The start of a new semester can sometimes be like watching two athletes in the Octagon. In one corner there is a great hope. On the first day of class everyone has a 4.0 Dean’s list opportunity. How proud my family would be if the semester ended with the first class. No blemishes, no lost assignments, and no double secret probation. On the other hand there is a great fear. With whom will I connect this semester? Should I accept that friend request from the guy sitting near the back of the class? Do I even belong here?
It’s like looking at a blank sheet of paper. The empty spaces might be an expression of possibility. Anything can fill in the blank–hopes, dreams, success. The blank piece of paper can also suggest nothingness, failure, or paralysis. The way you see the “blanks” greatly depends on how you see yourself and where you fit in.
It’s like that first day of middle school. At what table do you belong? Are you an athlete or a Mathlete? Are you the hipster kind of geek or just a plain nerd? Do you sit at the rich kid table or is your money too new to be accepted. Maybe you got your clothes at Goodwill and you hope no one notices that you are wearing their last year’s jeans.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout doesn’t start her first day of school well at all. She doesn’t know where she fits in. She tries to be helpful, and it simply lands her in trouble. In a town where knowing your place is as important Jesus’ return, finding yourself on the outside is a difficult road. It’s not that playing the role of the jock or the nerd or the popular kid is all together a bad thing. The trick is to know who is assigning the parts.
The good news is that through our connection with Christ, we all have a place at the table of Grace. Where the body is broken and the blood outpoured, we all receive the blessing of belonging. The communion table is where the blank sheet of paper is filled with hope and life and the possibility only the Gospel affords. At the table we are adopted and counted as God’s own. It’s true that my 4.0 on the first day might only last the first day, but at least God offers graceful answers to any test life offers.
Stay awesome . . .