I have been humbled in the past few weeks. I signed up to take a course in biblical Greek as part of my master’s program. I didn’t take any biblical languages in my undergrad, so I was excited about the opportunity. The problem is, it’s kicking my butt. It’s difficult to understand the grammar of another language when you barely remember the grammar of the language you speak and write every day. (When was the last time I had to find the indirect object of a sentence!?) Plus, the memory work. Oh, the memory work. By the time this email gets to you, I’ll be in my fourth week of the course and have already (hopefully) memorized 160 Greek words, in addition to all the other paradigms and conjugations thus far… and I still have nine weeks to go. Yes, I chose and paid for this torture.
I was telling my son how overwhelming it is to fit all of this work into my brain and schedule, and there was something about the way he was looking at me… I froze and realized what I would tell him if the roles were reversed. “Have you asked Jesus to help you?” And, nope, I hadn’t. I’d been powering through and hoping I wouldn’t drown. Why hadn’t it occurred to me until that moment that the Lord would help me as I apply myself to this learning? That would have been my advice to someone else. How quickly I can forget that my faith is integrated into every part of my life.
Sometimes it’s easier to trust Jesus when you’re desperate, when you are facing something way beyond your ability. When you’re scared, anxious or overwhelmed, the prayer, “Jesus, please help me,” comes more quickly. But the truth is, I do have the ability to do this hard work. I can grit my teeth, stress myself out, lose a bunch of sleep and white-knuckle my way to the final exam. But that doesn’t sound much like the life and peace of a believer whose mind is governed by the Spirit. (Romans 8:6) The call on my life isn’t to survive this semester, it’s to walk quietly and confidently in Him.
Even as the coursework has been humbling me, the moment with my son humbled me in an even better way because it pointed me back to the source of my strength, joy, and hope.
So, as you face challenges this week (month, year, or season), be encouraged that even if there are things you can do on your own, choose to say that you won’t live apart from Christ. I am convinced that there are more blessings in this choice than we can even imagine.
See you on Sunday,
Pastor Tracy
THIS SUNDAY
SUNDAY, October 12 @ 10am
THE GIFT OF JESUS
The Gifted Church
Tracy Dunham
Join us for our IN-PERSON SERVICES OR
LIVESTREAM on Sunday!
10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+Church Online)