“Be Adaptable: Rules May Change.”
I thoroughly enjoyed being a Bible class teacher for my Junior Week at Michigan Christian Youth Camp, June 28 – July 3! I had such a good and pleasant bunch of students, from ages 5 to 12, as I taught my part of the “transformation” theme, from Romans 12:2. My job was to teach God’s lesson of how He wants us to be transformed into new individuals. My “lesson from nature” was the sprouting of a seed.
Nathan, the Camp “staff life director,” kept things very light around the evening campfire. He’s a smart fella with a ready smile that would quickly set you at ease. I call him and his staff, “The Rah-Rah Bunch!” The silly songs he and his gang sang around the campfire made the children participate with gusto! The songs were really pretty “lame,” but a “trick” he played with one of the songs taught me a lesson.
The song was “John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt,” based on a fictitious name (I hope!). Nathan would take a volunteer from the campfire ring of kids and put him or her out of sight. A child in the ring would volunteer to be “it.” When the child was brought back to the ring, all of the campers would sing this silly song louder, as the child approached the one who was “it,” and they would sing it more softly, as the child left the presence of “it.” The child would eventually figure out who “it” was.
After about four plays, Nathan changed the rules, but the volunteer who left the ring was not told. Upon returning to the ring of campers, the child was understandably confused by the loudness and softness of the singing. After several mistakes, the child finally figured out that the rules had been changed, and he chose the one before whom the singing was the softest.
The next morning, I arose before my campers did, to take my morning shower. I turned the valve all the way over to “hot,” to get the water flowing from the heater; I would turn it back, once the water reached the temperature I wanted. The temperature never got much above “tepid.” “Hmm-m, I thought; I guess the water heater’s not working; someone forgot to turn up the gas flame.” I jumped in, anyway, & quickly got cleaned up.
Upon turning the valve back toward “cold” and the “off” position, all of a sudden the water got quite hot! Someone had installed the valve backwards! The rules had been changed! Man’s rules often will.
God’s character is absolutely dependable. With God “there is no variation or shadow of turning.” (Jas. 1:17) His rules reflect His character, and they never change! One can really trust Him!
|
