What I Wish You Knew . . .

We’re selfish. By nature. We don’t understand when others get things we don’t. We don't know why everything can't be fair. And in the classroom, sometimes, I hear a lot of complaining about that. But I am your teacher, and I wish you knew . . .

• That student left class early because they are on the way to a meeting with their oncologist to discuss new treatment options.
• I know who is cheating.  I know how too.  But I also know you will learn a valuable lesson on test day when you can’t cheat and you still have to be able to answer the question. Or, you won't learn that lesson at all and get what you deserve.
• I accepted that student’s homework late because her child has been at Children’s for the last week and a half.
• I ignored that student’s question because I know she missed what I said the last ten minutes of class because she was playing on her phone.
• Your classmate gets to borrow my book because although she bought one she can no longer access it.  Why? Because she had to flee an abusive relationship and left all her possessions in the process.
• That student who seems to be understanding everything in class has spent three hours in my office this week.
• That student wears long sleeves in class because he has had so much blood work this month he looks like an addict.  And they still don’t know what is making him sick.  Please don’t bother him about his clothing choice.
• The reason your classmate cried when they got their paper back is it was their first time taking a test with new accommodations and they just made their first C (their highest grade) on a math test ever.
• That student sleeps in class sometimes because he just finished working four twelve hour shifts.
• I really don’t know where that student in your class went.  They haven’t responded to any of my attempts to contact them and I am very worried.
• I take my job seriously.  I chose this job.  Most week’s I cry more tears for you than my own children.
• You’ll never know the sacrifices my family makes for me to be here.
• You’ll never know what the person beside you is going through.

Maybe that’s a good thing?  I want you to learn to be sympathetic to others without having to know how hard it is for them.  I want you to get to spend your time here without the worries they have.  I want you to know I understand you have bad days too.  Because one day you are going to face the tough stuff.  One day you will understand the struggles of #adulting aren’t wearing pants and paying for your own cell phone. #adulting is having a clear vision of the big picture (the good, the bad, the ugly) and still getting up and putting your pants on.  It’s admitting you can’t do it on your own and submitting every day to the One Who Can.  Oh and it’s praying.  It’s a LOT of praying.

June 23 - They Did Not Understand

Read: Mark 9:30-32

But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him. (Mark 9:32 ESV)

Jesus had just been transfigured before the eyes of his inner circle of disciples. For the second time he wanted them of his impending murder at the hands of the religious establishment. They could not understand what he was trying to say, and they were too afraid to ask for clarification.

What part do you think presented the most difficulty for them? Was it the bit the about resurrection? After all, no one had really heard of that before. In any case, the notion of Jesus being killed was very difficult for the disciples to comprehend.

I know that in my own life I often struggle to understand things that are new to me. I enjoy the process of thinking through new ideas. I relish the opportunity to think through an old thing in a new way, but that doesn't mean that I am overly good at it.

Usually any preconceptions I have about an idea act as a bit of mental fog. They cloud my thinking and thwart clarity. This can make the road to understanding difficult.

I feel like that is what the disciples were going through when Jesus shared the knowledge of his approaching fate. It was so outside the realm of their considered possibilities that they were afraid to even acknowledge it as a potential outcome. They didn't have that scenario figured out. It scared them.

Truthfully, Jesus leads us through the worst moments of personal misunderstanding. He helps to bring clarity back. It's not always an academic clarity of a situation. However, of we trust and follow him, we are always led to clarity of faith. That is something I have to remind myself of frequently.

June 15 - How?

Read: John 10:1-12

So they said to him, "Then how were your eyes opened?" (John 9:10 ESV)

Unfortunately, at least for people like me, not everything can be figured out. The trick is in coming to realize that this is actually a good thing. When Jesus healed a blind man the know-it-alls and elitists felt compelled to gain an intellectual understanding of the situation.

The man was known to have been blind all of his life and all-of-a-sudden there he was with the ability to see. How did it happen? That's what the mob was interested in knowing.

And its not the first question they asked. They had previously asked about the sinful condition of a man in need of healing. Jesus used the situation to teach them the powerful truth that transgression and tragedies are not from God.

Jesus demonstrated how God takes affliction and uses it for glory. The blind man was healed. Ad everyone wanted to know how. Jesus' point was not to be found in the how but rather in the why. It's much more interesting, to understand why God would want to do something amazing for you than how he would do it.