Figuring It Out

Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures.  Luke 24:45

I don't know abut you but I feel so much better with some laughter in my day.  As I was thinking about getting ready to go back to school I realized I really needed to laugh so as I sat with my new planner I closed my eyes to remember funny moments in my teaching career and one immediately popped into my head and a blog just seemed to follow!

One spring afternoon, my students were taking a bathroom break and one of the boys came running back into the classroom and announced in a very loud voice, “Hey Mrs. Wohlfert, Johnny (name changed to protect the innocent) got his thing stuck in the thing.” My dumbfounded, “What?” was met with a grin and a “you better get in there quick!”  After making sure my first trip into a boys bathroom was safe and clear, and it was established that the “stuck thing” was a commonly visible body part, I wiggled open the stall door and I was greeted by the sight of one of my most curious minded first grade boys kneeling on the floor with his arm stuck, clear past the elbow, in the double roll toilet paper dispenser.  The harder he tried to pull it back out, the more tightly it became wedged by the paper divider.  He was pinched, frightened and crying.  Once I freed his arm, he crawled on my lap and sobbed.  When he settled down a little, I asked, “So, what exactly were you trying to do?” He sniffed and said,“Well I think I just wanted to figure it out.” 

I don’t know about you,but I spend a lot of time trying to figure things out myself.  How many times have you heard people say,“Life doesn’t come with an instruction manual.”?  I think we get busy trying to figure out how life works on our own, and like Johnny, we get stuck!  The truth is, life does come with an instruction manual, and the wise Christian, spends time with it each and every day they wake up and draw breath.  All the answers are there, all the wisdom is there, all the comfort, hope, peace and direction we could ever need lies right there in the Bible between Genesis and Revelations.  God has spelled it all out for us, clearly and lovingly.

I remember the first time I picked up Scripture and cried out to God to get me out of a pickle.  I closed my eyes, opened up my Bible to find the answer and landed right in Matthew’s Gospel, reading about the genealogy of Jesus.  “How is this supposed to help?” I screamed.  It turned out His help was there in that long list of names I couldn’t pronounce.  He was pointing me to my family; all those people are my people!  Their lives tell a story of faithfulness and mistakes and triumph and tragedy.  They model what to do and what not to do.  That chapter was the introduction to the Fathers love, faithfulness, mercy and discipline.  They were just waiting for me to ask for help and guidance. Even when we don’t know quite what we’re asking for, God is there, ready to use His“instruction manual” to guide us. He loves us too much to make us figure it out on our own.

Many will say they don’t often read Scripture because they don’t always understand it.  The key to understanding Scripture is to ask God to reveal its meaning to you.  Each time you pick up His word, ask Him to open your heart and your mind so you will be ready to absorb a word or a phrase.  I think we’re much better off focusing on a small passage rather than a page or whole chapter.  Once you ask God to guide your understanding, read the passage slowly and carefully and then just sit and let it percolate in your mind and your heart. Sometimes He uses Scripture to help us figure something out on the spot, other times He intends for us to save that instruction for later.  Either way, He’s using His word to inspire, guide and instruct.

A seed to plant:  Make a promise right now to carve out 15 minutes each day for the next week. Commit to using that time to sit quietly with Scripture.  Begin by asking God to open your heart and mind to understand the words He would have you read.  If you aren’t sure where to begin, pick one of the four Gospels, the stories and instructions within those pages are amazing!  I guarantee, these will be the best minutes of your week!

Blessings on your day!