Assignments

In my college classes, I’m given assignments each week that show the instructor what I’ve learned and how I can apply it. 

My kids come home with assignments each day that serve the same purpose. Teachers give them information during the day and then they have assignments to evaluate what they learned and to practice their new skills.

We’ve all been to school so we know how this works. We also know not to cheat, not to get someone else to do the assignment for us, not to do someone else’s assignment. Not to procrastinate and wait till the last minute. Not to get distracted by other things going on so we forget to do our assignments. 

We know the consequences of any of these choices. A failing grade. A trip to the principal’s office. A lack of acquiring new skills. Or repeating the same grade if we repeat the same mistakes over and over again. 

James 1: 2-4 in the NIV says:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

You know, on more than one occasion, my children have asked me to help them with something while I’m in the middle of cooking. Wanting to be a loving and helpful mother, I leave the pot thinking it will only take them a minute only to smell burning food a little while later. When I reflect on these times I can see that my children didn’t really need my help. They just didn’t want to persevere. And honestly, I didn’t really want to persevere in watching them being tested. 

I missed my opportunity to grow and burnt the food my entire family was supposed to benefit from. I also robbed my child of the opportunity to grow in her confidence to succeed on her own. We cheated each other out of the joy that comes from seeing the gifts of the Lord being produced in both of us as we complete our assignments. 

Our assignments are uniquely our own. The enemy loves to get us distracted from our assignments. He wants us to stay immature, incomplete, lacking everything. But the Father’s heart is that we grow up in the Lord.

"For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Ephesians 1:10

God teaches us lessons in our lives. We can procrastinate, cheat, get distracted, or just downright tell him no, that we don’t want to do the work. But we miss the blessing that comes after we’ve learned the lesson. 

And friend, don’t you know that eventually, life will give us a test. This is what the lessons and assignments are for. To prepare us for the test. When the test comes, will we be ready?

Can you discern your assignments? What has the Lord been trying to teach you? Are there distractions you need to let go of?

Father, I thank you that you love us enough to instruct us and that you give us opportunities to use what we are learning. I am so grateful that you see the tests ahead of us and you care enough to prepare us for what lies ahead. We ask your forgiveness for times we have missed our assignments or for the times we've just told you no. We want to be mature and complete, lacking nothing. We want to be able to pass the test when life throws trials our way. Have your way in us, Lord. 

In Jesus name,

Amen.

Go tackle your assignments friend!

You are loved!