As you can see from today's pictures, my students participated in a slinky lab. We are currently learning about wave shapes and how to measure them so the lab was a perfect fit. (It's really fun too!)
However, one group of students chose not to follow directions, they ended up damaging the slinky, (it was so tangled that fixing it actually caused it to brake), and missing out on part of the lab experience.
I got so angry I made them stop the lab, sit down, and I think I might have raised my voice a decibel or two. I gave them a lecture about paying attention, responsibility, and how I pay for lab supplies out of MY OWN MONEY! I told them how disappointed I was in their decision to goof off and how I almost didn’t trust them to participate in subsequent labs.
They were extremely apologetic, one was actually teary eyed. They asked if they could replace the slinky and promised (signed contract and all) that this behavior would not happen again.
As I was trying to fix the broken slinky I started to think about my relationship God. ( I just started a new Bible study and have been really digging into the word this week). I, like my students, do not always heed God’s warnings. And more often than not you can find me not following his direction. Each night in my prayers before bed, I find myself before God asking for forgiveness for the same things; white lies, snarky comments to my husband, and a few curse words that slipped out. Same as my rowdy students I am holding a broken slinky (or bundle of sins in my case) knowing I did wrong and waiting for the consequences. 
But God, unlike me, does not raise his voice, does pull me from my life experiences, nor does he lecture me about misbehavior. He forgives my sins and sends me back out to try again. 
I can’t help but think about the parable of the money lender in Luke. (Luke 7: 36-47)
"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said. Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven — for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."
Today my students had a slinky and tried to learn with it. Yes, they damaged the slinky, yes they were off task; and yes, they indeed made me angry. But what is important is that they apologized and I must forgive them. God, who gave his only son to pay for my debts, is willing to forgive me time and again. How could I possibly hold a grudge against my students for a $1.00 slinky.
I think they reason God forgives us and keeps forgiving us is that Christianity just like school is a learning experience. We won’t know how to react to sin and temptation if we have never fallen for it and had to repent and try again.
The reason I cannot suspend my students from labs infinitely (although there are a few I would love to extend that mandate to) is because I have to let them learn, grow, make mistakes, and hopefully prosper.
When I look at the many years I have been a Christian (going on 20 now), you would think I would have learned how to avoid sin and temptation, but for me it’s an everyday battle marked many times in failure. God continues to forgive me, love me, and accept me as part of the family. If only I could learn to be as patient, loving, and nurturing to my 7th graders!
I guess I need to keep practicing those fruits of the spirit…
No comments:
Post a Comment