"Worth is more than a picture"

If you see a kid in your care standing up, facing the corner of the room, and crying, what would you do?

If you see another kid quickly sit to the ground with an pouting face after getting out at four-square, what would you do?

Semajah, a 4th grader,
getting ready to write a response
to what she read

Every year I'm with 2nd Mile Ministries, God blesses us with unique situations where we cannot trust in ourselves, only God.  Frustrating times as they may be, when the dust settles, God has us shake off the dust, and follow Him.

Like many people might do, I tried to talk to the first kid, ask what was wrong, or what happened.  Nothing.  No answer, no movement, nothing.  Even with asking him easy yes or no questions, nothing.  This went on for at least a half hour.  Seeing my own ability and strength to handle situations fail is very hard to go through and labels the day as "bad" when I go home.  With the second kid, every little thing bothers them.  Complaining and falling to the ground in disappointment rule their world.  It can get annoying when I see their reaction to something that is not a big deal.  I do remember crying one time that I got out in a fun family game of plastic baseball when I was like 5 or 6, not 4th grade.

Creation to Revelation spans a long time.  The events of Revelation haven't occurred yet, so we are chronologically between these two passages.  For anyone who has read the Bible, attempts to bridge the events to our current world are almost innate.  Either you go into a reading session trying to go from your circumstance to a nugget of wisdom from the word, or in your reading you realize that there are things in your life similar to the events of scripture.  This past to present or present to past path is what makes the Bible worth reading.  The Holy Spirit leads us towards wisdom when reading scripture (1 Cor. 2:6-16).  However, I've noticed that sometimes I'm quick with "knowing" what a passage is about when really, considering the original context, I have a very fuzzy understanding.

In my Biblical Interpretation class, I've seen the value in dissecting text from big to small.  Let me explain.  One of our assignments was to read the entire book of Acts and pick five possible themes.  I had never done this before.  I've read Acts in its entirety, but a chapter at a time, not altogether.  Then, after finding the themes, we were to dissect Acts 8:26-40, when Philip meets the Ethiopian eunuch on the road.  (Take time to read it).  If you were asked what the main point of this passage of Acts was, you may say that it was an account of when an old prophecy in Isaiah was explained by Philip to a man seeking to know the truth.  The gospel was shared and the eunuch, after being baptized, went on rejoicing.  Great story!  However, having read Acts altogether, I noticed that this section is the only time when one person shares the gospel with one other person.  All other places talk about the disciples preaching to crowds of believers, unbelievers, in the big cities, and before the authorities, but never to one person.  Seeing the bigger picture allowed me to more closely perceive why Luke included it in his book of Acts.  Salvation was no longer set aside for Jews, but was opening up to Gentiles as well, even the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).  The depiction of the eunuch's strange ethnicity and social standing would serve to declare that the gospel is to be shared with those outside our own understanding.

To go even further, reading the book of Acts in the context of the entire Bible would be quite the feat as well.  Knowing that the same God who wrote the Old Testament had plans to redeem his chosen through Jesus in the New Testament helps us understand not the main point of Acts, but God's main point.

We may read a blurb about David, a man after God's own heart, and hope to emulate his devotion (you know, before he went bad).  But the story of David isn't about David at all, it's about God.  Reading scripture with this new mindset I believe will help me understand more clearly the nature of God and keep me from reading scripture with my own point of views.

I turned in a paper yesterday for my Dynamics in Biblical Change that had me write extensively on a time in my life where I've experienced significant suffering.  It was hard to do, relive a painful memory.  However, when I started to remember a specific moment in my life, other memories from different times in my life popped up that were similar to that time.  My reaction to the "suffering", if not grounded in Christ, would lead to false interpretations of the world.

In similar ways, analyzing one moment in these kids' lives will not get me very far.  Understanding their patterns and the usual reactions to situations will slowly but surely provide more clarity on what they are experiencing and more importantly, what they are not believing about God.  How they react to whatever they may be experiencing and suffering may show a glimmer of what their false beliefs are.  For the first kid, this behavior is brand new.  Last year, they were so helpful, quick to be goofy.  We don't know what changed and why they feel the need to stonewall when "suffering."  For the second kid, we see this behavior a lot.  It's easier to see they may find their worth in being more athletic than everyone else and getting out in four-square (or plastic baseball) reveals flaws and weaknesses.

I'm excited to see how God shapes my story from birth to death, from completely separated from him to enjoying my new heavenly body in heaven (2 Cor. 5).  Pray as we seek to share the gospel with these kids.  Pray God would soften their hearts to receive him and that their "sufferings" would one day be given to a completely sovereign Lord.

Jovan, our other 4th grader, helping transport mulch during our Action Day.
He's a beast.  He probably did more work than the adults.