Focus

As you quiet yourself for this brief time, be willing to be open to God in whatever way that may take place.

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Read

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Reflect

The words of this Psalm transport me back to a Sunday School Class at my old home
church in a very small town in Mississippi. The scene is as clear today as it was all
those years ago: I am about 10 years old (a skinny kid with glasses and a blond pony
tail), and Mrs. Bonnie Henley is the teacher.

Now, Mrs. Henley was the perfect teacher for our group; she had taught in elementary
school for many years–everyone listened when “Miss Bonnie” was speaking. We often
took turns reading the Scriptures; but, on that day, Miss Bonnie was reading from the
Psalms. Was it actually Psalm 99 on that particular day? I cannot say. I just remember
following along in my Bible and having a sort of epiphany (Just keep in mind that I was
10 and did actually not know what an “epiphany” was.) . My thoughts that day went
something like this: “God is powerful and mighty, but God cares about people like me!
Me! God answered the prayers of those people from a very long time ago; so, if God is
as good as this Psalm says, God will surely listen to mine. That is why it says Jesus
came to the world, because God loves us!”

And, you know, I was right! God is and God does! That day in Sunday School is long
past, but the love and care that I came to understand have endured. With God’s
guidance, and ever conscious of God’s love and care, I learned that faith is not just
something you practice in church on Sundays–just to leave it lying on the pew like a
forgotten sweater when you go out the church door–but a vital part of every facet of
everyday life.

When I, myself, became a Sunday School teacher, I remembered how my life was
changed in Miss Bonnie’s class; and I wanted the same thing for my students. We
became a team, working to learn all that we could about how God wanted us to live our
lives; using the example of Jesus as our guide. The lessons we learned together
benefitted me as much as I hope they benefitted the students. I will always be grateful
for the chance to repay just a little bit of what God, through teachers like Miss Bonnie,
taught to me.

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Pray

Most Holy and Loving God, thank you for giving us your Word to guide, enlighten, and
teach us as we go through life as your children. May we look to that Word to see the
example of your son, Jesus, so that we can strive to be more like him in every way.