Devotional: Knowing the Answer

In case you haven’t guessed it already, I was a class clown in High School. I know, I know, big shocker! Who would’ve thought? But I wasn’t the guy who would just make a light joke here or there, I was getting in trouble all the time for talking and making jokes. I can’t tell you how many times I had to be separated from the kid I was sitting next to, or how many times the teacher would look at me and tell me “this is your last warning, I mean it.” I still got pretty good grades though, I was just rarely the kid who raised his hand with an answer whether I knew it or not; instead I was blurting out jokes and trying to make people laugh.

The best days in science class were substitute teacher days, because that meant that the sub would just throw on an educational movie and instead of homework we just had to take notes for discussion when the teacher came back. Most days like this meant it was time to take a nap for me. One particular day however I actually took notes, well maybe not notes, but a note here or there and some drawings of a monkey or a spaceship or something. The next day when the teacher came back she was asking everyone questions from the educational film and getting answers left and right. Then it came, she asked us where the word “atom” comes from. I knew this one, I actually wrote it down! Others gave her some disappointing answers then I finally raised my hand. “Ok Ryan, where does the word atom come from?” She asked with a condescending voice as if she was humoring me so that I could give a wrong answer along with everyone else. I looked her in the eye and didn’t even have to reference my notes and answered “The word atom comes from the Greek word atomos which means infinite.” The sounds of gasps filled the room as jaws dropped like dominoes. Nobody could believe that such an accurate answer had come from my mouth, and to be honest it felt really good. I knew the answer even when others didn’t. It was a pretty good day for me, I got the answer that nobody else could and other people got to see that even though I was a jokester I was still smart. I don’t know if it was the answer I gave or something else, but a couple of years later when I was a junior that same teacher asked me to be her Student Teacher Assistant.

As Christians we already know the answer to life’s biggest problems: Jesus. Do you hide the fact that you know the answer? Are you too busy playing around to be effective? Proverbs 1:7 says “The fear or the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” Think about how many people are in this world hurting and suffering, and we already have the answer they need. Yet some of us are too shy or embarrassed to share our faith with others for fear of being laughed at. We aren’t kids anymore, it’s time to take up our own cross and carry it. This week as you prepare yourself to teach your students how they can put their hands up when they have an answer, remind yourself that God gives wisdom to those who ask for it and HE will never fail you. I encourage you this week, if you feel like you are straining for answers not to worry. We might not always have the answer, but we do know someone who does: God.

Much Love, Ryan