The Perks

Last night's bedtime routine went something like this...

"Aiden, did you want me to read to you?" 

"Yeah! Oh, I can read that one."

"So.. you're going to read to ME?"

"Yeah."

I've read a million books to Aiden over the years, I met the little guy when he was two.  Well, he's six now and last night, for the first time, HE read to me.  It was one of the best rewards for teaching that I've gotten in a long time. I've been teaching for most of my life; classroom settings and otherwise. Lately, I've started to feel like my investments are greater than my returns.  Don't get me wrong, I love what I do, but before Aiden read to me last night, I wasn't seeing the rewards I receive EVERYDAY.  Let me explain.

More and more, I'm finding that so many of us (myself included) have that, "What's in it for me?" Mentality.   
Where's my reward?  My pat on the back? What do I get for all my hard-work, effort, time spent?
We ALL want something out of the deal.  God has written out our lives, down to the last detail.  So, every situation we go through has some sort of reward, in the end. It's even better for those who are living a life "called according to His purpose" {Romans 8:28}.  So, our rewards aren't always immediate.  Nor are they always grandiose.  Sometimes, they are the simple things like hugs, smiles, and  hand-written expressions of thanks.

God loves us, so He always rewards us for the good things we do.  Often times, those rewards are built into the very thing/person that we give to time, money, effort, and love to. Yet, many times, we scratch the surface with our shallow desires. We look for our rewards to come immediately, in the form of money, trips, and fancy gifts.  With a little patience and reflection, we can see the rewards of all that we do, staring us in the face. 

My reward for being a teacher isn't the paycheck or recognition for my creativity.  Instead, it is having the 6 year-old that I taught the basics (ABC's, counting, colors, and etc) at two, read ME a bedtime story.  My reward is the I love you Ms. Shanika's, hugs,  giggles,and  those Monday morning hugs--younger children usually have a hard time coming back to school after the weekend.  So, if they hug you first thing, on a Monday morning... you KNOW you've made it!

It's the simple things that mean the most.