Tables Turned

I could share with you about our reading today of Jonathan Edwards's "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" because Jesus and His grace was all over that.

I could tell you about my small group girls listening to and reflecting on the Sermon on the Mount because that was a beautiful thin place, where earth got a glimpse of heaven. 

I could tell you about how a discussion of Shakespeare's use of antithesis turned into an exploration of how Jesus turned truth upside down and inside out, issuing in a new kind of kingdom. 

I could tell you about how Fahrenheit 451 offered us an opportunity to discuss the importance of standing for truth and preserving it. 

But what really strikes me about this week is not what happened between bells. What moved me most this week poured from the hearts of students:  the senior boy who sat in my room after school just to get some work done but, when I got a disturbing text, offered to pray with me; the gaggle of girls who trusted me with their "crush" drama and want to be sure God is at the center of it; the senior girl who brought me a bag of goodies and a precious note of encouragement on Tuesday after a Monday biopsy; the yearbook staff who recognize that, when life gets really hard, it's often because Satan is trying to take down some mighty warriors, because we're doing something right, something that honors God, something that threatens the earthly reign of the Prince of Darkness -- and that our best defense is to draw near to God and to live in His righteousness. 

I may be the paid teacher in the room, but my students -- past and present -- repeatedly bring me lessons about the Love of Christ.