Back to School: Looking Forward to What’s Next

From Pastor Quentin Wallace

Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior, and my hope is in you all day long. — Psalm 25:5

He that began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. — Philippians 1:6

It’s been a little over a month since my family and I began our ministry with the Lincoln Park Community United Methodist Church family, and we’re enjoying the journey so far. As we continue together, let us agree to communicate honestly and to share our hearts lovingly as we participate in the ministries directed by Christ through this congregation.

In the meantime, we must understand that change is difficult for some in the congregation and exciting for others. I’m one who is excited about doing new things like seeing new places and meeting new people. For those who find change challenging, there’s a way to find a positive outcome; that is through prayer and finding a hopeful perspective.

Let me share a story about a time when I was resistant to change. When I returned to school for first grade after kindergarten, I wasn’t happy. My kindergarten teacher, Miss Taylor, had been great, but when I went to first grade and met Miss Walker, I was upset.

My initial thought was to leave Miss Walker’s room and run to Miss Taylor’s class instead, and that is exactly what I did. However, that did not work out for me. I had been promoted to first grade. Eventually I adjusted to the change and learned to like Miss Walker, and to look forward to being promoted to the next grades from elementary school through graduate studies.

In a book entitled Falling Upward, Richard Rohr explains how each component of our life moves us toward something better. It is God that promotes us. So as students begin school — from pre-k through graduate studies— let each of us look forward to what is coming, not forgetting the past but embracing each experience as a stepping stone upward.

The Apostle Paul says in the Philippians passage above that God has begun a great work in each of us and He will finish what He started. Therefore, we must understand that God is always transforming us. In the passage above, the psalmist shares that our hope is in God, and God is always teaching us truth and that should give us joy. Let us plan to have a great year of learning something new.

Blessings,

Pastor Quentin