Change is Necessary
Last week at the Weekday graduation reception, I chatted with a couple of parents about their experience with Weekday. As you know, last week 22 students completed the program and are now ready for kindergarten. They’ll spend a few more weeks with us this summer, and then they’ll be off to school.
I noticed two boys, one from China, the other from Tallahassee, who had become fast friends. The boy from China had just recently moved to the states. He communicated by iPad when he arrived. The other boy from Tallahassee became his best friend. Somehow they intuitively developed a bond with each other, and the Tallahassee child very quickly helped his new friend navigate the strange land he was now in. The boy from China proudly read scripture at the Weekday graduation ceremony as if he’d been a natural-born English speaker.
What it takes kids a few months to accomplish is a challenge for all adults. Children intuitively know how to invest in each other and help each other along the way. Maybe they know something we have forgotten. Change is a necessary part of life.
I wonder this summer, who will be moving in or around you that needs help here in Tallahassee? The changes taking place in their life might be a necessary part of God’s plan for them to connect with Christ.
In Acts 1, Peter uses one Greek word–dei–to explain the changes taking place in the church. We translate it in English as a phrase, “It was necessary.” He can’t explain everything that happened, but he does know that it’s intentionally part of a larger plan.
Another 15 of our high schoolers graduate this week into a new phase of life. Parents are learning the necessary next steps of this phase of life. People move into our community. College students and their parents arrive for orientation (I met one at church Sunday). All of it is necessary. Every one of them is an opportunity. Every person affected needs someone to invest in their lives through the process. The next step just might be toward a closer walk with Christ.