Written By Jessica Turcios
I’m a fairly flexible person. I like having a plan, but I tend to be able to switch gears when necessary and make the best of a bad situation. That being said, teaching (on top of raising children and the everyday tasks it takes to create life) during a pandemic has stretched me further than I could’ve imagined. I’m sure it’s done the same for you. I’m new to teaching, but I’m hearing everyone across the board (seasoned teachers, public and homeschooling parents, and of course children) relaying the same frustration. I’ve heard their struggles with losing contact with loved ones, the mandatory separation, and the loss of their normal.
Something that I’ve gleaned through this season of hard is the inability to fake it. In the past, I was a master of faking. I can put on a mask with the best of them (no covid pun intended 😉 ). But my true need for growth and healing wasn’t hidden to God. He has invited me away from masks into the real. These challenges tend to strip all away, all the niceties, all the fluff, and shine a light on everything that was never truly working.
Real isn’t always pretty. Strike that. Real isn’t usually ever pretty. But real is lasting. Real is strong, true, healthy, loving…truly loving. Real provokes the best version of ourselves to the surface through things we never imagined would be on our plate. It pokes at long lying issues and brings them up to be cleared. It produces good fruit. Lasting fruit. Strong fruit. What a beautiful gift that we are not left lying dormant in our filth. What a blessing the fire can be heating up every corner of our hidden coping mechanisms, our immaturity, our habits that don’t serve us. The heat invites us to shift, turn, rise…and we will RISE.
It’s been a long season and I’ve watched my beautiful Berea family rise to these challenges over and over. A child’s mind will retain more when their spirit is replenished and when they feel safe. When “safety” means something different for each child, we’ve got our work cut out. Children, more than any other group I’ve encountered, can sniff out “phony” a mile away. They don’t want your niceties and placating. They need the real connection, the true statements, the permission to have strong feelings and opinions, and the guidance through these treacherous waters. It is the ability of a grownup to navigate the real with a child that makes them feel truly safe.
I want to encourage you to focus on the beautiful invitation to freedom that comes after the stretching. I’m honored to be in the trenches with each and every one of you.
So I encourage you to embrace this journey of unraveling… of unveiling… of true growth, health, and healing. Rise.