“It’s for What I Need.”

I didn’t have a desk for myself in my classroom. I always had a kidney-shaped table or a U-shaped table. You know the kind. That table was where small groups happened. Where reteaching happened. Where so much conferring, collaborating, and planning took place. It was where student-led conferences happened and where I met with parents.

Hard conversations happened around that table. Celebrations happened there, too. There were tears. There was frustration. There was anger. There was joy. There were smiles. So many goals were set around that table. And so many goals were reached around that table.

That table was one of my classroom must-haves. I am so thankful for that table. I have so many memories sitting around it.

And then there was the chair. You know the one. The comfy teacher chair. The one on wheels. The one that goes up and down. Yep. That one. I used that chair when I was reteaching. When small groups were gathered around the table. When I needed to pull in close and work alongside a few students.

And there was another chair right next to me. The kids would ask, “What’s that chair for?”

And I would tell them, “It’s for what I need.” That was all I would say.

When I had a parent meeting, I never used that teacher chair. I always sat on the same side of the table as the parents. Same side. Same kind of chair. Same eye level. I wanted them to feel that we were in this together. Especially the parents who didn’t carry good feelings about school. Especially during those moments when parents came in with their dukes already up, ready to fight. We sat on the same side of the table. Because we were on the same side.

And during student-led conferences, my students always sat in that teacher chair. It was their meeting. Their conference. They had the show in their hands. They sat in the fancy chair. And it was amazing. They absolutely glowed. They might have started out nervous, but they always left walking on sunshine. I loved watching that happen.

But that empty chair? It was always there. No matter what. And before long, the kids started saying it themselves. “That chair is for Mrs. Cooper. It’s what she needs.” Oh, that melted my heart. And made me smile every single time.

I'm guessing you know who that chair was really for. 

Yep. Jesus. I had a chair for Jesus at my table.

And when there was a chair at the table for Jesus, I didn’t forget to include Him. In every conversation. Every decision. Every difficult moment. Every celebration. Every student. Every parent. Every detail of my day.

Because, man oh man… I needed Him.

There was a lot of hard in those final months. And that chair was a comfort to me. It was a reminder that I didn't have to carry it all. He was my strength. My Rock. My Refuge.

That chair reminded me to look up instead of looking within. It reminded me to surrender. To let go. To release what I couldn't control. It reminded me Who I worked for. And why I was doing the work I did every day.

That chair wasn't just a chair. It was a physical reminder of a spiritual truth: Jesus belonged at the table.

And honestly… I needed that reminder.

Every.

Single.

Day.

And I know something else. That chair was never empty. Not once. Not for one moment. He was there. At the table. In the hard conversations. In tears. In the celebrations. In the uncertainty. In the moments when I didn't know what to say. In the moments when I didn't know what to do. He was there.

So, teacher… Look around your classroom. Look around your life. Do you have a chair for Jesus?

Not just a place for Him when things get hard. Not just a place for Him when you need help. But a place for Him in all of it. At the table. In the conversation. In the planning. In the decisions. In the joy. In the hard. In the ordinary Tuesday afternoon when someone has called your name for the 47th time and you are wondering if you have anything left to give.

Make Him a place.

Pull up a chair.

Because, friend… He is for what you need. And He is already there.

♥️♥️♥️Maria 

Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” 

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”