Perhaps it was because I was still a new teacher. Maybe it was the chilly weather outside, resulting in an abundance of unused energy. For whatever reason, the eight children in my Bible School class were not winning any awards for good behavior that morning. Five minutes into the lesson was the extent of a five-year-old's attention span. My animated attempts to keep their young minds on the lesson for the day were fruitless. The story of the Prodigal Son was overridden by interrupting giggles, flying pencils, and youngsters with an aversion to the seats of their chairs.

With an inward groan, I looked at my watch. The class time was over. The table was a mess of soggy animal crackers and incomplete lesson papers. I looked at the uneven line of children before me in despair. One ambitious youth, in a hurry to join the rest of the group, carelessly deposited his lesson paper in the garbage. I was sure that they had not heard a word that was said.

Feelings of failure, inadequacy, and frustration clouded my mind as I ushered my little flock to their parents. Lord, I tried... I thought with a sigh. But I don't think they learned a thing today.


This little scene replayed in my mind over and over, and a crucial misunderstanding in my thoughts began to surface. My definition of success was focused only on what I could see. If the kids had been behaving like angels, coloring in between the lines, and giving all the right answers, would I have been successful? My disgruntled feelings said "yes" but my heart knew differently. I was only looking for outward evidences to affirm that I had accomplished my goal. Finding none, my efforts seemed in vain.

As a people generally focused on outward results, it's easy to get caught up in the momentary circumstances and forget that God is still at work even when we can't see the change. This is why Paul reminds us:



Investing in people's lives is hard work, as it doesn't always reveal instant results. God didn't guarantee that we WOULD see results. Instead, we are to do what He has called us to do and let Him take care of the outcome.

This applies to many more areas than just a Kindergarten classroom. It is seen when you pray for years for an unsaved relative before they come to faith. It is seen when you open up your home and show love to someone that you may never see again. It is seen when you take the time to invest in a friendship, or to give an encouraging word to someone, or to simply live Christ in your day-to-day life as others observe. God is the Master planner "behind the scenes" and He is the one who knows the state of the heart of each person around you.

As I walked the church halls following my classroom ordeal, someone came up to me. It was a former teacher of the same class, wanting to recount a conversation she had with one of the little girls that morning. "I asked her what she learned in class today," she said, "and she told me the entire story word-for-word."

Yes, God is at work in the unseen. Success is not always something that can be perceived from our point of view, but God is working all along to fulfill His purpose. Our job is to trust, obey, and then rejoice as God perfectly carries out the inner workings of His sovereign plan.

(written in 2007)