The last tests have been taken. Finals are done. Grades are in. Seniors have graduated. They figured out how to find the study guide … or survive without it.
A few years ago, there was an epidemic of students who couldn’t seem to find the study guide for the upcoming Biology test. They insisted there wasn’t one. The first time it happened I cocked my head to the side with a confused expression and asked, “Did you check Google Classroom?” It was there - at the top of the page. Still more students insisted, “We didn’t get a study guide.” I know they received a Study Guide. I made it. At one particular review session before an upcoming test, a whole group of students bands together insisting that there wasn’t a study guide. By this time I’m absolutely baffled as to why they think they don’t have a study guide. Clearly there’s a disconnect and I need more information to figure out what is going on. We go to Google Classroom for proof and behold, an assignment titled “Study Materials” which contained the study guide is at the very top of the page.
The job of a teacher is more than just knowing the material for a particular subject. We are often teaching life skills, like how to find the thing that is right in front of you. Even as adults we often need help with this. My husband had to help me find my shoes that I left in the middle of the living room as I was scrambling to get out the door. More recently, I finally found my checkbook in the bag I had previously searched five different times. Like my students, I am not immune to missing the things that are right in front of me. Sometimes I need someone to point out that the thing titled “Study Materials” is probably the study guide that I’ve been looking for all along.
Sadly this doesn’t just occur with study guides, shoes, or checkbooks. Our faith can take a similar path. We may find ourselves struggling to see God and His work in our lives, when in reality, the guidance we need is right in front of us. God has given us His Word and Spirit, yet we often struggle to seek answers there first. Joshua 1:9 clearly states the promise of God being with us wherever we go. In Psalm 25:4-5, we find God continually leading us, revealing his ways to us and teaching us His paths, knowing that he is always there--waiting to guide us towards His truth and salvation.
So the next time you feel lost in a situation in life or are seeking something that feels like it should be easier to find, take great peace in knowing that God is right there with you and will guide your steps.
Psalm 25:4-5: Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.