Flunking First Grade

I remember when my mother threatened to hold me back a year. I was the youngest in my First-Grade class, an anomaly of the school calendar. I wasn’t adapting well and she thought I might do better by starting over again.

Somehow, I talked my way through it. But the truth is that I probably wasn’t ready.

It’s that way for me now. There are some life lessons I really should have learned a long time ago.  I heard this verse recently in church and it’s simplicity floored me.


“In this world, you will have trouble.” Can I get an amen?
“But be of good cheer.” Huh?
“For I have overcome the world.” Oh. I forgot.

How come verses like this pierce my soul? For some reason, I thought by now I would get it. After so many years, I thought I would be able to have the faith to walk without doubt. I thought I would be able to trust that God has a plan. I thought I would be able to discern the reason for the trials.

Translating the simple truth of a God who cares, who is in control and who is intimately aware of my everyday life seems to be a lifelong struggle.

Here’s one thing I really want to nail down: Suffering isn’t a tragedy, rather it’s a promotion. 

It’s a chance to see things from another view, to elevate above the everyday world and to find a higher meaning, a purpose to all of this.

Not everyone gets that clarity. Most clump through life, stomping through the well-worn paths and never even looking ahead, let alone above.

Not everyone can see where the parade leads. Instead they march, doing their duty while the crowds cheer and all they see is the poor chump in front of them. Winding through the streets, all they know is when it’s over.

So suffering, setback and trial all have a way of making me focus. They have allowed me to have a razor-sharp clarity, a 20-20 vision that puts me on the observation deck instead of the gutter.

I think I’m ready for a promotion. Second grade, here I come!