In Sunday School class we spoke of the "Mary moment', when realizing that she was chosen to carry the birth of God's son in her virgin womb. The lesson focused on her reaction to God and how humble, awed and blessed she was. The kids spoke of moving with their parents to Ohio, meeting new friends and inviting them out to church. I think sometimes on the surface that their hang-ups and fears were nothing compared to what I was dealing with as a sixth grader, but peer pressure and the nomadic lifestyle of my parents actually has much in common with them. Life stories mesh like that, and every incident of my life is attributed to something I am still learning about--life as a father, being a teacher, being a Christ follower.
Sixth grade was a ride. I guess my biggest fear was acceptance, so I over compensated with lots of humor, sarcasm and silly antics to grab everyone's attention. I was overweight too, and my confidence in myself stemmed from the relationships I had with people. Not deep, personal poetic relationships, but making sure I was hanging with the cool crowd, the good looking girls and preppy white boys. Academics came fairly easy, too easy at times. I made just enough to get a high B, but not too much effort for A's. I could goof off all through class and still pass the test. I'm sure my teachers wanted to wring my neck.
I moved frequently as well, so anytime I enrolled in a new school I had to traverse the waters of the lunch room, hoping not to sit at the wrong table. I avoided the eyes of the aggressive kids who looked like they wanted to fight. Playing football made my social life easier in junior high during these moves. I played football just to get friends. Effort really didn't factor in the decision. There really wasn't much of a sense of pride. Eventually it became a chore once I got into high school.
So my sixth graders speak of their "Mary moments." Many of them have been Christ followers since they can remember. I can't say that I didn't know Jesus. I knew him from the oil painting of him that my grandmother hung above the kitchen table (right next to the plaque that read, "Golf is like sex, you just have to be good at it to enjoy it.") and the countless other depictions of a suffering Jesus in every salon, relatives house or viejita I ever knew. I knew him from the cross he hung on at church where I would snicker at the priest's Cuban accent and hair piece. I loved the choir when they said "hallelujer" and seeing the pretty mexicana girls. Then it was back to home, the Oilers and the guilt of grandma's tortillas.
These sixth graders of mine have resilience and confidence. I believe that's the best thing about having God in your life. You smile, you laugh like it's your business to laugh, and you don't succumb to the world around you. One of our girls has been with us since fourth grade. A wallflower, a performer, a singer, awkward too. One of my "Mary moments" was wondering if Del and I, me specifically, had what it took to "lead" a Sunday school class. We had this group of loud kids so much different than the ones we teach at our schools. Our school kids come in moody, medicated, worried and with no confidence in their ability. We had people who wanted to eat lunch after church. We had football games to watch. We had, we had.
But that's the "Mary moment" right there. Even though we talked about how Mary was blessed to serve, the angel who appeared before her had to explain to her the will of God and her place in the scheme of things. Mary was troubled at first, visibly shaken. I can see our sixth graders being told that they are going to move to a new city, or a new school. Perhaps even having to group with a kid who has made fun of the fact that they were a wallflower, a performer, an awkward girl in a sea of nick-tween models. But, there's less talk now of bullying, and mean teachers, and more talk of success. And when she or her classmates want to break out into song to answer a question from the Bible, we let them just because.
I have nothing compared to Mary. My path has been wickedly twisted lately. Lots of indecision and loss of confidence. Lots of sighs and second guesses. Luckily I don't have too much time to over think my bad decisions because Monday calls, my kids need a bath and my cat needs to be petted.
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