Oiling Can

Today is Kevin's first day with students.

He is a music teacher and sees all the students: Pre-K trough 5th grade. Which means each day is 6 different lesson plans and six different classes and the next day brings the other half so six more classes. Unfortunately, last year was very difficult, with some classes ruining it for the others and none of those kiddos moved! :) So they are back. And Kevin knows the Lord has him here. He was ready to leave but did not feel a release from the Lord to do so. So he knows it is the Lord work to be there, but its still hard!!!

Some Men from church were encouraging him yesterday as we were leaving church and kinda joking around with him about starting school. These men both had previously taught in the district Kevin teaches in. But anyway, one of them said (when Kevin joked that they could pray for him again) that he was the tin man that needed oiling every 5 minutes. I smiled at him and nodded my head, and he looked at me and said, "You're the oiling can!" He was still joking around and was pretending to console Kevin when he came home form work. But man, that stuck with me!

So I decided that I would make an effort this year to be his oil can. Not that I didn't pray for him before, but the tin man needs oiling every 5 minutes! So no, I didn't pray every 5 minutes, but the Lord graciously brought him to mind through out this morning and afternoon and I would just stop and pray real quick or sometimes not so quick.

I share this not to brag because, I promise there will be days when I'm sure I will not be a good oiling can, but I share this because I thought it was such a good word and good visual, at least for me. So for all of us that have friends, spouses or children that are facing a difficult day or days, we just need to think of them as the tin man, and ourselves as the oiling can!!