(With inspiration from David McCasland’s Pinstripe Parables)
That evening the fifth-grade Bible Study class took up the subject of faith . . . and hope.
Fifth-graders.
The teacher, Jim, drew a circle on the board, placed an “X” in the center, and then explained that this was that evening’s Bible verse. He explained to the class that they should imagine themselves seated at the “X” and they would be looking down on the circle from above.
What surrounded them was the faith that they possessed and that faith was bounded by what they hoped for. The circle represented the limits to which they could hope based upon the amount of faith that was found inside the circle.
Since faith was the substance of what they hoped for, the more faith, the wider the circle. And then Jim pointed them to Philippians 4 and they looked at that evening’s verse using a little “reverse engineering.” In Philippians, Paul tells us that he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him. The realm of what’s possible for Paul would include all things. If that was so, Jim asked the fifth-graders how big would Paul’s hope circle become?
A hand immediately went up. A young man in glasses did not hesitate. “That circle would go to the infinite—it would go right off the board” due to Paul’s assertion that he could do all things through Jesus Christ, which would demonstrate his great faith. “Absolutely right, Evan,” Jim responded. “Precisely correct.” But then he turned to the class and asked them to work with him here for a moment.
He told them to go ahead and assume that we could see all of Paul’s hope circle for a moment and that we were able to conceptualize this infinite construct. Jim then drew a smaller circle with a similar “X” at its center.
He told them that they might know of someone in their class that comes to school each day from a different background or a different part of town, or has some struggles, and in fact may not have faith in God, or a great deal of faith in anything for that matter. The only thing he might be able to include in a hope circle is perhaps a roof over his head as he sleeps tonight, or a hot meal on the dinner table, or good weather as he walks home from school. His family may be separated or blended to a great degree.
Jim said this person may include one or two in the class as his friend somewhere in that hope circle, but he doesn’t have too much in there. In fact, his hope circle is incredibly close to him as he sits there on his “X” and it’s really easy to see beyond the edge of his hope circle. He can easily see beyond hope into the realm of hope—less—ness.
Jim paused for a moment, and then asked a series of rhetorical questions. “Is it any wonder why so many young people who are strangled by their individual hope circles today are hurting themselves, or worse, taking their own lives in suicides? Is it any wonder why Christmastime is such a struggle for so many young people? Don’t you think they’ve had it extra-rough during this COVID time?”
He looked at the class seated in front of him and asked, “Do you know of anyone like this in your class?”
Jim saw exactly what he wanted to see. No hands were raised, but a group of fifth-graders minds were working hard thinking of such possibilities among their classmates who happened to sit nearby in their classrooms during the day or across the screen from them during Zooms.
Then he asked these same fifth-graders, “What should we do for this person? How can we help him?” Evan’s hand immediately went up. That same young man in glasses did not hesitate. “We should tell them about Jesus. We need to help them find some faith, to get that circle bigger around them.” “Absolutely right,” the teacher responded. “Precisely correct.”
Author’s note: You may be familiar with the television show that in its title asks the question, “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” Of course, the real challenge is not how smart you are, but rather whom do you know that needs his hope circle enlarged? Especially at Christmastime. You know of someone, don’t you? And if you pray that God might reveal someone to you, look out. The answer from Him will not be a matter of “if,” but “when.” It’s interesting, but fifth-graders have no problem sharing their faith with someone who is really on their heart. How about you?
As Christmas approaches, please consider it.
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.