The RAVYN Blog

How should I respond to the let-downs?

It’s not a new phenomenon. Everyone has to go through a phase in their life. They have to face disappointments, cancellations, no-shows, and last-minute changes. And everyone has their own way of handling what life throws at them.

If I were facing a challenge, how would I deal with it following the guidance of the Holy Spirit? How would He navigate me through the obstacles hurled my way with no warning?

A Test of Patience

Once, I asked God to direct me on how to handle some of my more challenging students. I prayed for strength, grace, and compassion. I also prayed for peace and patience, thinking that my day would go smoothly.

In some ways, the day did start off well.

Then something major disrupted my day.

As I sat at my laptop making last-minute edits to a test I planned to send to my Head of Department, I got an urgent message.

The deadline to submit the test draft had passed.

I wasn’t aware that there was a deadline to begin with. I called the HOD and asked if I could still submit the test, knowing it was the only way to boost my students’ scores. On the verge of giving up, I hung up the phone.

The HOD had it hard in the last few weeks of the school term, but I wasn’t ready to throw in the towel. Not yet. Not like this.

I was angry.

I was angry at the HOD for her problems, for blaming me for her inability to tell me the deadline.

I was angry at the department for being so disorganized. I was angry at the school for putting me through this situation. I was angry at myself for not meeting a deadline I didn’t know about.

I was angry at God for not answering my prayers. At least I thought He didn’t.

I just needed to get away. Get some clarity.

The Daniel Directive

I pulled away from the school, still in tears and desperate for an answer. During that moment of frustration and anger, the story of Daniel and his friends came to me.

When Daniel and his friends were taken to Babylon, the king recruited them to work under him. Part of their preparation meant they had to eat the king’s meat, but Daniel and his friends refused, as their beliefs prohibited them from eating meat sacrificed to foreign gods.

Instead of complying with the king’s request, Daniel and his friends offered a solution. He told the chief of eunuchs that he preferred to eat only water and vegetables, adding that if, after ten days, his diet was still unsatisfactory to the king, they would relent and eat the king’s meat.

Even with this hesitance, the chief of eunuchs allowed Daniel and his friends to eat only vegetables, and after those ten days, when Daniela and his friends were presented before the king, they were the fittest and healthiest of all the young men.

Returning with Clarity

After this revelation, God’s instruction came to me with clarity:

“Go back to school. Instead of giving this as an end-of-term assignment, ask to give this as a non-graded assignment and use it to see how the students fare. If they do well and can bring their grades up, you can argue a case to have it entered in as a final score.”

I returned to the school with a new form of hope. During this encounter, these verses came to mind:

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“With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue will break a bone.”

Proverbs 25:15

They say that if you pray for patience, God will give you challenges to strengthen your heart.

If you ask for peace, He’ll give you a storm.

It’s in the midst of these trials that our patience and peace will be tested.

Ecclesiastes says this:

The end of a matter is better than its beginning,
and patience is better than pride.
Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit,
for anger resides in the lap of fools.

Ecclesiastes 7:8-9

The Update: Many Years Later

Updated 25, February 2026

After re-reading this post, I realized I hadn’t updated you on how this all panned out.

First, I was able to give my students the end-of-term test as a multiple-choice test, which helped them. They all passed the test (the lowest grade, I believe, was a B).

These students struggled a lot throughout that term, and I knew they needed that extra boost of confidence. Most of them were really delighted to see their first ‘A’ after several failing grades.

They aren’t in Grade 7 anymore. They all moved up or moved on to other schools. I’m happy that they finally received the support they needed through IPs and IEPs, and I was able to be a part of that journey for some of them.

As I write this update, I’m no longer working at the school, but I know that these students and I have formed an irreplaceable bond, and I pray they continue to grow and receive the support they need.