I Rejoice in Your Successes

So, the past few weeks teaching has been really hard. I've been discouraged and just really doubted my capabilities as a teacher. I've been amazed this year how much what goes on in my classroom affects my real life...spiritually, physically, and emotionally. I have a few boys that are very hard to work with. One is very apathetic, flippant and doesn't care about ANYTHING. I have another kid who tries so hard but when he doesn't understand or succeed at first, he throws a huge fit and cusses up a storm. These two boys have been my challenge for the year. I have 23 other challenging children, but these two boys are the ones who hold my attention and ultimately hold my heart. I've come to realize these past few weeks that when I notice they are doing something good, when they are trying, or when they get above a C on a paper or homework assignment, a breeze of true joy washes over me. For a brief moment, it is all worth the hardships I am facing. It is only a brief moment, but during that moment the phrase "I rejoice in your successes" keeps repeating in my head, over and over. It's crazy, but I really am thrilled when I see Zac care about something or when I see Aaron control his anger. I rejoice! I don't really know where the phrase came from but it resounds in my head everytime I have one of these moments.
Anyway, I've been thinking of this phrase lately and a new idea has jumped into my little brain this week. I always hear this phrase when I'm most discouraged and then something good happens at school. The more I reflect on it, the more it is being revealed to me that this is not my own voice in my head, it's God's. Maybe everytime I'm discouraged God whispers how proud He is of me and how He rejoices in MY successes. It's a crazy cycle! I find joy in my troubled students when they do good...and my Heavenly Father finds joy in me when I do good and when I see the good in even my most troubled students. Thank you Lord for grace and for finding joy in me despite my many faults.