A WORD FOR TODAY, May 22, 2025
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, May 22, 2025
“I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now. However, when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak from himself; but whatever he hears, he will speak. He will declare to you things that are coming. He will glorify me, for he will take from what is mine and will declare it to you. All things that the Father has are mine; therefore I said that he takes of mine and will declare it to you.” John 16:12-15, WEB
Yesterday was the last day of school for many of the students in our area, including the school we host at our church. I attended an art show and end of school program last night. The children showed off some of the things they learned. The older children put on a skit which made us laugh. The younger children sang songs. The teachers were recognized, as well some other people who helped the school throughout the year. We prayed for a student who is moving on to Middle School. It was fun to see the art work of the students, some were very creative. I enjoyed seeing the children interact with one another and with their families.
It was also an emotional night, since we won’t see those children for the next few months. That’s not quite true since our school is hosting four summer camps for the children in our community. Many of the students from our school will be attending. It will be quiet for most of the summer, though. Our pastor commented that it was too quiet in the church this morning. We pray for our children over the summer with the hope that they will stay safe, but also that they will be prepared for new academic opportunities when the new school years begins.
See, it is easy for the students to lose touch with what it means to be in school. Knowledge from the previous year can be forgotten, particularly in reading and math. Summer vacation can mean isolation from other children, especially if they can’t go to camps or other group activities. There is a lack of routine during summer, but it can take time when the students are back in school to reestablish the daily structure. This lack of routine can also lead to boredom and negative habits. Parents can become more stressed because they have to find ways to keep the children busy, or they leave the children unsupervised which can lead to risky behavior and injury. Three months without school can leave the children unprepared for the next grade, so teachers will often give summer homework to help prepare the students, to keep the idea of school a present thought even though it isn't something they experience daily for a time.
We could not wait for the freedom of summer vacation when I was a child. I often joke that my mom kicked us out of the house and told us to go play. We spent hours in the pool, running from one house to the other. We played board games that lasted for days (you can get really, really rich playing a Monopoly game for a week!) We rode our bikes and walked to the arcade around the corner. We played in the woods behind our house. The worst of our injuries was usually sunburn, because that was long before we know how bad it was. We had campouts in our yards and played flashlight tag until late at night. We collected lightning bugs and just hung out.
We didn’t worry about school for three months. Did we lose some of the knowledge and skills over those carefree days. I do recall that the first few weeks of class were usually spent in review. We received lists of book recommendations and were encouraged to read over the summer, and we knew that our teachers would give us writing assignments when we got back to school to report on our summer activities. Some teachers recommended keeping up with basic math skills and I recall at least one teacher allowing us to take home out of date textbooks to keep our minds active, but we were never required to do the amount of homework that seems to be expected of kids these days.
Times have changed. Our children are expected to know more than we did in our day. Kindergarteners that can’t read and thought to be behind. High school students must take levels of math beyond what we took when we were in school. It isn’t enough for a child to go to a fun summer camp these days; they need to spend time daily preparing for the next school year. It was funny when my children were still in school because the time came far too early that their lessons were beyond my ability to help. I’m a fairly intelligent woman, but I could do nothing when they didn’t understand high levels of math. I had little experience with foreign languages, and though I read a lot, I had never heard of some of the books they had to read during summer vacation. Their High school expectations were often higher than my college requirements, so I learned after a time that I had to let go.
Our children grow up more quickly than we would like. By the time my daughter was in High school, she had no interest in the things that interested me. She wanted to wear different clothes. She had, and still has, different opinions about what happens in the world. My children did not always accept my advice, and often had to learn lessons the hard way. They often accepted what others told them without question while rebelling against my ideas. It is hard to let go, but I know that it is necessary so that they would grow up and become their own persons.
The disciples were saddened that Jesus had to leave them, and we think the same. He was the visible manifestation of the Eternal One, raised from the dead to a new life that would last forever. Couldn’t He stick around to continue guiding and leading His disciples? Wouldn’t it have been easier that way? They sometimes argued with Jesus, like when Peter said that Jesus would not die, but they believed and trusted in Him. If Jesus had stuck around, we may not have the differences of opinion on theology and the issues. Peter and Paul may not have disagreed with each other. If we experienced a problem, we could just go to Jesus and ask Him for the answer.
However, Jesus knew that a time would come when He would not be with them. Sadly, for the disciples, that time would happen much sooner than they ever realized or expected. The day would come when the disciples would not receive directly from Jesus what they would need to do His work in this world. As a mom I always hoped that I would be enough for my children, but the reality is that I was not. The same is true about those parents who are trying to figure out how to spend the summer with their children. Summer homework may not be fun, but it can make things better for our children when they go back to school at the end of summer.
Is Jesus enough? Yes He is, but in another sense He is not. It is impossible to think of Jesus not being enough for us, but as a flesh and blood man, Jesus was as limited as we are. He couldn’t be in two places at once. He could not stand in the flesh with me in Texas and you wherever you might be. Jesus had to leave so that we could receive the Spirit that can be everywhere at once, joining us together in His life by faith. The disciples didn’t want to let go of Jesus, but Jesus had to let go of them because only the Spirit would be enough to help them accomplish His work. In our scripture for today, Jesus said that they could not bear to hear everything. They could not because they did not have God’s Spirit dwelling with to give them the gifts necessary to bear it. As long as Jesus existed in flesh on earth, they could not have fully what He had to give. The Spirit prepares us for whatever comes next, giving us everything we need.
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