Yesterday I gave one of my classes an assignment in which they were supposed to draw a visual representation of themselves. The visual was supposed to encapsulate them as individuals. I was a little discouraged about the outcome. As they presented them, one after the other, they mentioned how they drew an i-Pod because they like to listen to music, a basketball because they like basketball, or (as so many of them did) some sort of gaming system because they like to play video games. While there isn't really anything wrong with anything that they mentioned (although I was saddened by the amount of students who thought that video games were the most significant thing about themselves), so many of them drew and explained such superficial things. That was until one young man stood up. A relatively quiet student, he held up his representation and there it was - a beautiful, boldly coloured scene. He began to speak, and as he did, he told us that he drew a cross because he loves Jesus, and that he wants to always remember that He died for us to save us all of our sins. Not only was I encouraged because he really understood the meaning of the assignment, but I was also encouraged that with all the things that we have in this world to distract us (iPods, sports, video games), he stayed focused. With boldness and assurance, this quiet grade 9 student of mine used the cross and its message to represent himself.
In the midst of a discouraging lesson, Jesus shone.
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