My hand doesn't always need to be held

Metaphorically speaking. I mean, it would be nice to have it held by a boy every once in a while but that's not the topic of today's post.

Teaching has taught me so much. Yah, that is kind of a rote statement, but I feel like I learn more from my students than the other way around. In my classroom, my students are often afraid to try new things when we introduce new content or skills. They often say, "Ms. Baer I just don't get it," or "Could you help me? You know so much more than I do?" Or the infamous, "I don't want to do this, so can you just do this for me?" The answer: Heck no, techno.

In other words, they want me to hold their hand through the learning process. They're afraid of writing down the wrong answer or saying the wrong thing. They're afraid to make mistakes.

So I just tell them to put forth their best effort and when I see that they've tried, I will guide them to the next step. I can't hold their hand through every project or paper because their learning will be hindered.

Does this make sense? Does this sound familiar to anyone else besides me? Even as I am writing this I am getting a spiritual wake up call from God who is trying to teach me the same lesson.

He can't hold my hand through every step of my life. Granted his hands are always there to help me and guide me through life's travails and choices, but oftentimes He lets me struggle. He lets me mess up and make mistakes. He lets me choose the direction that I want to go.

Especially at this point in my life, I feel at a complete loss as to what I am supposed to do next. In some ways I think that I just expect that Heavenly Father will hold my hand through this post-graduation process, but I have to remember that He lets me walk by faith and not by sight.

So currently my hand is empty. But I know it will all work out. And if I make the wrong choice, the Lord's hand will be there to pick me up and push me in the right direction.