To Teach or Not to Teach – The Story of Ezra

One of the beliefs I had growing up was that I was called to be a teacher. There was something very intriguing about going home and pretending to be a teacher. I loved the idea of being in front of a classroom, providing them important knowledge that will guide them through life, and provide some sort of mentorship for them. I mean this is what I have experienced in life as a student and I believe this is how all student/teacher interactions should be.

Although I had this thought that traveled with me way up into my adulthood, I always had this small echo in my ear regarding broadcast journalism. Some other distractions came into my life and I humored those things for awhile but eventually my heart led me back to right where it started which was journalism.

But then I had these regretful thoughts questioning what am I to do with that heart that wanted to teach people. I got my answer while reading Ezra 7:10-11 which says

“Ezra had always given his time and attention to studying and obeying the law of the Lord. He also loved to teach His rules and commandments to others in Israel. Ezra was a priest and teacher. He knew much about the Commandments and the laws the Lord gave Israel.”

Ezra was someone who was passionate about the Lord and delighted in Him very much. He honored who He was and He respected His Commandments. Ezra also desired to teach others about who God was and what His Laws were. This is extremely encouraging to me.

When we become Children of God, we are committing ourselves to love, honor, and bring others to Him. The one way we do that is through teaching!

It all became clear to me- yes I am supposed to teach, that was never a misguidance. However, where I went wrong is not knowing to listen to Him when He was saying “I want you to teach the world about Me, every person you meet and come across- let them know My Name and What My Words are”

So many times as Christians we tend to forget that when our souls are saved it no longer becomes about us, that our lives become more about Him and His purpose, which is to make sure that no one is separated from Him. Through our teachings of who He is to others, we can help Him achieve that dream.

When a Christian gets saved, usually you can’t be quiet about what you are feeling and experiencing. Other people look at you with raised eyebrows and some want to join in on the fun. But then eventually that fire wears off and life kicks in. Eventually you lose your spirit and you begin to talk less. It’s okay we all do it and there is no shame.

But what happens is that when we stop talking about God and what He is doing in our lives- there is always someone on the other side of it saying “I only knew it was a matter of time” or “That’s what I thought”. When we begin to talk about negatives in life instead of focusing on what God is doing- we paint the wrong image of who God is and we take the focus away from Him. It’s a totally natural thing to do, but there needs to come a point in a Christian’s walk where they become very conscious to the fact that they are called upon to be leaders and witnesses of The Good News and to TEACH that good news to those who do NOT know Him.

Ezra had a faith that was undeniably grand. When chaos and Israel surrounded him, he still chose to take the time to pray to the Lord expressing thankfulness for His blessings and faithful love. This far in the future and beyond here and now, people will be able to open up the Bible, flip open to the Book of Ezra and be moved by his teachings for years to come.

So I ask you to take a moment and ask yourself, if your life was a book then what would people read generations from now? Would you rather teach the world who God is or would you rather focus on the hardships of your life blaming God and allowing your frustrations to serve as further reason for those who don’t know Him to not desire to at all?