Day 14: Pooped

Whew!!! Longest day of the week. I teach nine consecutive guitar classes on Tuesdays at Timothy Ministries from 8 am on... finishing at 5 pm. The classes average 8 to 9 students each. I love each class, because it gives me the opportunity to watch out for the "prairie dogs" amongst the students. Kids attend these guitar classes for a variety of reasons. Some are there to try out the guitar to see if it might be what they want to do, musically. It's not for everybody, so they are checking it out. For others, it is more of a social opportunity to be with their friends. As these are home-schooled kids, this is very important for them. Then there's a group of kids whose faces light up whenever they have a guitar in their hands. They're not hard to miss. They are my "prairie dogs". They are the ones whose heads pop up when they hear a new lick or guitar sound that they think is cool. They are the ones who look like they have a guitar surgically implanted in their hands. They have discovered that the guitar is destined (I would say "pre-destined", being a closet Presbyterian myself, but I digress) to be an important part of their lives.
So there you have it. Three groups of kids, each group with a different agenda. Each with different needs. And if you kept count, you are probably noticing that for two of the three groups of kids, guitar isn't a real big thing to them. And these three groups are spread out among all my classes. In each class I will have the social butterflies, alongside of those who are experimenting with the guitar and are not sure if they even want this thing, and then each class seems to have one of my "prairie dogs" - those who are sold out to this instrument.

So you can see the dance I have to dance. How do I meet the needs of these three different groups? This used to frustrate the stew out of me. I would be on this little pedestal in my mind saying "I am on this planet to teach guitar..." and then I would look at the student there for more social reasons and say (in my mind) "why are you even here? this is a guitar class!!!!!" Oh man... the arrogance of the ignorant... I suffered from that affliction, and it is no fun. At the end of the day I would be frustrated and ready to quit.

But not today.
What's the difference?

Well.... I am a big proponent of something called the Sovereignty of God. Without waxing too theological, let it suffice that this means I believe God is charge of EVERY circumstance in my life. But theology is no good if it can't be applied, so over the years I have been applying the Sovereignty of God to more and more areas of my life.  Applying it to this dilemma proved to be a very humbling experience. Here's how it played out.

I think I am on this planet to teach guitar. Isn't that what God has me doing? Yup. Yet - 2/3 of the guitar students I have are not there primarily for guitar. That HAS to mean - that is if I REALLY believe in His Sovereignty - that He has ordained that 2/3 of all my students are not going to get overly excited about guitar. So if I am going to walk in integrity, I have to bow to His Sovereignty in this, and realize that I need to stop being stiff-necked and try to meet the needs of these different groups. Yes - it is STILL a guitar class, and we do learn the guitar. There are lessons, licks, chords and songs to learn. But if I am observant I will use this knowledge that these three groups exist and look for ways to connect with these kids, while throwing guitar knowledge their way. The fact that these groups are there in my class is all the proof I need that God wants me to deal with them, and not ignore them.

Here is a case in point - every year I will get a student who is a little odd, socially awkward - a little off-beam. I remember specifically being reminded by God one year that the reason that child was in my class was because my class was a safe place for him. You see, being a strange kid in a crowd of kids is hard. I know - I was one of them. There were few sanctuaries for me where I felt safe while growing up. One was my home. And one was the band room at school. Isn't THAT a coincidence? My band teacher - Mr Hope - ensured that his classroom was a safe place for all of his kids. And his legacy is passed to me. My classroom is a safe place. It has become a place where kids are safe.. from other kids, and safe enough to talk to me about so many things. I am in awe.

So yes - I teach guitar. But no longer do I see this as the end of what I do. Rather it is the vehicle that God uses to get me in contact with so many different kinds of kids. And there is so much ministry taking place now that could not happen when I stomped my foot and said "I am a guitar teacher!!!!!! ". I am NOT a guitar teacher. I am simply a teacher. Who has a guitar in his hand. Who has over a half-century of experiences to draw on for advice when asked. Who is in awe of this thing called the Sovereignty of God. Who is so pooped right now. But what a day. What a glorious day.

Blessings!
Mr G