Starting Here?

This morning in my Sunday School class I had only a few minutes to teach as my young people had been in the adult worship service to do a dry run of a youth choir song.

When we got to our classroom, several of the young men were super upset at one of the boys who is always acting up - he had ruined our performance, acting out on stage, yelling into the mic, talking during the song when he should have been singing. Don't get me wrong, the kid can sing, but the other guys and girls were very ticked off at him for embarassing them, they felt he made everyone look bad. I allowed the kids to vent - most of them targeting this boy, not meanly, but in truth. Their feelings were hurt and this kid needed to know it!

I hadn't planned to teach much at all, I knew we'd only have about 15 minutes for the lesson, so I thought I'd give the kids a "play" day and we'd play hangman or pictionary for the rest of the class. But as I started the reveiw for the game, I suddenly felt compelled to continue teaching on the last biblical figure we'd learned about, Joseph. I started to review...making it updated...you know, Joe, Jakes younges son, the one be gave a coat of many "collas" to. I was keeing it light, I enjoyed this style of reveiw because the kids were always so responsive. Suddenly my focus turned to Ruben the eldest brother. I felt a quickening and just began to expound. God had spared Joseph NOT because he hadn't been killed by a wild animal, which we all know is what the brothers intended to tell their father. He was spared because another brother decided to refocus and understand the consequences of the decision they were about to make. Don't get me wrong, this murder of Joseph wasn't going to be an accident by a wild animal, it was pre-meditated murder. Pre-meditated by Joseph's 11 older brothers. How many times have you older siblings thought to yourselves, I'm going to kill that kid! But we never really go through with it...it's more of a figure of speech - how many ever really go through with that threat? I imagine that Ruben began to think long and hard about the consequences of what they were about to do. He was the eldest, the responsible one, the one who cared and watched out for those younger possibly unruly siblings. He was also the one that I beleive began to listen as God whispered into his ear and began to remind him of what he'd face for the rest of his life. The constant reminder before them - their father, who would be heart broken, and of the guilt and shame that would be brought to each of their famlies had they gone through with Joseph's murder. Yes, that's right, they conspired to murder their brother. Death. So final. Ruben allowd himself to listen to the voice of God, to have the courage enough to stand up to the other 10 brothers and tell them that the plan had changed, that they'd sell him, not kill him. Ruben made the choice that saved the nation of Israel. We all know the story of Joseph, sold into slavery into Egypt and later a ruler over Egypt saving his family, the nation of Israel, from death by famine. I never thought too much about Ruben...but today God gave me the insight into Ruben's life. Ruben was not perfect, he'd chosen to conspire with his brothers, he was able only to stand up to them regarding the death of their brother, (what God intended) he still agreed that the younger spoiled Joseph had to go.

Recenlty in the news there was a girl convicted of murder. She took the life of her 9 year old neighbor....because "I wanted to know what it would feel like to kill someone." She dug 2 graves on a Friday afternoon that she'd had a half day of school. She planned a murder. Days later, she took the life of an innocent 9 year old girl. Upon finding her diaries and blogs and facebook comments, investigators found that she'd enjoyed inflicting pain on her two younger brothers and she wrote about it - they believed that she had actually planned to kill her own brothers, since she'd dug two graves. Maybe she couldn't actually go through with killing her own flesh and blood, so she happened upon her neighbor girl and took that life. Her comments after the killing? "Ahhhwesome."

See - God has given all of us choices...not one is perfect. Ruben had his own issues obviously. But understood that there would be consequences to his actions. Understood that he wouldn't be able to live with his brother's blood on his hands for the rest of his life...that he would have to keep this terrible secret from his father, who I'm sure he loved, forever. Ruben allowed God to invoke a spirit of compassion so that not only a 12 year old boy, Joseph, would be saved from death, but as we know, and entire nation many years down the road. Young people, God knows that you are not perfect, that you have made mistakes, that you are in the middle of struggles and trial and decisions that you must face that will effect the rest of your life. God also allows a way out.

Today - the Sprit was SO strong in my room as I got to the end of this story...I knew God wa sspeaking to one of my kids or several of them about something that has the potential to shatter his or her life forever. I told them that I hadn't even planned this lesson, that I was actually going to play hangman, but God knew that one of them needed to know that HE cares. That the choices they make today will matter forever. That the easy way out today will have lasting effects on their life, shame, self-hate, bitterness, failure...God loves them, he cares SO much about them, I am amazed at the way he came into our classroom this morning. Uninvited by a lesson or a plan...but invited because I am willing for HIM to do whatever it takes to save my kids. Thank you Jesus for speaking into our lives today.