NICER IN THE MORNINGS

Yesterday I quoted Hebrews 13:17: "Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you."  

And as I mentioned, the authority in question here seems to be within the church. But certainly we can draw a couple of principles that would apply to general scenarios where we find ourselves under authority - like students under a teacher or employees under a boss:

1) We should submit because the leader has been charged with watching over us and must endure the pressure of answering to an even higher Authority.

2) If we submit, the leader's work becomes a joy.

3) If we refuse, the leader's work becomes a burden.

4) If the leader's work is a joy, we are bound to share in that joy.

5) If the leader's work is a burden, we are bound to bear a portion of the misery.

My 8th graders had a couple of days of standardized testing this week and it threw off our regular schedule in some ways. One of my students from 8th period (my non-compliant class) found himself testing with me and my regular first period class Tuesday morning. On Tuesday afternoon he walked in for our regular class and loudly asked me, "Hey, how come you're so much nicer in the mornings??"

I wanted to say simply, "Hebrews 13:17". 

How often do we make our own lives more difficult by bad-mouthing the boss and bucking the boss's authority?