Respect.

I have always believed that teaching in the church is a high calling. I have always agreed with paying a pastor to do the full-time work of teaching and preaching (1 Cor 9:24). But I have a new respect for teachers and preachers after watching my husband study for his last few youth group lessons. It's hard work.

Preparing for teaching takes a mental toll.

My husband gets very quiet the week before he teaches. He spends a lot of time in thought. He knows that teachers are held to a higher account (James 3:1), and he takes his responsibility seriously. 

Preparing for teaching takes time.

My husband spends hours and hours preparing to teach God's Word. He reads the passage. He reads commentaries. He researches the history behind the passage. He meditates on what he learns. He makes an outline. He writes out what he wants to say. Preparation is a marathon, not a sprint.

Preparing for teaching involves spiritual warfare.

Hard things typically happen around teaching time. That's not surprising given that the enemy does not want God's word to go forth. But lack of sleep, external stress, family stress, sickness, relational issues, they all seem to come up around teaching time.

Why do I share all this?

Because I think we in church congregations can take for granted how great a toll teaching takes on our pastors and elders. I think we can grow complacent in our appreciation of what our teachers do. We can fail to pray as we should for those that teach. 

Pastors and teachers deserve our respect. That's biblical. But being married to a teacher has made it a lot more real. It has caused me to appreciate my husband in a new way, and ask how I can better show respect to others that teach. 

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What about you? Have you expressed appreciation to your pastor recently? Are you complacent in your appreciation of what he does? I encourage you to re-examine the vital roles of pastors and teachers in the church, and to see what you can do to thank them. Our teachers are putting a lot on the line when they not only prepare, but preach God's word.