BACK IN THE CLASSROOM

So, we are almost to the end of the first month of 2020. How has it been going? As for me, it has kind of been rough spiritually. It is funny how you can have so much hope for the new year, and like an unexpected flood all of your hopes can be washed away. But God. Soon after the new year began, I was welcomed with a stomach virus. I missed church the first Sunday of the year, the first few days of the 21 day Daniel fast that our church has participated in, and the first day back to work after being off for almost three weeks for the holidays. But there is purpose in all things. In the midst of me being sick, I managed to ask God what He is trying to tell or show me. What did I ask that for? He showed me that I needed to be more humble in a certain area of my life. It was not until I could not do anything but lie on my bed in pain before I could hear Him clearly. Thank God for the sickness.

Once I was able to start the Daniel fast, the spiritual battles continued. At the beginning of the fast, I began to become so disappointed, discouraged, and just felt lost. In general, my life does not seem to be going anywhere near where I expected to in this age and stage, and the world is just in chaos. I just kept asking God, "Are there no more good days?" It even seemed like so many of those that I looked up to who say they love the Lord were and are just doing their own thing--living a life of customizable Christianity. But God. Through prayer from others, talking with a dear friend, hearing the preached Word, reading a Christian book that is so on point when it comes to where I am spiritually, and digging in God's mighty Word, the chains began to break! Praise the Lord!! To be honest, the things around me have not really changed. But through God's never changing and never ending love, I am able to remember who God is and has been to me; therefore, I am able to get up and keep going. I really feel like God is stripping away more of the world from me so that I can fully and completely focus more on Him. Thank God for the disappointments.

Well, it did not stop there. As many of you may know, I am an advisor at the local community college in my town. Between this position and a former position on the same campus, I have worked at this college for a little over six years. I have interacted with countless students of varying ages and backgrounds, but there are some bothersome commonalities that many of them seem to have. In this time of fasting, God has flipped the script and has allowed my students to teach me about my walk Him, and I want to share what has been revealed with you. Here we go!

Often, my students seem to want something for nothing. They want someone to just hand them a degree with little to no effort on their end.

How often do I just want to show up in God's presence and have Him to just pour down His blessings on me. No, I cannot work to gain the love of Christ. But if I claim to be His, there is plenty of work to be done. Showing up is only a small part of the process--not the means to an end.

There are countless times where I have heard my students say that the college life is hard.

I tell my students that college is supposed to be hard, and that is what God is telling me about life and this Christian walk. God NEVER promised me or anyone else that any of this would be easy, but how quickly do I want to complain about what I go through is too hard.

I cannot tell you how many times I have seen my students jump from one interest or program to another. Many are so clueless about what they should be pursuing in life or are trying to avoid the hard stuff.

God revealed to me that I can be the same way. Besides trying to avoid the hard things of being a Christian, I find myself wandering through life in an aimless manner. I confess it is so difficult for me to establish solid,attainable goals, so I jump from one thing to the other without really fulfilling anything.

The younger generation almost always wants things to happen for them right now--instant gratification.

How often do I want God to bless me NOW, to rescue me NOW, and to answer me right NOW. Before the lessons can be discovered and the spiritual molding can take place, many times I am already looking for the sign that says 'exit' so that I can go back to my place of comfort.

My students seem to have no thoughts of doing many of the tasks that they can do on their own. They want someone else to do what they can do. And when things don't go their way, it is automatically someone else's fault. There is no sense of taking the blame on their end.

I hate to admit that this can be me when it comes to how I view God. God can do all things, but He still has given me things that I can do. But there are times when I get upset or mad with God for not doing something that He has already directed me to do. And when things do not happen the way they were supposed to, I find myself looking for someone else to blame. Or, if I do take on some of the blame, I make it seem like the other person or people should be even more at fault than me so I can escape the 'pointed finger'.

Many of my students come to me for everything whether it pertains to the duties of my position or not. They do not take the time to discover who they really need to go to for assistance.

Many times, I go to everything and everyone that looks and appears to be a solution to my problems instead of going to God first--the One with ALL of the answers.

Lastly, my students often wait at the last moment and, in may cases, when it is too late to seek help when they have fallen way behind. And the sad thing is that there was plenty of time to take care of most of their issues well before getting to this point.

God has shown me that there have been numerous times that I waited until the spiritual battles were too hot or well over my head before I finally cried out for His help. This can be and is so dangerous because there are countless spiritual scars and setbacks that could have been avoided had I stayed in constant communication with God from the beginning.

Whew! As you can see, God has already been working on me this year...and I am grateful. And I am thankful to Him for taking me back to the classroom and for allowing me to have an open heart as He has allowed my own students to teach me a few invaluable lessons. So, what has God been showing you lately? I would love to hear.

"Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths." --Psalm 25:4