The Road to Heaven is Not Always Safe
For the past couple of months my head has been almost entirely submerged in work. I’ve returned to on site teaching after COVID and in many ways it has been like the shock of immersion after being thrown into a vat of ice cold water. Student behaviors seem to have regressed to the place where they last paused in their schooling. I teach freshmen in high school and many students have experienced a kind of arrested development. Instead of teaching 9th graders, I am teaching 7th graders with larger bodies with two years of pent up aggression and frustration. Many other teachers are reporting similar stories and the situation appears even more dire in elementary schools if you believe the anecdotal tales of teachers across the U.S. As the apostle Paul said so aptly in his letter to the Galatians, “a man reaps what he sows.” We are certainly reaping the harvest of a year a half of neglected teaching, school work, and daily structure. I wish we could go back in time and make different decisions, act on more powerful insight, and build a brighter future, instead we are in struggling to stay afloat in a system that seems to be falling apart.
Unfortunately, none of us get the luxury of going back in time. We cannot “unreap” what has already been sown. All we can do is learn from mistakes and build for the future. We can plant new seed. This is our hope and our only option. The Bible and the teachings of Christian faith make no claims that a life of faith is an easy one. In fact, life in general is not easy for anyone. We all have our own set of problems and no one travels an entirely smooth path without the inevitable rough patches. Some of us may choose to remedy our problems with easy, worldly solutions rather than godly ones. The difference between the worldly and righteous is the future that results from these decisions. The future is never as far away as we imagine. Will we reap a harvest that will both benefit ourselves and those around us or will our choices lead to destruction? Matthew spoke about it like this, “Enter though the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it (Matthew 7:13-14). Through trial and error I am trying to find my way to the narrow gate. One thing that I do see clearly is that the path of least resistance is usually one that leads to destruction and chaos if you travel down it long enough. Worldly solutions to our woes are seductive in the moment and terrible for the future, much like the current situation in k-12 education. We, teachers have much work to do and many of us are crumbling under the strain. All of us have much work to do and we will all falter under the weight of the world.
We feel both a collective and personal responsibility for the state of the world and as much as I would like to have some sway over the collective direction of my community, state, world, I definitely have much more influence and power over my personal choices. Honestly, both carry more weight than I am able to handle alone. This is where “a little love, little hope, and a little faith” have to meet us where we fall short and when we feel overwhelmed. It is through my faith in Christ that I find the power to get up and face each day with hope and a promise for the future.
Fortunately for us, God does not expect us to fix all the problems in the world, but only to have a heart for God. I am learning to let go of all the things I want to fix and that has been one of my biggest spiritual struggles. As those who know me well would attest, I’m a fixer and a corrector. I can be quite arrogant about what I think needs to be done to make the world better. This has been a poor focus and often a distraction from truly becoming the person I want to be. I need to focus on what I can learn and how God can shape my heart. This is hard for all of us, but what a message of hope that we do not have to be responsible for all the world’s problems. After all sin has been with us from the beginning.
We have spiritual work before us that is specific to each of us and our current situation. As a dear friend reminded me, "fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)” My job is to “fear not” allow God to do his work and listen to His still voice directing me in my spiritual life. Recently, I have felt such comfort in this. Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” I think I’m ready to lay down the heavy burdens of the world. How about you?
With those words, I present this song I’ve been working for the past month. I challenged myself a couple months ago to go back to songwriting and to occasionally share some of the central ideas in my blogs through songs. This song has completely consumed me for the last month. I dedicate it to my Praying Sisters and dear friends, who do such a lovely job caring for those they love and reminding me why I cherish and love my faith. Thank you for giving me so many reasons to feel grateful.
