It was the first day of his sophomore year of college. My son was enrolled in BIOL1322. It was a small class, so the professor asked everyone to go around and give a quick introduction of themselves. State your name, where you’re from and a fact about yourself.
And that’s what he did.
“My name is Caleb, I’m from Dallas and I love Jesus.”
After about a week of class (and thankfully before the fully refundable add/drop date), my son changed his major. He no longer needed this class to graduate.
When the professor saw that Caleb had dropped her class, she sent him a short but encouraging message. She wished him the best and expressed her confidence that he will do great in whatever career path he takes.
A few months passed and a new semester began. My son was pleasantly surprised when he received another unexpected message from his BIOL1332 professor.
“Hi Caleb! I could hardly wait to get out of class today and share this story with you. Today I did all the introductions, and there was a young lady sitting in the exact seat that you were in on the first day last semester. She said, “I love Jesus!” Seriously, Caleb, I stood there in shock. I told her quickly about you and how you and how you said the same thing from the same seat. True story, same seat, same words. The Lord is funny sometimes…It was a sweet moment for me. Hope you had a great first week of the semester and I’m praying for great success for you.”
Caleb shared this story with me just a few weeks ago (months after it happened), and a wave of emotions swept over my heart. I actually got weirdly emotional! I could hear God say, “In ALL your ways, acknowledge Him.”
It’s taken from a passage most of us are familiar with…
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5,6)
In the past, my focus was always on the “Trust in the Lord” and “Lean not upon your own understanding” portion. I somehow glossed over this verse! But now, these words rang loud and clear!
“In ALL your ways, ACKNOWLEDGE HIM…”
I thought back to that Fall semester and the difficult season of uncertainty Caleb was in. We can laugh about it now, but navigating through the pressures of re-deciding a major was hard on him and stressful for all of us.
I love that even in this season of uncertainty, my son “acknowledged” Jesus and made Him known.
I also loved that his professor took the time to share this strange coincidence with him! How kind (and even divine). “Same seat, Same Words!!” Perhaps for her, it was a reminder that God has a remnant of young people strategically placed who still love Jesus.
But for me, it was a reminder that, even in our wanderings, God knows just where we are. As the Psalmist says in Psalm 139, He knows when (and where) we sit and when we rise. He is familiar with all our ways.
Caleb might not have known much about his future as he sat in that class that day…but what he did know, he shared.
“…and I love Jesus.”
He lived out Proverbs 3:6, and I am challenged to do the same. I pray you are too.
In ALL my ways, I want to acknowledge Him. I want to make Him known. When I’m in a valley, I want to make Him known. When things are going well, I want to make Him known. When I haven’t a clue where I’m going, I pray I can still Make Him known.
In ALL your ways, acknowledge Him. Then we get to the next part of the verse- “He will direct your paths.”
God can bring purpose to every step (or misstep) of our journey.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In ALL your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5,6)
~ Binu
