As a former middle school classroom teacher for 7 years, one of the first rule of thumbs in setting up your classroom is posting in some form, rules and expectations for students to follow. These rules and expectations serve as a guideline and an enforcement of much needed boundaries within the confines of the room. It shed light on my expectations on interactions between me as the teacher and the student, and student - to- student. It was common to see creative expressions of these rules throughout teacher's classrooms with colorful border paper and posted on classroom bulletin boards.
A couple years into teaching my list of rules and expectations with multiple do's and don'ts changed to reflect three simple statements, BE IN THE RIGHT PLACE, AT THE RIGHT TIME, DOING THE RIGHT THING. To me that summed it up. If you're in the right place - which was my Math Class, during the appropriate time you were to be there, and performing your classroom duties - then you were meeting all of what's being asked of you - therefore you were on the road to success.
You see at any given point if you were not in compliance with any one of those things you were not going to get optimal results. For instance,
IN THE RIGHT PLACE + AT THE WRONG TIME + DOING THE RIGHT THING = CONFLICT
IN THE WRONG PLACE + AT THE RIGHT TIME + DOING THE RIGHT THING = CONFUSION
At any point the "doing the wrong thing", we can all agree that equates to being out of order.
As life would have it, these simple rules are not just applicable to a classroom but to life, to the things of God, and success on your journey.
It brings to memory Ruth's journey. Ruth was thrown unexpected curve balls in the death of her husband, leaving her country of Moab- her familiar place. Yet after the death of her husband Ruth had a choice to go back to her country of Moab with her sister-in-law, Orpah, but she chose to remain with her mother in law, Naomi. Ruth's being in the right place (Bethlehem), doing the right thing (serving her mother-in-law, tending the fields), at the right time caused her to meet Boaz.
Let's consider Esther who replaced Queen Vashti and found favor in the eyes of the king and all those who looked upon her (Esther 2:15, 17). Esther is faced with a decision to intercept the evil plot against the Jews devised by Haman; at the request of her uncle Mordecai. According to Esther 4:14 Mordecai says to Esther "And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this" (RIGHT PLACE/RIGHT TIME). Esther's right place, right time checks off however it's when she's doing the right thing (prayer, fasting, petitioning the king to spare the Jews and giving him insight on Haman's plot) that causes inevitable success.
Even when your intentions are good, timing, doing, and location all have to be aligned to be the most productive and fruitful. When you think of a farmer whose good intention is to sow seed (the doing), the time must be right and the location.
Throughout my life I have, at times found myself with the purest of intentions doing the right thing, sometimes at the right time but I was in the wrong place or found myself doing right things at the wrong time. In 2006/2007 I sought to take matters in my own hands and leave my profession of teaching. I had a shallow plan to start working alongside a local mental health company in the hopes of eventually partnering with them to launch my business. Well before I got good out the door those plans fell through, that part-time job which I had made plans of turning into a partnership - I was let go. Perhaps a little shocked, I hightailed it right back to the school system. I was wrong all the way around - wrong place, wrong timing and trying to forge a connection God never intended! Truth be told I was moving in my own timing and doing my own thing and bringing God along for the ride versus listening and following His lead. In 2010 I received the instruction from God (right time) to launch out and start the business within the community (doing the right thing and right place).
What I've learned is there's no greater sense of accomplishment then achieving success when all the simple rules in life check off. Ask yourself, if what I am believing for hasn't happened yet, could it be my timing is off, am I doing what I should be doing, or am I in the wrong place (place can be physically and spiritually)?
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