"In God's Light We See Light": My Thoughts Following a Prayer Meeting at My Old High School
Today, I had an experience that reminded me of the power of God's light. 1 John 1:5 states that "God is Light," and in Him "there is no darkness at all."
That experience was a prayer meeting held at the high school I attended way back on the 1970's. The prayer meeting was sponsored by a parent liaison, a believer in Christ, who has been working for 10 years to make a positive difference. Today, my old school, like many inner city schools, is laboring under the weight of ungodly behaviors on the part of many students and their parents. So grievous is the bad behavior that the motivated children go almost unnoticed.
When you hear discussions about urban public schools, we usually only hear about the bad things. To be sure, there are many hard breaking conditions in these schools. I was informed of the fighting that takes place at the school almost daily. I remember the fighting that occurred during my school days due to pressures surrounding desegregation and one-way busing of students. No generation has a premium on sin and fighting. Despite the conflicts, I received an excellent education at my public high school because my parents expected nothing less. Also, teachers teach well when they are able to focus on teaching.
As believers in Christ and people of faith, we must also recognize that God's light is also present in these schools. God is present because His people are present. On one level, this is a struggle of light vs. darkness, in which darkness seeks to dispel the light and move our entire focus to "what's wrong" rather than focusing on God's power to change hearts and lives. On another level there are matters that involve policy, academic objectives, administrative responsibilities, and more.
No amount of idealism or attempting to "spiritualize" the situation will make a real difference. God's solutions are both practical and powerful! While we cannot promise the success of the school system through our efforts, we can certainly offer the promise of success for individuals who are willing to know Christ and serve God. Students, faculty and staff, as persons for whom Christ died and rose, can find success at every level, spiritually and academically. When people do better, the system will be better.
Despite the conditions, I see light in God's light. If we can persuade enough people of faith to have faith, against all odds, we will see the lives and behaviors of many young people change for the better.
These are the kinds of challenges that Jesus' Church and Kingdom of God are tailor-made to address.
Light will always be greater than darkness!
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