By Sandra Bost
I am a teacher. I’ve been a teacher for almost 30 years — longer if you count the years teaching Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. And let’s not forget the stuffed-animal scholars on my childhood bed who patiently endured my early lesson plans.
Teaching isn’t just what I do; it is a calling. It comes as naturally to me as breathing. I love it. I may not always enjoy everything today’s educational profession requires, but I truly can’t imagine doing anything else.
Right now, I teach special education online. You know — navigating virtual classrooms with pet cameos and muted microphones. Over the years, I’ve taught students from age three to twenty-one across public, private, and homeschool settings. Some of my students have had profound disabilities, while others graduated in the top ten percent of their classes. I’ve had the privilege of teaching athletes, thespians, and artists. I’ve also been challenged by students who didn’t just “buy in” — the ones who asked tough questions and occasionally pushed a few buttons.
Currently, I am enjoying a precious group of students in a local homeschool co-op. It’s a volunteer gig that pays my heart in treasures no salary could ever match.
Five students bless me every Tuesday in our World Literature class. We only get 50 minutes a week, but the light in their eyes and the connections they make inspire my teacher’s heart for the entire week!
This week, we were learning how to craft a “killer” thesis statement. During our guided practice, we browsed hot topics on a national student discussion platform, which sparked a lively debate on whether Artificial Intelligence (AI) should be completely banned or not. (Sorry, Gemini!)
Watching their inspired minds come alive was the stuff teacher-dreams are made of. It was so refreshing to hear how informed they were and witness their critical thinking skills firsthand.
But as I listened, alongside facts from solid articles, I caught a trickle of information straight from TikTok reels and unsourced memes — quoted with the kind of unshakeable confidence only a teenager can pull off!
It prompted me to put on my “Momma Bost” hat and interject. I reiterated the difference between misinformation and disinformation, reminding them to carefully weigh what they consume on social media. As believers, I cautioned them to pray for wisdom and discernment. (Having the freedom to speak THAT Truth in this class is everything.)
I told them — with full conviction — that when we pray according to God’s will, He answers every single time. I could feel the fire in my eyes and the power behind those Words as I paraphrased James 1:5 for them.
Then it hit me: Am I doing that?
James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (ESV).
James addresses this letter to Jewish Christians scattered across the ancient world, encouraging them in the middle of severe trials — social rejection, financial exploitation, poverty, and community strife.
As a wise shepherd, James doesn’t offer empty pity or shame them for their struggles. Instead, he tells them to “consider it pure joy” because of the character adversity produces in them. He then points them to the vital asset every believer need during trying times: Wisdom.
Biblical Wisdom (sophia) isn’t just an accumulation of facts — that’s knowledge. Wisdom is knowing how to live rightly and make God-honoring decisions under pressure. Recognizing that human nature tends to cave under stress, James urges us to ask God for Wisdom. He emphasizes The Giver’s generous nature using the Greek adverb haplōs, which translates to “generously,” “sincerely,” or “unconditionally.” God gives openhandedly, without shaming us for asking.
God’s posture toward believers in James’s day is the exact same posture He holds toward us today when we face trials and need direction. He responds with immediate Grace, pouring out Wisdom in abundant measure without holding back.
The condition? We simply must ask in faith, believing He will do it.
I whole-heartedly believed what I told my students this week. Sometimes, though, it’s so much easier to have faith for other people! But the same God who longs to make those five students wise and discerning, is the same God who longs to give me that Wisdom haplōs — openhandedly, wholeheartedly, and without a single reservation.
And Friend, His heart toward you is haplōs. He will hold back nothing that brings you closer to Him.
Count on it, and count it ALL Joy.
