A Work in Progress

One of the advantages of teaching in a small school in a small town is I have the chance to see students at several points along their life path.  And for some people, these different ages can be extremely different.  I can't tell you the number of students I have met in middle school that are kind of a mess.  They are too caught up in the drama, or they are angry all of the time, or they can't seem to focus, or they can't remember anything. or they lose things constantly or they are perpetually unhappy, or or or or or.....  There are a lot of issues that a young teen can have in their life, Some are self imposed; others come at them from the outside, but issues abound.  And please don't think that I am being judgmental.  I am sure there are reasons for all of it.  I am just saying that if we take a snapshot in middle school, things are often not pretty.

(Not a Pretty Picture)

But the years go on.  A few years later they are in high school and Juniors or Seniors and to a certain extent, they have gotten their act together.  They are happier and more self confident and more serious and less scatter brained. A little maturity goes a long way.  

Still there are other people for whom all of high school is still rough.  They either barely make it through to graduation, or don't make it and get side tracked along the way.  Some people take either a few more years or a setting other than high school to find their stride.  But that doesn't mean that their journey is done.   Many times over the years I have met up with people who left high school in rough shape and made much more of themselves along the way.  

As Christians it is important to remember that we are not defined by where we were at our worst.  We are not defined by where we were, or even where we are, but where we are going.  God offers us redemption and a fresh start.  We may not be the person that we want to be.  We may not be the person that God plans for us to be.  But that doesn't mean that we can's be someday.  A little maturity goes a long way.

Watch this clip from Pastor Chris.

I often think of a quote from Mother Theresa of Calcutta, the nun who spent her life trying to help the poor of India.  She once said that she know her heart was as dark as coal.  If for all that she did, she saw that God still had great work to do on her, how much more is needed on me?