What evil lurks in them there shadows?

Every now and again, I will purposefully use 'bad grammar' just because I am trying to get a point
across - usually to show my genuine openness to an idea, or because I am just being a little silly. If you ever hear me tell my BFF that I just 'got schooled' in something, or 'learned me a new thing', it is just a way of letting her know I know something today I didn't know before. It may be seriously important information, or it could just be something that peaked my curiosity. I can be heard saying, "Hey, let's Google that", meaning that I want to understand the meaning of a word, figure out where something originated, or what something looks like. Yesterday, it was an herb used in traditional Mexican dishes, while a week ago it may have been why lady bugs are always called lady bugs and not man bugs! Being interested in learning is a very good thing, my friends, especially when the 'thing learned' helps us to grow stronger in Christ, more loving or caring in our actions, or to just plain 'grow up'.

Show me how you work, God; school me in your ways.Take me by the hand; lead me down the path of truth. (Psalm 25:4-5)

There is nothing that God delights in more than hearing his child ask than to be schooled in HIS ways. When I was in school, one of the things my teachers soon learned about me was that I was a visual learner - if I could see it, I grasped the truth much quicker than if it was something more ethereal. I am a "show me" kind of person - not that I always need to see it, but I make a different connection to it when I do. When I was a kid, I took things apart - just to see how they were made. I would dissect a flower to see the various "pieces" - learning that stem, petal, and leaf all had their own function, somehow fit together, and when together they formed a pretty amazing thing of beauty.

God NEVER turns away a person who comes to him with a "show me" or "school me" desire. In fact, he uses that for his glory. There are two different things we can ask God for, as our scripture points out - things that just delight him to no end. One is to be shown how God works - the other is to understand God's ways (his plans). When we understand God's plans, it may be easier to see how he works. When I took apart the flower, it was not because I wanted to destroy the flower. In fact, I wanted to understand how life was accomplished in that flower - how did it gain the nutrients it needed to grow. When we come to God with a heart open to understand what he plans for his children, we are also asking him to show us how it is that we will "grow into" those plans.

God's "ways" are those things that add discipline and order to our life - they create a framework for how we are to live, act, and react. His "work" is what gives our lives blessing and satisfaction - meaning and purpose. His ways add structure, while his work in our life brings revelation and reward. As God to "show" you and "school" you - it is by being "hand-led" down the path with God that we both are shown and schooled. I have found myself coming into a dark house at night, groping around in the darkness for a light switch, avoiding the sharp edges of end tables, seeing shadows and wondering if there was any evil lurking there. It is a little scary to "be in the dark" groping for the light, constantly unaware of what is there. God knows the facts about our spiritual, emotional, and thought life - both those we allow out into the light and those that are hidden away in darkness. We all have times when we are "groping around in the dark" hoping to find some "light" to give us direction in life. His delight is in being that light for us! When I am "hand-led" through dark places, I don't fear the "sharp edges" or even the potential evil lurking in the shadows! I know that someone who already knows the way has me in his hand. Just sayin!

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