A Forced Lesson

I think it’s funny how God will offer you a lesson through the teaching of your church pastor, or an article you read, or your own personal Bible study, and then when you don’t pay attention, he forces you to learn the lesson by guiding you into a certain situation or experience.

I attend church on Sunday mornings. I participate in Bible Study, or Sunday school, and then move into the sanctuary for the sermon. Our Sunday school group is a small one, but our discussions are in-depth and focused on the word of God. It was only a couple of weeks ago, during one of these study times, when I sat, styrofoam coffee cup in hand, nodding and flipping pages in my Bible. We were learning from Hebrews chapter 12. Perseverance and discipline. “What are some ways God disciplines us?” was the question that was posed to us by our group leader. A few answers had been offered up when I chimed in with “He removes our distractions.” I thought this was a very good answer, and I was, perhaps, a little too proud of my insight. My head swelled even more when the others nodded in understanding. Our group leader then recited an anecdote about when his life was too busy for God. God broke his ankle, removed some “distractions,” and refocused his attention. I thought it was a good answer.

As proud of myself as I was, you’d think the lesson behind the question and my good answer would sink in, at least a little bit. Well, it didn’t.

Yesterday was the first game for U.S. national soccer team in the 2006 World Cup. We were up against the daunting Czech Republic, who was heavily favored. The games are being held in Germany, thus, live broadcasts are shown at weird, non-primetime hours here in the U.S. This particular game was played at 10:55 A.M., Central Standard Time. I work typical dayshift hours, so, obviously I missed the live telecast, but was smart enough to have my wife tape it, so I could watch it when I got home. I hate to watch a sports game on tape, but for the World Cup, I would sacrifice. All day I avoided the internet, the radio, any media outlet that might reveal the game’s outcome and spoil my fun. I was so excited.

During the day, as I was thinking about watching the game, I began to mentally list the other chores and tasks that I needed to do that afternoon. Hmmm, I need to do my Bible study, I need to exercise, I need to prepare for Home Group (a small group of peers that meets for fellowship and the study God’s word, and I’m the facilitator), Kelly (my wife) just called and asked me to grill for dinner tonight, I want to read a couple of chapters of my John Grisham novel, and I need to cut my hair (what little I have left). How am I going to fit this all in around my taped World Cup soccer game? And to top it off, I got this really sharp, piercing headache that’s been nagging me all day.

Well, as you probably guessed, I didn’t get all of these things accomplished. I can double up on Bible study tomorrow night. No problem. I’ve really been busting my hump leading this Home Group. This week we’ll just eat, play games, and hang out. We don’t have to have a lesson, and I need a break. No problem. Does it really matter if I cut my hair? In the words of the comedian Gallagher, “Do you really need to prune a dead tree?” I’ll do it some other time. No problem. Ok, I can do the rest; this is going to be a great night.

Then, I felt this tap on my brain. “God disciplines us by removing distractions.” In my head, I answered this reminder, “I know. I shouldn’t put off God, especially for a taped World Cup soccer game. Oh-well.” I think I actually said “Oh-well,” out loud. Jonathan Edwards wrote in his book The Freedom of the Will that, “free moral agents always act according to the strongest inclination they have at the moment of choice.” The apostle Paul speaks of man’s free will by noting that there are times when our desire to sin is greater than our desire to please Christ. That is a chalky pill to swallow, but I’m a shining example of this foolishness.

So, when I got home, I fired up the grill and got some burgers and corn-on-the-cobs cooking. We sat in our respective seats in front of the TV, and I hit the play button, and here we go! Static. Well, maybe I need to rewind. Static. Fast-forward. Static. The whole tape was static. There was no taped World Cup soccer game. I almost cried. Kelly was upset as well, and she apologized over and over for messing up the VCR and tape. I told her I wasn’t mad, because I knew that it wasn’t her fault. Although, she was solely responsible for the recording of the game, I knew she had done nothing wrong. I felt one hundred percent certain that God was behind this. Is he not responsible for everything that happens? God had allowed the game to be overrun with static, and after realizing God’s discipline, I instantly felt very small, and stupid, and sorry. I was embarrassed.

We often become engrossed in our own busyness. Covered up with weights. These hindrances can be sin, but often they are not. It is not a sin to grill burgers, or exercise, or even to watch a taped World Cup soccer game. But these are distractions that divert attention away from God. This is very dangerous, and if you are a child of God, you can expect discipline. His discipline is His guidance, His love. If you are not experiencing any kind of discipline or suffering in your life, you may need to seriously consider if you are, in fact, one of God’s children. We can all at times be very stubborn and bull-headed, and put God off. If He begins to tap on you, answer quickly, or your discipline may be more than just an erased tape.