So, earlier I was talking to a friend about a struggle I have. (I have struggles? What else is new?) I struggle with paying attention...to anything. I've realized that in general it is a real chore to pay attention in any lecture. I have to constantly tell myself to pay attention during class or else I am doomed. I feel like many times I do not even pick up 50% of what the speaker is saying. This definitely makes it difficult for me to follow chapel speakers or preachers in church. I tend to drift off on one specific point or something random and completely miss half of the sermon, and then I am so lost that I can't even catch up.
As I have spoken of before, I am a BASSYCS leader at a church nearby. Every week there is a little 15 minute sermon for the 3rd graders. It sounds absolutely ridiculous, but I feel like I learned the same amount or more in those 15 minutes that I did in the 45 minute lecture.
We read John 13:34-35, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." Read that and really think about that. It says that by this (loving one another) all people will know that you are my disciples. Whoa! Really? I mean, how many times do we try to "be a witness to others through our actions" or we want people to "know we're Christians just by looking at us." It's so straight forward in this verse! All people will know we are Christ's disciples by the way that we love one another. Okay, so many of you probably had realized that before, but for me I always felt there was some complex answer to showing Christ through my actions. Christ calls us to simply love one another.
Okay, maybe not simply... so yes, loving people is hard, but if God can love us, than we certainly can love others. Even if that just means letting down my pride for one moment to invest my time in having a good conversation with someone I don't usually talk to, I can be a vessel for Christ. Things as small and easy as that can go a long way to encourage others and help me draw closer to God. Wow. Such a simple concept can really go a long way.
So, as embarrassing as it may be that I can learn more from a 15 minute message intended for 3rd graders than I could learn from a 45 minute sermon intended for college kids, it's encouraging to see God work through the small things. If sometimes I cannot grasp some of the more complex concepts shared in chapel or church, God can still teach me. It's cool that you can look just at some of the simple things of life and see God. :)
For the record, I am still working to pay attention in lectures.
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