HOMESCHOOLED
In the Classroom with God
September 13th, 2023
See, I’ve been in the classroom lately. With God. And while the lessons have been extremely difficult, excruciatingly painful, exhaustingly real, they also are the purpose of a patient Teacher’s Lesson Plan—extravagantly designed for my good and ultimately His use. And He is (home)schooling me so I may know that He has my best interests strategically in sync with the beat of His heart.
TODAY’S LESSON: DEFINING MOMENT
Can you pinpoint the very moment when everything changed? That is, if you were ever headed in one direction, and suddenly, you found yourself at a completely different intersection than you imagined. You might have suddenly asked yourself: how did I get here and where do I go from here?
I think there are many people who intended to become someone other than who they one day wake up as, and I think they often wonder why and what happened. I am one of those people, so I can talk on this subject from experience. I even aced a number of these courses, passed with flying colors, graduated Valedictorian of the class labeled ‘Losers and Disappointments’, with a degree in Apathy.
I was thinking about this the other day as I was watching a college football game. The favored team came out strong, but had been arrogant and assured, lazy and lackadaisical; so, they were sloppy. The underdogs built confidence off of the opponents’ swagger. They began playing phenomenally, with energy, and soon were up by a handful of points. Everyone was shocked, oohing and aahing, immediately wowed by the charisma and expertise playing out on the field. Suddenly, the favored team made an impulsive play, giving the underdogs the boost they needed to incite a win, and it changed the trajectory of what had been predicted, for not only the game but for both teams. Maybe the season; we’ll see. During the commentary after the game was over, the announcer pointed back to that one play when the outcome was being developed, and it became evident, had that one moment gone differently, it would have changed the ending of the game. The outcome.
So too it is with life. It made me think about all the ‘moments’ in this universe which become editors of our stories, and how important it is to not let those things delineate us. Because of God’s grace, we are not defined by that one play, that one moment, that one thing, the enemy reminds us of constantly. Yet outcomes can feel catastrophic, and there are consequences to our actions, our decisions, even our swagger. We must perform a mercy-killing of our choices, because, like cancer, they suck the life right out of our futures when we come face-to-face with ourselves. We must face the reality; there is a wicked influence prowling about like the sneaky snake he is, rolling around on his belly, determined to take a chunk out of our progress and steadfastness and tenacity, leaving venomous self-doubt and shame running through our veins, threatening to poison our persuasion, persistence, and perseverance.
His peaceful night’s rest was shattered in the middle of the night by the breaking of glass. Suddenly, a rabid man charged him, bolstered and armored by the gun in his hand as it sprayed bullets in his face. Isaiah 54:17a says, ‘No weapon formed against me shall prosper,’ and those words will always hold intense meaning for him from now on. He was shot four times in his head, face, ear, and shoulder, and not one of them caused damage of any significance. The maniac whose goal was to inflict death only caused a momentary delay in our friend’s progress toward his future, and far greater, was the reward of a reminder of God’s grace and favor for him. Nothing negative prospered, but goodness abounded.
This is further evidence that we can begin one place and end up entirely someplace different. What matters is our focus and the condition of our heart and our willingness to be molded into what God sees and purposes for each one of His children. That’s how we can begin this journey, intent on our destination, and sometimes get off-course. But then through God’s love and patience for His children, we can be rerouted, put back on schedule and arrive where He was leading all along, maybe just a little later but wiser and more grateful, and, well…saved.
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT:
Describe what defines you: __________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________ .
If you could change one thing about yourself/your life, what would it be? _____________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________ .
Psalm 37:4-5, ‘Find your delight and true pleasure in Yahweh, and He will give you what you desire the most. Give God the right to direct your life, and as you trust Him along the way, you’ll find He pulled it off perfectly!’ (TPT)
‘I hear the Lord saying, “I will stay close to you, instructing you and guiding you along the pathway for your life. I will advise you along the way and lead you forth with My eyes as your guide. So, don’t make it difficult; don’t be stubborn when I take you where you’ve not been before. Don’t make Me tug you and pull you along. Just come with Me!”’ (Psalm 32:8-9, TPT)
