Develop your faith

As a fresh graduate teacher, now is the first experience for me to write the narrative report. Although I often write "narrative report" about my life in this blog, it's different when I have to write about my students. The school has the template and its way to write. As the teacher, I cannot just write it freely. Instead, I have to write each report carefully. As I do it, somehow I ask, why does a teacher should write narrative report? Oh, how I wish there is no narrative report to write! (*lazy teacher!)

Well, what is narrative report? Simply, it is a report about students' development that written by using narrative writing. Why is it should be narrative? Because a narrative report will give a clear description of students' development. Therefore, the readers (parents) can respond by taking a right step for their children's education.

Anyway, do you know that God also wrote narrative report?
If yes, then you surely love to read the Bible stories. Bible is full with a lot of narrative reports. There are so many people who are recorded in the Bible. Their development in faith is written descriptively and accurately. The Holy Spirit guides the Bible writers to write narrative reports of many sinners like us. They were created beautifully but sinful in nature. They fell into sins, just like us. They had family problems, financial struggles, worried about future, doubted God's promises, faithless..... They were facing the same life challenges. Some of them were failed and others were succeed.

I am so thankful that it is written in the Bible how these people had lived and showed a development in their faith to the Lord.

Abraham, who is popular because of his faith to God. He told Abimelech that Sarah was his sister to protect himself from being killed. But as you continue to read his life-story, you will find how he obeyed to the Lord by willing to give his only son as a burnt offering to the Lord.

Leah, who was not loved by her husband. She hoped that the sons she borne would make Jacob loved her more when she gave birth his first and second son. But after she gave birth her forth son, she said, "Praise the Lord!". Look at how she was developing her faith in the Lord! At the end, Jacob would like to be buried with her.

Moses, a loser. He killed an Egyptian and ran away to Midian. But as the Lord encountered him, he changed. He became a great leader who trusted and obeyed the Lord faithfully.

Asaph, one of the psalmists. He complained to the Lord as he saw the sinners live happier than the righteous. At the end of Psalm 73, he praised the Lord. From this psalm we know how he grew in his faith to the Lord.

Peter, who speaks without thinking. The night when Jesus was caught, Peter disowned Him. But at the end, he preferred to be crucified with his head facing the ground for Jesus Christ.
Paul, a murder of Christ's followers. By God's grace, his life was changed. He became an apostle for the Gentiles. Thanks God because through him now we receive the Gospel and belong to Christ!

And many more.... (I think I should back to write my students' narrative reports instead of the people in the Bible)

You can read by yourself by opening the Bible.

Find those people and others. Read their developments in faith. As you read through their life stories, discover the way you can develop your faith in the Lord. I am reading Genesis now and really enjoy it! Hope you'll enjoy it too.
After you read their development in faith, take steps of obedience so you may develop your faith too. I hope you or other people can write a narrative report as a testimony of how you grow in the Lord. Therefore, other people will be blessed and encouraged.

For other teachers like me: well, I know it is not easy to write those narrative report, one for each student. But why don't we see it as a privilege to write God's children development and see how beautiful God has blessed them?