Got a call from my daughter's form teacher yesterday afternoon. She explained at length why my daughter have to serve her detention today. Typically you had to be served with four bookings before detention. In her case, she has landed "straight to jail, do not pass Go, do not collect $200". That's serious.
Of course I don't expect the school or teachers to be cognizant of her background. Anyway an offence is an offence. There may be mitigating factors but the wrongdoing is inexcusable.
This is yet another countless repeat lesson for her that you have to face life with courage. When courage fails, trouble begins. When you do something in secret thinking that you can get away, you have invited a demon into your life. That's why in the 36 stratagems, running away is the last one. If you run away before realizing all other stratagems cannot work, you have compromised on courage. You have shortchanged yourself and had compromised your potential. Steve Jobs manner of putting it was, "Don't settle"
The greater our shortcomings, the greater the opportunities for the Lord's grace. I often retell the story of John Newton to my kids. I also often explain and frequently using their behavior why they had just acted like Eve in the Garden. Sometimes I borrowed from Saul.
I explained to her why we had started our studies with Romans. As we live it, I took the opportunity to reinforce it. She is making progress, albeit slowly. Progress is still progress.
Stay hungry, live foolish. That takes lots of courage. You can have courage by the Lord's grace and stop worrying about what other people think and what you can achieve. All these is leading to the poverty of love. That is a longer distance learning goal for her. The scriptures correctly pointed out that perfect love casts out all fear. She has too much fear because she doesn't know him. But because of his grace, time is on her side too. That's is my source of patience. So I am not shy about losing face. Remember Hannah.
God is the man whisperer and religion is the Great Wall keeping him out.
Hopefully your daughter is not wrongfully sent to detention.
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