Uwem is one of the favorite kids I've had in class. Now a junior, he's on his second tour of duty in my Gospels class after surviving 8th grade Bible three years ago. Last week, we had recruiters from West Point on campus at lunch. They had a table set up with no takers. I told Uwem I'd give him two points on our test that day if he went over and spoke with the lady and gentleman. I bragged on him to our guests, telling them that Uwem is gifted in athletics and the fine arts as well as being smart. He spent a good fifteen minutes with the recruiters, time he could have spent eating and socializing. Later in class, I asked him what he learned. His reply? "Coach, it's really hard to get in there!" It is but I told him it's not out of the realm of possibility!
That brings us to Wednesday. Each day on our quizzes and memory verses, I ask a completely random question with eight possible answers, all posted on the screen. On Wednesday, the question was, "Where does Michael rank in most common boys' names in Nigeria?" (The correct answer is second!) As I posted the question, I made the statement that Uwem and his family along with myself and others had enjoyed celebrating Nigerian Independence Day which was this past Monday. There was some giggling and I asked, "Are you saying Uwem and his family aren't Nigerian?" The response was along the line of we don't mean Uwem, Coach. (Uwem and his family are in fact Nigerian.) My rejoinder was, "You do know my grandfather was from Nigeria, don't you?" The silence instantly became deafening. I let them sweat for about five seconds and then told them I was kidding. I am pretty sure I heard some sighs of relief from the kids as we went on to take our memory verse which was Ephesians 3:20-21.
I found it fascinating that not one of the kids challenged what I said about being Nigerian. We have spoken in class that my heritage is Danish, Irish, and English.They knew I'm not Nigerian deep down and yet.... My guess, born out by their nods when we discussed it, is that they might have been perceived to be slighting my ancestry if in that 1 in 100,00 chance my statement was true. Plus, these kids have been raised to believe authority figures and I have always stressed honesty with them, making some point in truthfulness almost every in class. Once I told a class that a problem with being left handed is that it's very difficult to find a left handed tennis racket or baseball bat- no rebuttal at all. About the only time I've been even mildly questioned is when I've shared that I once was engaged to Shakira. No such luck for her!
When do we speak up and when do we let something slide? Some things are, of course, minor and innocent mistakes. What time class lets out on SCHEDULE D or what's on the lunch menu today would be examples. There is zero harm associated with those instances. Some things are opinions and most have no real bearing on anything. How about a rumor that is both false and harmful? Jesus said He was the way, the truth, the life. He also said the truth will set us free. In the spiritual realm, we take the Word as our source of truth; that's why the Bereans were considered praiseworthy for making sure Paul was telling the truth in his sermons. We have to be able to discern what is true before we can take any next step. But truth doesn't come by osmosis. It takes effort and time and maybe someone to guide us along the path, ie the eunuch and Phillip. Then, we choose time and place to take our stand. Peter reminded us that our dealings should be handled with gentleness and respect, not easy in this contentious society but vital. Buy the truth and sell it not, we're told in Proverbs. That's still a great mantra for life, even thousands of years later! And one more thing- Happy Independence Day to all my (for five seconds) fellow Nigerians!
Applicable quote of the day:
You don't stumble upon your heritage. It's there, just waiting to be explored and shared.
Robbie Robertson
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
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