ELSEWHERE CLASSROOM

   Kids have taken to digital learning
 as easily as fish to water. 

How long has it been since the corona virus brought humankind to its knees, making our lockdown state seem eternal?

Not much of an agony for retired folks; we're used to just staying put. But younger generations? Pity them!

This shuttering has dashed marketplace people's dreams of flying high. Many are unemployed. Families are struggling, money-wise. Economies are in tatters. Seems like a bad dream.

Online learning has become the forced normal for virtually all students. Such a shame that for kids among the poor, the prospect of schooling has altogether stopped, making the yawning gap between rich and poor even wider.

What unusual times! We can only believe that soon, God—by His amazing grace—will wiggle us out of this pandemic's deadly tentacles.

I've been pleasantly surprised that today, I'm into online teaching (courtesy of a dear colleague), the only mode left for schools to continue educating their students.

Do I like it? I love teaching, but it feels lonely in my virtual classroom. I miss the interaction, the impassioned debates, the excitement in the air during workshops, the wide-opened eyes which seem to ask for more, my students' eureka moments.

I miss doing live lectures, my own aha! moments as I learn from from their learnings, and being their go-to person when they struggle either with their lessons or their lives.

I used to complain that today's students no longer read books but rely mostly on the internet to complete their tasks. Books used to be a student's best friend and bed-mate. No longer.

My worst nightmare is magnified ten-fold as I see the culture of reading going puff, more so today.

I've always believed that reading legitimate authors' well researched and carefully-written works—as opposed to snippets of information gleaned here and there in the world wide web—inspire imagination, creativity, independent thinking, innovation, and yes, even wisdom, as students try to make sense of the harsher world they'd face after school.

But adjust we must, teachers and students alike, even in our shuttered state. I've gotten used to meeting and conversing with them in our virtual classroom. 

What about younger kids' education in these sheltering days?

We know that mastering reading, writing and math is just part of the whole equation; and that getting a grip on their EQ (emotional quotient) preps them to be prim and proper, best of all, considerate, kind and people-savvy individuals. That's what schooling equips them with—the firmness, understanding and grace to be around bullies and nice classmates alike.  

Nowadays, young kids get their “formal” learning online.

For our eight year-old granddaughter, school today means sitting in front of the computer and accessing her lessons online. She's taken to it like fish to water. I catch her from time to time acting out or voicing a stage character—prompted by an online theatre program. Cool, huh.

Children are resilient. They easily adapt. But we wonder how this forced normal will impact their lives down the line. Will sheltering cause them to be crumbly wafers? But who's to say which way of teaching is better?

It's tough being a parent nowadays. Especially in the US, parenting has turned doubly tedious as mother or father takes up the slack from their kids' teachers . This calls for creativity, inspiration and patience.

Parents are still their children's best teachers, stepping up their game when they need to.

Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

Prayer: Lord God, we pray for parents and their children. This current pandemic has upended their lives. Parents struggle with making a living and teaching their kids. Give them wisdom to manage their time wisely so that they can spend productive and enjoyable learning times with their children. May teachers cope well with teaching online and students make the most of their learning online. In Jesus' name, amen.

CHOICE AND CONSEQUENCE

Grandkid three crowned her hair with spiked covid-like plastic globules, resulting in tangles. Crying (hers) and sighing (mine) sweetened our drama. The untangling took forever. 😜

Then it was grandkid four's turn—with her sister's Barbie doll. The entanglement was so severe, my first impulse was to shear her mangled hair. But a half-bald Barbie? No way. So I let it be. Let them play with their messed-up doll.

Buying a new Barbie came to mind (These two girls share only one.), but then, where's the teaching opportunity in that? 

Entanglements—better to experience them at play where crying and sighing are just skin-deep, than  in adulthood with their more ouchie consequences. 

Psalm 90:12 Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a life of wisdom. 

A day has 24 hours. More than half of these we spend making choices; the rest for gaining back strength through rest or sleep. Choice is a day-in, day-out affair. 

Will I sleep a little longer or rise early to take my usual walk? Will I have breakfast? What kind? 

At work, will I shut the door to finish that report my boss has been bugging me for days? But what if other hassles get in the way? 

Bedtime. No not yet. Got to watch at least one more episode of Crash Landing On You (favorite Korean telenovela). But oh, got to watch the next one too, kasi bitin (cliffhanger) naman. 

Each decision has a consequence. Go without breakfast or exercise? Lack of sleep? Health issues!

Slacking at work may lead to a miniscule or zero salary raise, no promotion; worse, your behind being kicked out the door. 

It gets more serious than those. We've known folks who've been entangled in drugs, gambling, pornography, illicit relationships. The higher you step up the ladder of poor choices, the harder the fall—even with one careless move. 

One sniff? One night of thievery? One fling? One thing leads to another. 

It may not happen to you, but to a loved one. The pain is equally unbearable, isn't it? Especially when that someone takes his life and renders innocent children fatherless. 

So this freedom "thing" which many tend to shout out loud to authorities so that they mock the law—where will it lead them, and us? 

That's why there are rules. They're our even playing field. Obey the law. Respect the authorities. Within these boundaries, we can live peacefully—even enjoy our days. 

 

These covid-19 days: wear your mask, practice physical distancing, do a fist or foot bump instead of the usual beso-beso (kiss).

Where rules are flouted or common sense disregarded, uncertainty prevails. That's why God has given us His Word—our standard. The Bible is the whole expression of God's instructions, our life manual if you will. 

Matthew 22:37-40 "Love the Lord your God will with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength... love your neighbor as yourself... on these two commandments hang all the laws..."

This is our level playing field. 

Yet Jesus knows our weaknesses. Who could follow all these rules? No, not one. 

Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."

That's why Jesus came, offering Himself as the Way, the Truth and the Life, John 14:6. 

From tangled hair to tangled life—it's His business to unentangle our mess. Better yet, to help us from getting tangled! 

Prayer: O God, I repent and humble myself before You. Cleanse my heart and keep my way straight and safe. Forgive me for my wrong choices. Renew my mind. Change my heart of stone with a heart able to hear and obey your Word. Jesus be my Savior and Lord. Amen. 

GLORY WHERE IT’S DUE

   My grandaughter Natalie and I outdo each other with our Mona Lisa smirk.. er... smile. 3rd&4th image credits: Netflix, Our Planet

Ever heard a painting arguing with it's creator? Here's a sampler: 

Mona Lisa portrait: I don't look that nice. Add a little more smile to my grin.

Leonardo da Vinci: I'm quite happy with it. Your smile exudes mystery. 

Portrait: But I don't like it. What's a portrait if the subject is boring? 

Leonardo: Ah, but I love it! So let it be. 

And it shuts up. 

Of course I just made this up. My apologies, Leonardo. 

The truth is, the Mona Lisa smile has for ages been studied, interpreted and written about—one of the reasons Da Vinci, a genius of his era, is widely regarded as an icon. 

Taking inflation into account, the Mona Lisa fetches today for $2.67 billion—humongous enough to wipe out France's debt, a writer quipped.

And of course I'm using the Leonardo-portrait conversation as a metaphor. Because if truth be told, most of us behave like the Mona in my imagined story.  

"Why am I trapped in this body?" 

"When God poured out ugly, I must have been given the biggest umbrella to catch it all." 

Unknowingly, many of us have taken for granted or pushed our Creator aside, replacing Him with  the lesser gods of self will or pride, money, fame, power. 

“I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul,” wrote William Ernest Henley in his poem Invictus. I once believed that, till I realized it should be the other way around.

What a slap on our Creator. He has from the very start wanted His design, His way, reflected in us. 

Van Gogh’s Starry Night painting is admired the world over. Michelangelo’s Creation painting on the ceiling of Sistine chapel is Rome’s pride. The Mona Lisa has brought Da Vinci glory. 

Just like their works of art reaping accolades for these artists, we too—created beings—must give Him glory, referred to in the original Greek language as an opinion of praise, honor, splendor. 

He gets the glory if we trust and obey Him, because He being Our Creator has fitted us with the wares to not only survive but be a star in this soundstage called life, with Him as our Director. 

We are clay in the Potter’s hands (Isaiah 64:8). He molds and fires and glazes us just like a priceless porcelain fit to adorn a palace. 

Remember where we come from. "The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being" Genesis 2:7. 

Proof that we're but dust? Wait till you're cremated and your body is reduced to just a bagful of dust. Mud more likely. 

The breath of God sustains us, so He deserves all the glory! The created's purpose is to glorify his Creator. 

Psalms 150:6  “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”

Nature it seems does it better than us. 

“Praise the Lord from the heavens... angels... hosts... sun... moon...shining stars... waters above the heavens... Praise the Lord from the earth... great sea creatures... all deeps... fire and hail... snow and mist... stormy wind... mountains... hills... fruit trees... cedars... beasts and livestock... creeping things and flying birds...” Psalms 148:1-10. 

I’ve recently started watching Netflix’s “Our Planet” series. And I’m awe-struck. Words are not enough to describe the incredible tapestry of God’s creation, how the nano-est and the biggest of them are so uniquely fashioned—they take my breath away. 

More awe-inspiring is this: everyone has a gig all its own. The krill sustains the squid, salmon, seabirds and whales. Tiny  phytoplanktons are not just their appetizers; these microscopic beings also affect oceanic formation of clouds which are then sucked inland to rain down on us. Lions feast on wildebeests and wildebeests thrive on succulents and grass. 

One giant symphony of life—of dependence and harmony—and God’s unseen yet obvious hand conducting everything to perfection. Simply mind-boggling!

And look at us. We can plan, lead, design, invent, analyze, concoct, compute, compose, act, sing, dance, even fly to the moon. Ever wonder where dust such as us get all that limitless wisdom and daring? 

Life. Sustainability. Creativity. Power. Integrity. All of these and more He’s effortlessly put together to make the earth a habitable place for you and me, courtesy of Jesus our Creator. 

Art collectors pay out-of-this-world prices to possess paintings like the Mona Lisa. Jesus paid the highest price—His shed blood through His death on the cross—to repossess us and guarantee our victory up to the time we leap out of this world into His.  

So please, please, give Him all the glory. Let it be His and His alone.  

ACCESS

Image credit: www.alamy.com

Picture this:

From your limousine, you hurtle down and push your way towards the airport gate as your hand nervously fiddles through your Ferragamo bag.

"Ticket?" asks the guard. "No ticket, no entry," he stares at you coldly while the public address system announces, flight so and so has departed. And you scream the scariest of screams.

A bad dream, huh?

But could there be a worse nightmare than this: when your soul departs from your mortal body, reach eternity's gate and you're told, "Sorry, your name's not listed here."

Admit it. We think we could manipulate our way to heaven in much the same way that we use money to buy a first class airline ticket to a dream destination.

But the Bible is clear. We could not bribe our way to heaven; yes, not even with our good works!

"On that day, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty good works in your name?" And then I will declare to them, I never knew you, depart from me, you workers of lawlessness." Matthew 7:22

God loves it when we do good. Yet, first things first. Numero uno requirement:

Belong to His family. Sonship must be first be established before we can prove by our actions that we are genuinely His.

"But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in His name." John 1:12

Why would Jesus insist, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me," if He didn't value our Father-son relationship with Him?

He's the only means through whom access to God is possible! The only ticket to your eternal destination.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so no one would boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

Now this might be a hard pill to swallow, especially if you're way in deep as far as being morally upright and helping others are concerned.

But take it from Jesus. Charity, if motivated by your desire to outweigh your bad deeds with good—is hypocrisy. Good deeds, if they're just meant for show-and-tell, or for praise release, or to preserve your cool image, or have your name inscribed in church pews, are stinkers as far as He's concerned.

Isaiah 64:6 says our righteous acts are like filthy rugs to Him.

Most everyone believes in Jesus. In mind, yes. But genuine faith in Jesus is this: Repenting and totally surrendering yourself to Him to be your Savior and Lord. Then our good works are done out of love, as a form of thanksgiving for His grace, and to glorify His name.

Come on, Jesus died for you and me; paid a high price to ransom our soul from death or eternal separation from Him. Until our hearts are stamped with Jesus's blood, our ticket to His kingdom is a fake. Invalid. Inadmissible. Even if you do a world of good.

But there's more. His grace through Jesus, gives you access to every good His kingdom has to offer.

You want peace in the middle of turmoil? His is a peace which surpasses understanding. He settles your heart because you're planted on the Rock of our salvation.

In fear of sickness or violent people lurking around? His grace surrounds you like a shield. And not to forget, His angels encamp around you.

And in the midst of sorrow or pain, I can have joy in my innermost because this I know:

He who paid the price for my sin and saved me from hell, will guide me wherever I turn—though darkness, intimidating characters, pestilence and dark days lurk around.