Remember what you have learned…
Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.
I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching.
For I too was a son to my father, still tender, and cherished by my mother.
Then he taught me, and he said to me, “Take hold of my words with all your heart;
keep my commands, and you will live.
Proverbs 4:1-4
Anyone who stops by my desk will likely notice two things: many pictures of my son, and a large poster of Darth Vader. From that point it is apparent that I love my son, and that I am a huge Star Wars fan. Indeed, quite often I find myself teaching my young padawan the basics of how to just be a human. Right now, we are working on walking and using words instead of screams.
Every so often as I am teaching my son he will get a very stubborn look on his face that in effect says “No, I want to do this my way.” At that point we usually will have a battle of wills that ends up with a very frustrated father, and a crying child. As a father it is my great, wonderful, and sometimes frustrating job to teach my son.
I find myself beginning to relate to Yoda as he is trying to teach Luke Skywalker how to be a Jedi on the planet Dagobah. Yoda rigorously tries to instill his 900 years of wisdom upon Luke, only to be rebuffed, challenged, questioned, and whined at. Ultimately Luke leaves his tutelage under Yoda to go be a hero on another planet. While Luke is packing up his X-Wing, Yoda pleads with him to stay, and complete his training, for Yoda knows that Luke is not ready. Ultimately Luke’s attempt at heroism ends up having very mixed results.
Reflecting upon my life so far, I can regretfully point out the instances where I was very much like Luke Skywalker or my own son. Looking wistfully at the future, wanting to do things my way, thinking I am readier than my grandparents or instructors said that I am. I still find myself doing these things even years later when I should be “older and wiser,” when apparently, I still need to embrace instruction and not try to be a “hero” before I am ready. In being a father, I can relate to Yoda, but in most of my life, I’ve probably been way more like Luke.
How often do we all act the same way towards God? Never satisfied with where we are. Always thinking we know better than our instructors. Constantly pushing to do it our way, because it is our turn to be the hero. Then, once in a different situation, we find it isn’t as great as we imagined it to be, and we weren’t quite as ready as we thought. We should all seek a bit more instruction, learn to be present in where we are, and slow down a bit in moving to the future.
Fortunately, we serve a God who knows us very well, and who is infinitely more patient with us than we ever are with Him.
By Rev. Michael Cunningham, Bursar, NBC Finance
Published: 03/04/2019
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