LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!

Last night was one of the most frustrating nights I've had on a Wednesday night class. I had worked for several days on a lesson that would explain and teach God's grace. By using the incident of the woman at the well I showed how regardless of what we've done or been involved with God still offers us His gift of forgiveness and grace. Now, I didn't expect the kids to fall all over themselves, and to hang on my every word, but I did expect them to at least acknowledge that they heard or understood what I was teaching. But did they.
One kid sat on a couch and tried to play "footsie" with some girl he hardly knows. Three other guys sat on a couch and made wisecracks and told inside jokes. Two other kids were texting on their phones. I had three individuals who were slumped down so far in their seat they could have been sleeping.
Now the classes I have taken on teaching tell me I shouldn't draw attention to misbehaving and shouldn't publicly correct them. Instead I should speak with them privately so not to damage their little self esteem. So I didn't yell at them but I didn't ignore them either. What I did do was give them the "look". Now when I was younger the "look" was just as deadly as a scolding. I would be terrified that someone was going to tell my father and it would be more than a look or scolding that I would get.
Did this tactic work? _ NOPE. So I have a solution. Next time its no holds barred, chairs are optional, it's time for a SMACKDOWN!
Just Kidding. But as I was thinking about it this morning I kept telling my self that they had missed a great lesson on grace. A lesson that they could use to explain to their friends what grace is. But instead as usual I got the lesson. I got a lesson in Mercy. See Mercy is not getting what we deserve, and by far I have been shown mercy.
So next week's lesson just may be on mercy and I'll continue to pray about how to keep control while giving a lesson.
Oh yea, there was this one girl who sat there the whole time and hung on every word I was saying. How about that God just taught me another lesson!