School Days

 

"Are you excited to go back to school?  I asked the four of my children who were starting back to school.

"Yes!"  Victoria said, very loudly.

"No!"  Elliot said, just as loudly.

Regardless of what they thought about going back to school, they went back to classes this last week.  I can't say that their mother was totally displeased with their return to school.  

They went back to the normal things, school books and teachers, lessons and lunches, and back to the gentle grind of learning.

Most of us were glad when we reached the age where we were done with school.  It was a blessing to reach the point where we received a diploma and could finally begin to receive a paycheck as well.

Though we graduated with the highest marks, hopefully, that was not the end of our learning.

Learning in the school of life is not easy.  The Book of James tells us to "ask for wisdom."  When I was younger, I imagined that God would just appear in a dream, as He did to Solomon and just give it to me -- maybe when I turned old, like 32 or some age like that.  Then, I would know when to tell people to cut babies in half and stuff like that.

That isn't really the way that we learn or gain wisdom.

Romans 5:3-5 says, "Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."

Each day I awaken in life's school room with a challenge.  I must identify the lessons before me and then learn them as perfectly as I can.  More often than not, those lessons will involve some sort of trial.

I find these lessons harder than even the hardest days in Medical School.  They are no longer just about learning about a new disease process, enzyme, or medication class.  Now, I find the learning to be in areas like kindness, gentleness, and patience.

Unlike with the times tables, these are not easily learned and applied.  Instead, I feel like I am constantly learning and re-learning these lessons.

I am not excited to study these lessons, but I know that I will not graduate from this school until it is time for me to "go home."  In the meantime, my goal must be to become more and more like my Master, one learning filled day at a time.