This morning was not like every other morning. Kids arrived early in my room fully ready so that I could drive them to school for See You at the Pole. Honestly they seem a bit oblivious to the controversy but eager to join their friends to pray. To take them early they roused little Christopher to ride along and we headed to TW Hunter. We were a bit early and as I dropped them off I decided to turn this into a teachable moment for our little Christopher. Pulling into the closest parking spot with a view of the flag pole I began to explain to him what the kids were doing and rolled down his window so he could hear the songs and prayers offered up by the students. Honestly I had a few tears as I watched kids walk to the gathering spot. Some with eager deliberate footsteps, others content to quietly slip in between their friends.
At one point I even thought, I am a bit surprised that no media or any other attention seems to be present. It seems these kids are going to pray without much fanfare after all. That thought had not but momentarily crossed my mind when I saw a car pull up in an odd spot and the driver seem to take particular notice of the events. I sensed God was allowing me to see something. Then with deliberation I saw this woman take her stand outside of the circle and carefully take pictures of what was happening around the flag pole. I noticed a young student in the back seat, arms draped over the front bucket seats as they watched what appeared to be their mother take photos of the students praying.
Did God allow me to see “the one?” The one parent from TW Hunter that had participated in this ugly lawsuit that has turned this community on it’s ear. Was I witnessing “public enemy number 1?” I watched as she got back into her car and pulled far ahead of any of the activities to drop off her middle school student. That student entered the building with a glancing look back at the group around the flag pole. And I was a bit discouraged. This student was “different.” I don’t mean to say that in a judgmental way but let me describe so you understand. They looked very small for being in middle school and yet overweight with long hair and quite honestly it was hard to determine if the student was male or female. After watching so many of the children I know and have grown to love that attend my daughters school or church or those I have cheered on at soccer games or choir concerts I was struck by the contrast between many of them and this young middle schooler.
And that is when God started working on my heart and I felt compelled to share this story. I began to wonder if any of these students had ever invited this “one” to church. I began to wonder if any of our students had embraced this “one” with acceptance and the love of Christ. I began to wonder if amidst the hormones, pressures, and business of life if any of our students had ever taken the time to reach out to the one I was watching walk into the school doors. And then I had to be honest. Had I?
I know it is crazy but I wrote down her license plate. I don’t know why. Maybe the same reason I have occasionally written down those of people I see dumping trash out of the windows of their car on the highway. It must make me feel better to know that by recording it I have offered some accountability to the deed they have done. Maybe that is why I had this crazy urge to write down the number on her car as she drove away. I then thought well if I ever do know the name that goes with this plate I guess I would need to move them to the top of my prayer list. (silly me….I don’t really need to know her name to do this but I still think I was trying to justify my strange response to viewing these events.)
I was thankful that Christopher was pretty quiet on the way home as my head and heart were reeling. Reeling with conviction about my own habit of staying in the realm of the familiar. Approaching situations and people that I deem comfortable instead of wandering far outside of my comfort zone to encounter the scary and challenging. And I thought of our students. I thought in some ways this isn’t see you at the pole day as much as it is “coming out day.” At first I was not happy with my comparison to the phrase that has symbolized a day of revelation for the gay and lesbian movement but in some ways I could not over look the similarities. Those in the gay and lesbian lifestyle relish this day. They see it as an opportunity to shed all of the secrecy about the lifestyle they have quietly lived. It is the day which they announce they will live their lifestyle out loud. And when they do that they are celebrated and surrounded by others who have gone before them as they support them and quickly offer to fill in the gaps of those that may abandon them because of their decision.
Well maybe this is our students coming out day! The day they put behind them their quiet lifestyle and live for God out loud. That they begin to see their life as living in a way that is expected of those who have come out before them. That they are now expected to be Christlike in their schools. They are expected to walk in high integrity, with honesty, respect and service. That they love the unlovely and embrace the opportunity to witness. That they stand for righteousness and submit to authority with grace. I could go on and on. But the fact is that coming out is not about being seen at a flag pole. It is not about a perfectly positioned bumper sticker or manicured outer appearance. It is about being desperate to be a vehicle by which the Holy Spirit can life out the Life of Christ through our lives everyday. Adults and students alike.
I am going to add a new dimension to my prayer life today. I am going to pray specifically for opportunities to cross paths with those that need to know Christ. I am going to ask God to help me in a new and specific way to be salt and light. Honestly I pray that this woman and student may be part of my assignment. If they are not then they will definitely be part of my assignment in prayer.
I posted on Facebook yesterday a lesson from Nehemiah that I am reminded of again this morning. When Nehemiah was overcome with emotion by hearing that Jerusalem was in shambles he took that emotion and went straight to prayer. My tendency is to get riled up and choose action. But He models that our passion should first be turned to prayer. Fervent prayer. Our path from passion to action should be interrupted and truncated by prayer/submission & obedience. I am passionate this morning. So I am going to prayer. And I pray you will join me as we lift up those in our community who need Christ, and those that we may have labeled “public enemy #1.”
