I believe in preparation. In fact, I am a firm believer that everything you need to know cannot be learned in one setting. You need to stew, to think through things... you need to develop an idea. Sometimes that stewing, that development... it takes a little time and quite often it takes a slight bit of effort. And, particularly, in the mathematics classroom, you need to study.
Today marks the first day of midterms for my 9th grade mathematics students - most of which believe education comes in the form of simple osmosis. They carry around a book and wa-la they automatically know everything in the book. Forget taking notes, forget practicing problems... just holding the book is enough. It never ceases to amaze me when students assume that just attending class makes them a mathematical genius. Forget bringing a pencil even... attendance is key. Forget using the material in real life... and honestly, who even knows how to count to ten. If my teacher can talk about mathematics for an hour while I try to pay attention (or well, why I am at least physically present) - well, that makes me fluent in the subject and quite frankly... that makes me deserve an A. Attending makes me a master... and bringing my text should give me bonus points.
You may laugh... perhaps you experience this struggle as well. You and I know that learning is a choice. And, a little effort must be placed into the learning idea. In fact, just a mere second of preparation... grabbing a pencil, completing a homework problem... can be the difference in mastery and failure.
Funny how we see the silliness of my students' logic when it comes to school, yet fail to see the obviousness of its relationship to our lives. Think about our Christian walk. So many of us attend church... don't pay attention really... just attend. We carry our Bible. Forget opening the word... carrying it is enough. We leave church and think - well I should be master Christian by now. God should be really proud. I came and I brought my book! Don't I get bonus points for that?
Did we bother to read the book? No. Did we bother to delve deep for understanding? No. Did we bother to look for applications of the book in our real lives? No. We simply showed up, brought a text and assume we are masters - we deserve an A. We deserve the best. And, quite honestly, we deserve bonus points - after all, we did bring the text.
I read in 1 John 2:4, "He that saith, I know him and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." If we claim we are masters. If we claim to know Jesus... and fail to take it from the service to our lives - we are lying! It is not enough to merely attend church or carry the Bible... we must implement it!
I cannot help but think of the miracle in John 5:1-18 - Jesus heals the lame man. (Click on the verse to view the entire story). In verse 8, Jesus told the man to "pick up his mat and walk." So, the man did! He didn't say - well, I always have that option later. He didn't say... well, I came here to the pool and got some assistance... that's almost as good as walking. He paid attention! He focused and he did his homework! And, as a result - the man walked!
So, my question is - why don't we just walk? Why don't we keep the commands? Why don't we take our knowledge outside the church doors and look for ways to apply it? When will we realize osmosis is not enough - Christianity is a lifestyle... something we live not something we watch.
When are we going to start acting? And, when, are we going to start completing our homework?
"Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters..." Isaiah 55:1
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