First Baptist Church of Herndon

Back to School

Linda Soller | Sep 09, 2013

All the kids and teachers and administrators are back in school by now. I can tell because the traffic got crazy again and those large yellow buses are all over the place. It has made me reflect on all the things I learned in school, some of which came from my teachers, some from books, and a great deal from the people around me. We often underestimate the impact of our childhood interactions on the type of adults we become. Some people come through the school years none the worse for wear, others are not as fortunate. As adults we continue to learn and build on that foundation, which can be good or bad depending on your original experience.

One of my favorite stories that my father, a high school teacher, shared with us was the time a parent complained to him that no one was teaching her child dinner manners. My dad reflected that he wasn’t sure how to answer her considering he had her child in his class a few hours a week and she had had fifteen years with the child. He figured he would be wrong no matter what he said. This story speaks to responsibility in the education. Sometimes it feels like no one wants to take the responsibility. I was lucky with my foundation and remember school years fondly. I learned about being first. If the teacher lined the class by alpha order or by height I was usually first. My last names started with an “A,” and let’s just say I’m vertically challenged. I also learned that being first isn’t always such a great thing. It can be scary. I learned that people can be mean even when you are nice and they can be nice even when you have been mean. Think about that for a minute. There was so much to learn, too much to learn in just the childhood years, and so we continue to learn as we grow older. We could all probably benefit from going back to school for a while.

Church is much the same as school. Some people have a wonderful experience and the foundation is set for the continued growth of their knowledge and their faith. Some people don’t fare so well. They probably had that “manners” lady for a Sunday school teacher. Whether the members of the congregation want to take responsibility or not, much of a person’s attitude about church is based on the experience they have with the people there. Like regular school there is much to learn at church, so much it takes a lifetime. Anyone who claims to know it all, well let’s just say they are mistaken. We do need to keep going back to strengthen and build our faith. The statement, “I don’t need to attend church to believe in God” is accurate and incomplete all at once. Churches came in to being to help people learn and grow. They are intended to provide support and a caring environment for a person’s faith to thrive. As children we were forced to go to school, but as adults we have to take responsibility for going or not going to church. For some finding the right church can take a while. For others it’s like coming home when you walk in the door. Unlike schools systems you don’t have to walk out the door after a set number of years and sink or swim in the “real world,” you can keep coming back. Maybe it’s time you came back and continued building on your foundation. The doors are open you just need to come back.

September 15^th is National Back to Church Sunday – where will you be Sunday morning?  Why not come back to church?

Have a great week :o) Linda