Getting out of God's Way

Lessons from giggly middle school girls

I lead a middle school girl's Bible study every Wednesday from 3:30-5:00 at the base food court. Girls walk over from school, buy some snacks, we play a game and then we try to settle in for our study. While I dearly love each girl, this year's group is probably the most giggly and chatty group of girls I've ever led. For many, this is the first Bible study they're apart of. We're still working on listening, not interrupting and keeping on topic. Each week as I sush side conversations and whispers, I gently remind them that God's Word is important and they don't want to miss out on what He has to say.

We began a study a few weeks ago that addresses various issues teen girls face today. This past week, we started our lesson on "anti-conformity" by writing out a few things that make each of us unique, then we guessed who wrote what. It was fun to learn little tidbits about each gal. We then went to the Scriptures and began looking at verses that talk about not conforming to the world and living as foreigners here on earth as we await our eternal heavenly home.

One of the challenges of leading a study with a dozen extremely chatty girls, is keeping them focused. It's amazing how one moment we'll be talking about the Bible and before we know it, we're discussing nail polish colors. Remember the old Elmer Fudd cartoon? As Elmer tiptoed through the forest he'd sing, "Kill the rabbit, kill the rabbit..."? Knowing when to kill the rabbit trails and when to let them go is a bit of an art. So this past week, when one girl (who's great at bunny trails),  raised her hand and started to tell a story about when she was in third grade, I sat there listening, trying to determine when to cut her off and reel her back to our stated topic. Slowly, as she continued to share, I began to see the connection point.

Beginning in third grade, her family experienced some extremely difficult times that impacted her socially and developmentally for several years to come. At school, she really wanted to fit in, yet she felt like an outcast. As we talked about verses that teach us to stand out and be different, she struggled to want to do that. She'd been there, done that, and it hurt.

Insert me. I started to explain how it's okay to want to feel loved and accepted, but God calls us to live holy lives that look different than the world. Another girl sitting across the table raised her hand. I hesitantly called on her, wondering which bunny trail her question would lead down.

And, that's when it happened.

She simply asked if she could get up and come around the table and give the other girl a hug. Then she asked everyone to clap for the girl's boldness in sharing her honest feelings and hurts. They each began going around the table and sharing what they do when they're sad and then they prayed for each other.

I must admit, I sat there a little dumbfounded. Since September, I've been praying for this group of girls to like each other and to speak kind words. I've continually prayed that they'd know Jesus personally and love His Word. There've been a number of weeks that I've walked away frustrated, thinking, "They just don't get it. Are they learning anything?" But as I heard them share and encourage one another, my heart was full of joy.

I felt God say to me, "get out of the way! Ditch your study, and head down those trails with Me." For the next half hour, the girls asked amazing questions about why there's pain and suffering, why did God let Adam and Eve sin and how did they not realize they were naked before they ate the fruit, why, why and why.... it was great. I loved it.

That night I came home to an email from a mom of one of the girls. She wrote ... "I just wanted to tell you that E had lots and lots to say about the girl's Bible study this afternoon. It sounds like you had a lot of tough questions from the girls and had a very interesting discussion with them. E was bubbling over with excitement and wanted to tell us all about the questions and the answers and ask more questions. It was wonderful to see her so interested and engaged in thinking about God's Word."

Praise the Lord. I need to get out of the way more often. : )

Thanks for joining me in this journey of sharing Jesus with students.

Beth