Many regions of the U.S. are beautiful to live in (especially during the fall season), but gardening is sometimes difficult in even the most magnificent areas. The ground often seems to have more rocks than soil in it! Every push of the shovel is met with a sudden stop against a rock. Do you ever find yourself spending more time picking rocks than planting seeds?

In northeastern Illinois, where I now live, the ground is black and soft and rock free. Sinking a spade into the ground is an easy task.

As with rewarding gardening, the “soil” influences rewarding teaching. Some teaching experiences are joyful, encouraging, and free from “rocks.” But some teaching situations lack joy, produce discouragement, and are filled with “rocks.” We could describe such situations as teaching in a hard place.

The Hard Place

The “rocks” of a hard place in teaching, while numerous and easily spotted, are not so easily removed. Here is a short list of characteristics of the more common “rock” types.

A Cold Countenance. Adults with this characteristic seem to have within them no warmth for learning or fire of interest for God’s Word. When they arrive for the study, their combined body heat seemingly lowers the room temperature.

A Calloused Heart. Learners with this characteristic display a rigid and rejecting attitude toward the message of Scripture. Truth seems to bounce off them like a tennis ball against a wall.

A Closed Mind. Individuals, as well as whole groups, with this characteristic make it known that they will not allow any new learning in their minds. It’s as if they have folded their hands across their minds and set their jaws against any Biblical thought.

A Critical Spirit. Adults who are cold spirited, callous hearted, and closed minded are seldom silent but are often critical. They reveal with their mouths their true nature and rock-hard attitudes. Their words, hurled like s verbal bombs, hurt, discourage, and destroy the good that should come from Bible study among needy, humble learners and their teachers.

These “rocks” describe teaching in a hard place.

The “Rocked” Teacher

Are you a teacher trying to work the soil of learning with “rocks” such as these in your class or small group? If so, you most likely feel tired and discouraged. You may be questioning your teaching capability and giftedness or even your spiritual worthiness to lead others in Bible study. You may have found it necessary to seek God’s forgiveness for allowing learners’ negative attitudes to affect your own life. Perhaps you think the situation is actually your fault. You have been “rocked” by teaching in a hard place and may be thinking of quitting. Don’t quit! Read on.

The “Rock-Resistant” Teacher

How does a teacher minister in a hard place with the hope of God’s blessing? That is, how does a teacher become “rock-resistant”? Paul assigned Titus to a hard place and gave him a twofold strategy for working with that place (Titus 1; 2). The strategy is simple: teach sound truth and live a good life. Today’s popular phrase “Walk the walk as you talk the talk” captures the idea. The “rock-resistant” teacher trusts God to work through His strategy to accomplish His will, even among the “rocks” in the class.

You will find teaching the truth and living the life easier when you remember these principles:

God’s will for the church. Read Matthew 28:19 and 20 and Colossians 1:28.

A godly manner for effective teaching. Read 1 Thessalonians 2:1–13.

Little things. These include a strong personal devotional and church life, sound and prayerful preparation for teaching, and a positive and vibrant sense of humor.

Teaching in a hard place is, well, hard. God assigned Paul and then Titus to minister in a hard place so He would receive the glory from the Cretans’ changed lives. So, too, He may have assigned you to serve Him in a similarly hard place. Serve Him well. Let Him use His Word and your life to affect change in the “rocks” of your own teaching garden.