I remember having a home economics class in middle school. For those of you who don’t know, this was a class that set out to teach young students such skills as cooking and sewing. I loved it. I still have a stuffed animal (a whale) I made in that class. I don’t think home economics is taught anymore though. At least it isn’t where I now live. That’s a real shame. It would be good to have a “life skills” class that people have to take before they graduate. A practical class that taught some of the following subjects would be a real boon:
budgeting
cooking basics
stress management
time management
housekeeping
When I got to high school I had another opportunity to learn what I now call a “life skill.” At the time I didn’t think much of this class, but it has become one of the most important classes I had in my whole curriculum. The class was keyboarding. I see so many people that use the “hunt and peck” way of typing now and to be honest this pains me. There is something really satisfying about being able to type without looking at the keys.
My mother is an excellent typist. I remember a time when she played a computer game of “Wheel of Fortune” with my brother and me. If it was your turn and you knew the answer you could type it in and win that round. A timer would count down the amount of time you had left before it became someone else’s turn. There was one such round where my brother and I knew the answer but it was our mother’s turn. So we waited until about 4 or 5 seconds were left on the clock and then we told her the answer. We mistakenly thought that about 3 seconds wouldn’t be enough time for her to type the answer. We were wrong. It turned out that 3 seconds wasn’t too late for her to get it in.
What if we didn’t learn those practical skills in high school? Is it too late to start learning them? Of course not. You can always pick up those skills.
Is is too late to be a boy scout or a girl scout? Well, maybe. But it isn’t too late to do the same things that the scouts do to “earn” badges. I came across a company that sells badges for what they call “adulting” skills that you may have earned. They are mostly tongue-in-cheek type of accolades, such as getting to work on time, watering the plants, minding your own business, or eating a vegetable. Those are funny examples, but there is nothing stopping someone from getting the skills that scouts get at any time in their lives.
It is never too late to learn and to succeed. John Pemberton invented Coca-Cola at age 55. Ray Croc bought McDondalds when he was 59. And Colonel Sanders began franchising his Kentucky Fried Chicken chain at age 62.
What about spiritual matters? Do we think of things as being too late when it comes to our faith?
John 11:1-16
11 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
8 “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”
9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. 10 It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”
11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”
12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
There is a whole lot of fear in this story. Mary and Martha were afraid of Lazarus dying. The Disciples were afraid of Jesus (and of themselves) dying. Death is on everyone’s minds. Here is more of the story:
John 11:17-32
17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
Was it too late to help Lazarus? Mary thought so. Maybe Martha thought it too. They essentially told Jesus that he had come too late to do anything. What does it mean when we think that something is too late for God to do anything about it?
John 11:33-35
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
35 Jesus wept.
Why did Jesus cry? He was about to raise Lazarus. Surely he wasn’t weeping for him? Here is what I think. Jesus was crying because no one around him, not even his inner circle, understood him or his ministry. Imagine how you would feel if you dedicated your life to a cause and the closest people around you never understood it. I think I would cry too.
Right after this Lazarus is raised from the dead by Jesus. Is it ever too late for God? The answer must be no. Everyone in this story is putting Death above Jesus, by saying he had to heal Lazarus before he died. Saying Jesus was too late to heal him really meant that Jesus was not above death. But this story (and the Easter story that is soon to come) is a shining example of Jesus’ dominion over everything including Death.
Remember this the next time you think it is too late for God to do something in your life. It is never too late, and never will be.
God Bless