I wish I had thought of that! (Joe Widick)

We are again blessed tonight by thoughts from Joe Widick who was an extraordinary classroom teacher at Friendship Christian School! Please pray for me as I arrive back in Houston one week from today!

As a teacher, I was always on the lookout for methods that would prove to be interesting while at the same time beneficial to my students.  I loved the ideas where the students had to think outside of the box.  It has been years since I have been in the classroom and I still find me looking for those unique ideas to teach a lesson or make a point.  I ran across this idea from an English professor who instructing his class about the concept of writing a biographical sketch.  He instructed his class to write a biography in six words.  At first thought, it sounded impossible.  What could one say about a life in only six words?  There is so much to cover in a person’s life.  What would you leave out?  What would you say to give a good description of the person’s life you were writing about?  The more I thought about this exercise, I realized that there are many short biographical sketches in the Bible.  Most of these brief descriptions are about heroes that we look to with admiration.  God had this to say about David; “A man after my own heart” (I Samuel 13:14).  Paul described himself with these six words; “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:1).  Later Paul described Timothy; “My true son in the faith” (I Timothy 1:2).  Consider these words about Mary: “The virgin shall be with child” (Matthew 1:23).  Then there are the words about Jesus; “Became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).  With each of these descriptions our mind is able to journey back to biblical times and picture a man or woman who truly served God in a faithful way.  Except for Christ, none were perfect, yet what we remember about them brings joy to our heart.  They give us something to think about. 

This unique exercise prompted me to think in a more personal way.  What if you were given the task of writing a six work biographical sketch of me, what would it say?  Or, what if I was given the task of writing one about you, what would I say.  Would they be positive or would they be negative?  Would any of them say “Saw the importance of worshiping God” or “Made a difference in other’s lives?”   How about; “Not an easy person to love” or “A shining light for the Lord.”  Are you and I able to say; Lord, help me to be what you want me to be, in character, actions, and will?  For you are the potter and I am the clay—your purposes I would fulfill.  The question comes then what would your biography say?  I have figured it out, that the Lord knows are biography well.  Does there need to be some editing on our part to make sure it is a positive story instead of one filled with negative thoughts.   

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

www.hawleybooks.com

E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com