Have you ever had a daydream rudely crashed by a teacher asking you to respond to a question (which obviously you hadn’t heard)? Have you ever struggled to stay awake in a class of no interest to you? Have you ever prayed that not making eye contact with the teacher would prevent her from asking you to respond to last night’s reading (which you hadn’t done)? One of my life-flashing-before-my-eyes moments was when the professor would start the class period with, “Put your books away and take out a pen and a sheet of paper.” indicating, of course, a pop quiz. If any of these describe your school experience, I’ll offer you a measure of comfort telling you that you are far from alone (There should be a support group for recovering students).
It’s no secret that I look forward to reading the daily comics, especially the one titled, Agnes. She’s a little girl, who, with her best friend, Trout, uses her vivid imagination to help her escape the harsh realities of being raised by her hard-working, yet poor, grandmother in a seedy trailer park. Her over-the-top supply of the wildest flights of fancy are the source of much of Trout’s eye-rolling and critiques. Trout is the arch-realist while Agnes is the dream queen per excellence. Perhaps unnecessary to mention, but school, another harsh reality, is Agnes’ nemesis (you may check out Agnes at comics.com). Sorry for the sidebar.
As I think about the twelve chosen by Jesus, I think it’s safe to assume that, among them, there were all types of learners represented. Jesus was always teaching. The problem was that, without a formal classroom as a clue, the guys might be forgiven for not realizing that when he picked some grain in a field as he passed, or looked at a fig tree beside the road, he was giving them vital insights into God’s Kingdom. His miracles, too, were teachable moments, should they be paying attention. And his genuine friendship, his desire to hang out with them. That, too, spoke volumes about the Kingdom (but who knew?) Sometimes, the biggest question on the minds of the disciples was, ‘What does Jesus want us to do?’ And this, while Jesus simply wanted them to be.
As we read Scripture, we can ask, like the disciples, ‘What does Jesus want me to do?’ And we’d be missing, just like the disciples, his invitation to simply be. Sure, both are needed, but first and foremost, comes being. Out of our ‘be’ing comes our doing. Let’s concentrate on being devoted ‘be’ers. The rest will follow like a captivating daydream. Looking forward to seeing y’all tomorrow, 10 AM, 4 PM FR. PD
