The difficulty and necessity of impartiality.

I will admit that I have favorite students at my job. That being said, I try my best to be impartial towards them and treat them the same under school regulations as those who tend to be in a perpetual state of trouble. It is only good to do so. For instance, I had to take the cell phone away from one of my favorite students today because she just up and decided to answer it right in front of me. I was left with little choice, really, if I wanted everyone else on campus to know that I treat everyone equally.

Her boyfriend was pretty angry, as I found out near the end of my shift. He asked what was wrong with me for taking it from her when all she was doing was "answering to say she couldn't talk." Besides the lack of logic in that statement, I decided to approach his anger from a different angle. I told about the necessity of my impartiality. "What would the other students think, watching while I let her keep her cell phone but had taken theirs?" Partiality would have been a gross act of negligence and very well could have broken the trust many students had in me. That's not to say that it is easy to be impartial; just good. Thankfully, he saw the wisdom in my ways and let go of his grudge.

I learned these lessons the hard way by letting my favorite students (or the ones who could beg the best) off the hook. It was not good, not because other students saw, but because I was being lousy with my authority and responsibility. My conviction in this area revolved around the amazing truth that God, Himself, shows no favoritism. Peter, in speaking of Jesus, says, "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right." We disdain people who show favoritism. How much more would we disdain God if He made our lives and salvation contingent upon how well we wheedled Him into treating us better than our peers? Therefore, be honorable and love all people equally.