It’s back-to-school time! The time for buying crayons, tablets, pencils, new GUM erasers, a ruler, protractor, compass, and book bag—all delicious, yummy, full-of-promise supplies. I could hardly wait for school to start when I was young and then when I had young ones of my own I learned new reasons for looking forward to the start of school!When my children were growing up it was a hectic time of buying new clothes, an endless supply list it seemed, and LOTS of money needed to accomplish it all. It was still exciting, but not like when I was a child. I can still remember the tingly feeling of excitement I would get on the first day of school. I was so excited it was hard to sleep the night before.
The other exciting part of school was getting to look at the new books for the first time. We would have workbooks, textbooks, and all kinds of interesting things. I would dream about what we would learn that year. Learning was intoxicating—and still is.
What are you learning lately? Read any good books? What are your plans for the upcoming academic year? Just because we grow up and finish school doesn’t mean that the fun of learning has to end. We have finally learned enough to seek out knowledge on our own. Of course, some help along the way is always nice. There are mentors and teachers just waiting for you. At just the right time they will come across your path.
Only now they are not always so easy to spot. Sometimes teachers show up in unusual places. Occasionally they are even in a classroom, but more often than not, they are—well, they are just about anywhere! Even at Starbucks. Most anyone can teach us something. Sometimes what we learn is how not to act and what not to say. Sometimes we learn by observing.
The best teacher of all is the Spirit. The Spirit can teach us things that we can learn no other way. It is the Spirit that makes clear the reading of sacred scripture. It is the Spirit that helps us identify our life path and it is the Spirit that lightens up our minds and thoughts.
The problem we run into in life is that we become dependent on other people, other sources to give us knowledge and wisdom. This is very apparent in religion where people will show up at church to be fed spiritually but never spend any time on their own seeking to know God. This makes them vulnerable to the person teaching them. Whatever that person’s view of God is will be whatever they are told is the truth about God. You can just imagine the possibilities for erroneous thinking if our source of information about God is that limited and narrow. But many choose this anorexic diet of knowing.
In the First Epistle of John, the Apostle shares the secret of true gnosis—knowledge and wisdom. He states, “But you have received the Spirit, and the Spirit lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know and what the Spirit teaches is true—it is not a lie.”
One of the best kept secrets of the Gospel is not just that we are “saved”, but that the Spirit now will live within us and be our teacher about the things of God if we desire it and invite the Spirit into our hearts. This is why Christ told the disciples, “It is good that I leave so that the Comforter, the Spirit, will come.” The Apostle Paul even called this the “great secret” that Christ lives in you. Through the Spirit we have access to the Master Teacher.
It is always a good time to go back to school. As much as I love the feel and smell of new school supplies, you don’t even need to buy anything to go back to school with God’s Spirit. Your desk can be your own comfortable chair. Your classroom is within you. Do take time today to sit down with the Greatest Teacher that Ever Lived and find out what new and exciting things are in store for you to learn, know, and become.
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