Image by Cailin Valente
Do you ever feel like a broken record? You know, like you say the same thing ALL THE TIME status? Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like this every day as a middle school teacher
Where I teach there is a school wide procedure for every subject. The students must write their name on the top left hand corner of every paper. Blue or black ink must ALWAYS be used. Cursive? Are you kidding me? Of course!!
It’s important that they follow this procedure. It creates a consistency for them throughout their years at the school. Handwriting is said to benefit their cognitive abilities which is super important. Also, for us teachers it help us organize and grade the papers much more efficiently. YET, every single day without fail, I get the same questions:
Do I have to write in cursive? Can I use pencil? Why do we have to this? And of course I get the no name papers.
Face palm.
I mope in my office and silently scream, “WHY?!?! I tell them the same thing every day Jesus! Why?” -___- It’s slightly hilarious.
I’m sharing this with you because in today’s reading Peter acknowledges that he deliberately repeats himself. I don’t think he got as flabbergasted as I do though. He says he does it because of the importance of the message he has for us. Peter was told in a vision that he would die soon so his message is urgent to us. He wants it to live on after he passes into the next life. Even his death would not still his voice entirely. He was determined to have his exhortation become as eternal as the truth it held.
Peter acknowledges to his audience that he knows they are “well established in the present truth.” He is not chiding them, but encouraging them as any good leader would. Let us not forget that Peter is the prince of the apostles and was commissioned by Jesus Himself to encourage his brothers in faith. He is fulfilling his duty by frequently repeating himself.
God knows how forgetful his children can be. Me especially....I’m notorious for forgetting my keys and coffee cups in the classrooms where I teach music : / Lord have mercy.
Basically, God is using Peter to remind us that if we live good moral lives, we will win the great prize of Heaven!!! So yeah, sometimes the Bible seems to repeat itself... because it does. The same lessons must be taught and relearned. But that’s okay. God is patient with us and knows that we’re worth the time to teach, re-teach, re-teach, and re- teach.
<3 God bless you! You are in my thought and prayers <3
