The rising sun cast a rosy hue across the morning sky. This was THE DAY. The day that I would find out if I still had a job. If I still had a credential. As I briskly walked into the administration office, I could sense the irateness of the HR director. The words that came out of her mouth slowly sputtered out “You are terminated.” Terminated for what? Separation of Church and State.

What happened? How did Michael Suzuki get fired? I’ll start off by saying that I love the kids I teach. They are in 7th grade and I always knew I wanted to be a teacher since I was a child. Sometimes, you just know. You know what your God-given desires are and what you are called to do. Investing in the next generation is an important task. A task that impacts the futures and destinies of those being taught. Live out your convictions- more words I learned from the Pastors that I have grown up with over the years. Now it was all coming to fruition- Everything I believed was going to be tested in this moment. Would I cave into the culture and live out what I believe?

One student asked, “Do you support the LBGTQ community?” Was this a legitimate question? Was this a setup? I’m not sure but I just answered truthfully. Students were claiming to be homosexual and Christian. Out of love, I told them that it’s not possible to be homosexual and Christian. I gave them the Gospel message and told them that being a Christian is about the heart. We are sinners in need of God’s grace. To be a Christian, one must repent and believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He was raised from the dead and is the only one who can forgive sins. This is our hope. An habitual, unrepentant lifestyle of any sin is characteristic of an unbeliever. It’s not possible to be homosexual and Christian. Unbelievers are going to hell but there is hope in the Gospel message.

God is working through this. I’m just thankful I had the opportunity to give the Gospel message to the students that are deceived. The ones that think they can be homosexual and Christian. In fact, we can’t be heterosexual and Christian if we are living in unrepentant, habitual fornication either. The Gospel frees from the Power and Penalty of sin toward new desires and a new heart that wants to obey. God can use this as a means for salvation to accomplish His purposes.

What now? I’m not sure what the future holds. I’m being diligent in applying to jobs and am open to anything at this point. But I don’t live for a job. Katie Davis Majors once said- “the Gospel of Jesus Christ changes people’s lives and their eternity. And that’s worth spending my life for.” We aren’t all called to be missionaries but we are called to be faithful to the Gospel message and proclaim Christ. It’s a message of utmost value. Like Diamonds. However, diamonds do not last forever. EVEN diamonds eventually turn into graphite over billions of years. It may seem like diamonds have supreme value and last forever but the Gospel message never goes away and is infinitely more valuable than diamonds because it affects eternity. Lets remain faithful to what has eternal value. Infinite value. What do you value with your life and are we willing to stand up for the truth? Could I do it again? I’m not sure. I was never looking to get fired but the Holy Spirit enabled me to stand firm. The goal is to be faithful and one day, He will say good job faithful servant. Lets live for that day and influence those around us! Let the love of Christ indwell your heart so much that we would want to give the message because of what He has done for us. For one day we will give an account with how we stewarded our time, what we said, and how we impacted the Kingdom of God. Judgment is coming for unbelievers and Glory awaits those that are saved. What a great truth we can set our minds and hearts on as we try to be representatives and ambassadors for the Kingdom of God. Stay faithful.