FRONT OF THE CLASS

Deuteronomy 33:1-29; Luke 13:1-21; Psalm 78:65-72; Proverbs 12:25

“…Who else is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your protecting shield and your triumphant sword! Your enemies will cringe before you….”

“The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.’”

“He cared for them with a true heart and led them with skillful hands.”

“Worry weighs a person down;
an encouraging word cheers a person up.”

Life is a school, and there are times lessons come to us at the least expected time and under the least likely circumstances. Here is what I learned tonight: we teach best when we live life well. Period. In spite of the obstacles. Sometimes, even because of the obstacles. We just need to understand one thing: hope is a hard habit to break, and we need to be more intentional about developing it.

As I write this, I am being blessed by one of the most incredible television shows I have seen in a long time. It’s not schmaltzy, phony, overly emotional or manipulative.  Well, OK, maybe it is a little schmaltzy. After all, it’s a Hallmark Hall of Fame production. But mainly, it is, at times, excruciatingly painful to watch - which says more about me than the program – and incredibly uplifting, mostly at the same time. Every single scene teaches it’s OK to be different; it’s OK to be challenged; and it’s incredibly important to have friends who love us through it all. Front of the Class may not win any Emmys. It may win all of them. Either way, I will look at life a little differently tomorrow.

The story is about a young teacher with Tourettes Syndrome. He overcomes a ton to become the second grade teacher he always wanted to be.  He does so by hanging on to the kind of spirit and spunk which make it worthwhile to be human. There is nary an ounce of religion in the show, and there doesn’t need to be. The young man ends up thanking his Tourettes for his success. He knows what it means to make all things work to good for those who love. And for just a moment, those who saw the show saw one man the way the Father sees us all: as incredibly special.

God loves us, in part, because He knows our potential. He sees what is clearly, but He also sees better and farther than we see. God sees what’s worth saving. The part of us that’s worth saving is that part of us that is Him. It’s the part of us that can learn to keep going. The part that can learn not to let adversity stop us. The part that does not let sin, or others’ negative opinions, win. It’s the part that does not ever let anything keep us from our dreams.

In the middle of religion is God. He’s the focus, the Source of everything. But just for today, can we also remember that Christ thinks humans are pretty wonderful, too? I get so tired of religious people who can see no farther than others’ sins or weaknesses. We all need to remember those very weaknesses give Jesus His grip on our lives. They are His way in.