God in School

Study break #2 was being able to go to church tonight. Some people may watch a movie but I went to church. It was great being able to see people in what feels like a very long time. I walked away from church feeling challenged and with a new picture of what God's kingdom looks like.

Our teaching series is something like God in our Everyday Lives (I'm not sure if that's the actual name of it, but that's the idea of what it's about). Anyway, tonight was God in our work/school. I was challenged tonight and it was good.

I attend a school where I am by far the "black sheep" of the class. My classmates are wonderful people, but them and I lead very different lives. Most of them have had a criminal record. They do drugs (nothing too serious). They party and drink a lot. The "F" word is just another word in their daily vocabulary. None of them speak fondly of the church, let alone attend a service. The list could continue, but I think you get the idea. I on the other hand don't really fit into the lifestyle that they lead and I am ok with that. I don't mind being the black sheep.

My school is a very intimate school. There are only 22 people in my class and due to the nature of my profession, we have all gotten to know each other rather well, inside & out. My friends at school know that I am a Christian. They know that I don't smoke pot and drink just for the purpose of getting drunk. They know I don't swear on a regular basis (although they do come out sometimes) and they have accepted me for who I am and what I believe. In fact, they are quite facinated with the whole mennonite culture, that they want to have a "Mennonite Days" in the spring just so that they can learn more. It's quite funny.
Even though I have chosen not to conform to their lifestyle, that does not change my opinion of these people. 95% of my classmates are going to make amazing massage therapists with a heart and a compassion to help people improve their quality of life. There reasons for becoming a massage therapist are quite similar to my own.


So back to the teaching time tonight. The question was:

How does God fit into your work/school?

I am privilaged to be able to share Christ to my friends at school everyday. I don't go and preach to them or tell them how they should be living their lives, but I do live my life differently and they notice. By just being the "black sheep", my friends get to see little glimpses of God without them really knowing it or me pushing it on them. Are there days when being a Christian in this tight knit community is hard? For sure! I have to admit that there are days when I really don't feel like being different. There are days when I mess up and I don't want to be watched as closely as I am sometimes and all I feel like doing is blending in. As followers of Christ we don't really get the option of blending in. We are called to be like Jesus and that means going against the tide and stirring things up. Jesus was a pretty radical guy and wants us to be the same.

I have been so blessed by awesome friends at school who accept me, who love me and who support me despite our lifestyle differences. I am so lucky that I get to be able to share with them in indirect ways the love of Christ and who He has created each of us to be just by extending love and grace to each of my classmates.

My challenge for this upcoming week in particular and in the weeks to come is to start my day with God asking Him to go before me in my day so that I may continue to be a light in lives of my classmates and that I might continue to make a difference and that they would continue to ask questions. My prayer for the upcoming week is going to be Matthew 5: 13-16.

"Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.
"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven."