"I'm not done yet"

“I’m not done yet”
Today, during Bible lesson with the kiddos, we discussed the betrayal of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane as part of our study on the “Easter Unit.” I explained that when Jesus was betrayed, he wasn’t shouting, screaming, fighting, or bickering…. He…. Was….Praying. By praying, he was showing us an example in the Garden of Gethsemane of what we should also do when we feel betrayed. Instead of just reading about prayer, God told me to lead the kids in a silent “prayer exercise.” First, the students were directed to pray for the person sitting next to them, then the ones that sat across from them….then, we prayed for families, best friends in the class, and THEN… (here’s the kicker), we prayed for our “enemies.” We indentified the ones that have betrayed us, in one way or another. We attempted to bless the ones that curse us, and we prayed for those that despitefully have (and will) use us. By this point, the students had been silent, and still, and had their eyes closed in prayer for a good long time. I figured the students were getting pretty restless (or disinterested), so I decided to wrap it up quickly by saying, “Ok, I’ll finish us out by praying aloud.” As soon as I said this, one of my students spoke out, “Wait! I’m not done yet.” At that point, I stopped. Smiled. And stood silent.
(I’ll be honest: At first, I thought, “Really?! You’re nine. How many ‘enemies’ could you possibly have by this point in the game of life?”)
But then it hit me.
So many times, especially when I find myself in situations concerning people that have hurt me, I feel like I rush on. I close up shop to think and reflect and pray upon it, and I readily move to the next thing. However, I must acknowledge the truth that nothing is an “accident.” Everything has a purpose. God teaches, molds, and uses everything we pry our hands away from.
Don’t rush on and miss the opportunities (through good and bad circumstances) that God sends you daily. Through all of your life’s situations, God might just be telling your heart what my student so readily shouted at me this morning: “Wait! I’m simply not done yet.”

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