I didn't do it!

 It was Tuesday and the deadline for my middle daughter’s entrance into the college world was one day away. Yet, we were missing a test score that would determine schedule and course selection. Try as we might we could not get the information by phone or e-mail. We were going to have to make a trip to the school and wait.  

During lunch time I went to the local campus to see if I could speed up the process. The line was long and there was no speeding up the line so I left. My frustration peaked as we considered not going to school this semester at all. Waiting until January when more was in order. I am not sure as to why it is so important to me for her to start school this fall but it is. It bugged me to almost no end that all this late effort would be for naught by postponing until January. I just wrote a lie.

The lie is I was frustrated because I had to make a number of schedule changes to facilitate this last minute flourish. I had a significant time investment as well as aggravation going here. To punt to January would discount my investment (yep my frustration was about me). Now back to our regularly scheduled program.    

I resigned myself to no school this fall and waiting until January. That was O.K. but second best (first looser you know). When I got home around 4:30 Carolyn says, “Are you ready to go?” I replied, “Go where?” “Go to the school and get my scores and schedule changed” she says. I was stunned but thought let’s give it a shot. Off we go Carolyn driving.

We arrive no line so we sign in and wait a few minutes but not many. In less than 5 minutes we have her score (she passed) and her schedule is changed to 13 hours (full time). Bam it’s done and Carolyn says “Thank You Jesus, I was praying all the way over here and for the last two days.” We had one more wait for the financial aid person but that was easy. I figured if God could arrange the schedule and specific times that work for us he can work out financial aid. By the way He did.

I am not sure if it was then or later after I had spoken to my Mother who had been praying as well that it hit me. So hard that I said it out loud, “I had not prayed.” Not once that day had I prayed about the schedule, test or arrangements for school. Not the slightest word whispered from my lips to God for his help. There was nothing I could do but I never asked God to intervene.

 He did anyway. He’s like that.

Here I am the spiritual leader (ha-ha) for some and I had not prayed over the issue at hand. That means I have a ways to go still. It makes me human and in need or grace. Not the cheap kind the costly kind that changes lives and grows faith.

Well there has been one schedule change due to one cancelled class but she is now in college. It’s true I didn’t pray about the frustration. In fact, the frustration is because I didn’t pray and let God.         

In HIS Service and Yours,

The Rev