Students Inspire Speaker

By Casey Fedde

Recently, I was asked to visit a Sunday school class at the church I am attending in Dallas, Texas to talk about an article I'd written on bringing a spiritual perspective to today's often overwhelming technology. I drove to church that morning, mentally preparing what I wanted to tell the students in the class, praying that I would say something inspiring and helpful. But I didn't know that I was also going to be inspired by the Sunday school students.

When I walked into the Sunday school class that morning, I didn't know what to expect. I have recently moved to the area, so the church and Sunday school are new environments. And I had never had guests come talk to my class when I was in Sunday school. Students from the junior high, high school, and college classes piled around a large table, and the teacher introduced me, saying a few words about my article. He then asked me to share my experience.

Having a guest speaker visit the class seemed new to the students as well. But an immediate sense of comfort graced everyone in the room. In addition to talking about overcoming problems with technology, the students were eager to share their experiences and offer insights into how to handle problems with school, sports, and summer camp.

Hearing the students openly share their experiences and thoughts about implementing prayer into their daily lives was uplifting. Being back in Sunday school -- even just for an hour -- re-instilled God's ever-presence. Problems seem to swell to greater magnitudes as we move through life, but hearing the students in the class share challenges that I remember facing – challenges that I had overcome through prayer – reassured me that God never runs when we ask Him for help, even with the big problems in life. No challenge is too big for God!

The warm smiles of the students in the Sunday school reassured me of how natural good is. The students welcomed me into their Sunday school and their classroom. Like the story of the Good Samaritan in the Bible, the students treated me according to God's law: treating their "neighbor," me, with respect and love. In that hour of Sunday school, I felt like a real part of that church and its community of healers.