The Older Teaches the Younger

Yesterday, Elise, a high schooler from our church, and I went to lunch at a Thai restaurant in Merrillville. It was a celebration lunch to mark the completion of eight lessons that we have worked through together in preparation for Elise's profession of faith. Elise has been raised in a wonderful godly family and is the youngest child. She is very grounded in her faith and eager to be about the business of serving Christ in her life. She is not the run of the mill Christian kid. This one truly lives out her convictions and faith.

We started this process many weeks ago when both of us were still in school and had very busy schedules. We met after school and sometimes after her track practices. By the time we got together on those days, both of us were pretty much spent. It felt good to sit together in our sunroom and pour over the Word of God seeking the truth the Bible teaches. It was good for both of us, the young and the older, to share our heart and be open and honest about our character, our fears, and our sureties. We took a look at what God has to say about all the areas of our lives.

These are some things I learned about Elise. I learned she knows she is loved by her family and by God. She is a serious person, wanting to do her best in everything she does. Elise likes to have alone time. She isn't so interested in crowds. Confidence is not lacking in Elise's character. She knows what she likes and what she does well. She enjoys playing her viola and likes to sing in the praise teams at church. She speaks well in front of a crowd when the material is in front of her. She says, "I have a good reading voice".

Three weeks ago when we met, she mentioned that she had had a headache for a few days and was concerned about that because she doesn't get headaches. A couple days after our meeting her left eye began to swell and get abrasions on the lid. After a couple trips to the doctor it was determined that she had shingles. What a strange thing for such a young person. There were some days that Alise was very sick. The kind of sick that when anything that moves around one, it causes discomfort. She made two trips to the emergency room in addition to her doctor visits. The kid was really sick. The outing of yesterday had to be postponed a week because she was still recovering last week. We also celebrated her recovery and the fact that she felt well again.

It was a pleasure to get to know Elise. Seeing high schoolers at church, one flashes a smile to them and says hello but one doesn't get to know them. The eight weeks cooperative study with Elise gave me opportunity to become her friend and vice versa. I think we will always have that bond. The experience taught me once again that good things come out of sacrifice and effort. Finding time to be together eight times was difficult for both of us but but we made it. Sometime soon, Elise will meet with the pastor and they together will plan the date of her public profession of faith. It will be a banner day for Elise and her parents and family. For me, too!