John 3:2 ….”Rabbi, we know you are a teacher come from God”
With the reflective nature of Lent and an upcoming birthday, I find myself looking backward, looking forward and looking within and thinking about teachers and lessons.
Looking backward, I recall many people whose lives have intersected with mine throughout the years. Some I knew briefly. Some for several years. I think of the lessons I learned from them.
I consider them teachers. I may have admired their taste in music, fashion and decor and followed along. Even their attitudes and opinions I often adopted as my own.
Who among us has not heard a friend utter, "Don't make the same mistake I made"? and did we heed the advice? Sometimes I did. Sometimes I did not, sadly enough.
In looking forward, I am reminded of the question so many job interviewers used to ask back in the day: “Where do you see yourself five years from now?”
(“Sitting in your seat,” was never the correct answer.)
At my age, or at any age for that matter, the answer can be as simple as “doing whatever God has for me to do.”
But what is that exactly?
What does God have for me to do? I strain my ears to hear.
Dare I say that I will have published a book for His glory? That for His kingdom I have ventured, literally or figuratively, into uncharted territory? That I have labored to make a positive difference in some else’s life? What exactly does that look like? I wonder.
As I look within today, slowing down, I know that Jesus my the most important teacher of all. There is no crisis so dramatic, so dilemma so complex that Jesus cannot deliver us from the chaos.
“Cast all your anxiety of Him because He cares for you.”(1 Peter 5:7)
When, if not now, will I commit to learning the lessons of Jesus? His wisdom defies all logic, yet a commitment thereto can alter the course of history.
Coming to grips with the fact He has me in the palm of His nail-scarred hands challenges my human mind, so the heart must lead. The heart and soul of one thankful pilgrim, saved by Grace and wrapped in Heavenly Love.
Teach me, Lord, all Your lessons, especially to speak truth with love, to be a godly wife, an honorable friend and a responsible citizen to the glory of Your Name, Amen.