front office due to a hitting, punching, slapping, or pinching incident. Her mother was so supportive and continued to be consistent with consequences at home, but she was growing weary wondering why her daughter continually responded so viciously.
My principal and I stayed strong and knew that with time and consistency Amanda would soon understand violence was not the answer during times of stress. I must admit, I became so engrossed in my role as a “teacher” that I completely forgot about my role as a “disciple maker.” PRAYER is more important than consistency or time any day of the week.
Even as a seasoned teacher of 10 years, I still had not considered stopping to pray for Amanda as she headed out the door to recess or lunch (the times she felt most compelled to hurt her classmates). What a moment of surprise when that very student came to me asking for prayer! She obviously had learned that the only real solution is reliance on the Holy Spirit. Only when we consciously allow His Holy Spirit to fill us can we experience love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. How many of those fruits of the Spirit can be wrapped up in this issue of violence? I think at least seven out of the nine!
It was a beautiful moment of revelation even for me as an adult, as a teacher, as a believer. Why should I wait until nothing else works to reach for prayer? That should be my first and main focus. As I always say, these students and families teach and bless me so much more than I ever could bless them. It is a privilege to live alongside them and learn from them each day.
*The student’s name has been changed.
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