New Semester

The first day of class in the COVID world was better than I anticipated. I did not know what to expect outside of confusion. Blessedly, there was not as much of that as I thought. My 8:00 o'clock class, World Literature I, was almost full. The next class, Comp I, was full. And my third Monday/Wednesday class, Comp II, was full.

Being in the classroom with students always makes me feel better. Somehow it washes away any apprehensions I have about the upcoming semester. I left filled with hope that this will be a breakthrough semester, that these students are going to follow instructions, are going to want to learn.

Then after class we got an email. A student took a picture of a teacher in front of his or her class without a mask on. She sent the pic to her mother who sent it to Dr. Jackson. So it begins.

Was it me? It could have been. I had my mask off a minute or two. Every other instructor I have talked to has said the same thing. It could have been any of us. This is the culture we live in that cares about one thing: trouble. Get someone in trouble. Get someone fired.

This issue appeared again the next morning. In my 8:00 o'clock class, we had one too many students. Everyone was insistent on getting into the classroom. I thought, someone is going to take a picture of someone getting too close. I became irritated and threatened the class with bodily harm if anyone took a picture. I bet someone did anyway. 

It's a dangerous time. You can do everything right and still be wrong. Being alive means you and I are wrong. Forget culture; think God. To God, we are all born sinners. That propensity to sin that joins us at birth becomes actual sin before we are very old. We need help because Satan is always taking pictures. The Bible calls him the accuser. Revelation 12:10 says that "Night and day he accuses the brethren." He takes pictures and shows them to God.

What to do? Threatening Satan with bodily harm does no good. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:10).

What to do is to turn to Jesus. He is the Great Eraser, the Great Deleter. He deletes the picture Satan takes, if we repent and ask for forgiveness. Do it today. Jesus is waiting.