Because the
neighborhood apartment cabana is being remodeled, we have been holding our
neighborhood homework club at a local church.
I wasn’t very happy when this first developed. Everything about it smelled like extra work.
One of the
downsides was that we would have to shuttle our neighborhood kids back and
forth. And one of the blessings that I
never saw coming… we would have to shuttle our neighborhood kids back and
forth! Haha! I’m always stunned at how God takes something
I perceive as bad, and uses it to be the very thing that creates new
opportunities.
What made
shuttling the kids back and forth such a joy were the conversations. To and
from club, these kids have the freedom to just share what’s on their minds and
they often ask nonstop questions. These
talks have led to deeper relationships and talking about meatier things than
even in our teaching times, when discussion is more structured. Today, I was once again surprised when the situation I dreaded ended up as a blessing.
Shane and
Benjamin were back at it. The minute we
drove up to the church’s homework club, they took off. I tracked them down, hearing giggling and
shushing in the bathroom. We had recently attended camp where the boys should
probably have been sent home but much grace was extended to them. I felt today needed to be a day where
boundaries were enforced. “Hey guys, you have 2 minutes to come out and
participate respectfully or else you will be choosing to go home.” I waited outside the bathroom for the 2
minute deadline. No response.
After sending a
male leader in to bring them out, the boys had a million excuses about why they
should not be sent home. Today, I knew
we needed to follow through on the consequences set before them, loving but
firm discipline. “Do you want me to
drive you home or would you prefer if I call your parents to come pick you up?”
I was sure this
10 minute drive home was going to be horrific. I expected swearing, arguments,
I even had run the scenario through my head of what I would do if one of them
jumped out during the drive.
The boys got in
calmly. We drove by a radar speed sign. “Miss Annie, you are going 33 mph. The speed limit on this road is 30 mph.”
“Have you ever
been in jail, Miss Annie? I don’t want
to go to jail… I remember when my dad went to jail. We were all crying. Even my brothers were crying.”
“Yeah. I remember when my dad went to jail too… I
don’t want to do drugs. That stuff just
gets you in trouble.”
“Yeah. My mom’s in treatment. She would have graduated the other day except
she slept through her graduation. Now
she’s got to start all over. I forgot to
wake her up.”
The boys talked
and talked without a break for me to respond, sharing their experiences and
hurts and desires. Things I guessed
about but never really knew. Finally
there was a place to talk about self-control and using my fast driving as an
example, we talked about the good things that can happen when you obey rules
instead of breaking them and the difference it can make in your life when you
learn these lessons as kids.
As we pulled up
I wanted to leave them with something positive, “Boys,
thank you so much for being so respectful to me on the way home. I appreciated how you used your self-control
during a hard situation. You never even
called me a bad name.”
They looked at
me incredulously, “Miss Annie, we would never do that!”
Who knew
driving kids to a different location would open so many opportunities? Hmmm… it looks like God did!
Deuteronomy 6:5-7 5 Love
the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that
I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home
and when
you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Until
Every Boy and Girl Knows Him,
Annie
Crain
*Names
always changed.
