Deliberations 2016 (15): Active or Passive?

The dissemination of information to students often takes place passively – as in lecture style teaching, or actively, for example by incorporating hands-on activities. It no longer appears to be good enough to simply deliver information passively to students, but instead to encourage and guide them to actively process the information, thus deepening their learning.

What’s my point? For more than 170 years, since the Great Disappointment in 1844, we have been talking about the nearness of Christ’s return. Yet this has not happened, and we are still waiting. Are we simply waiting passively, or are we waiting actively? Here are a few simple strategies for active waiting, (Adult Teacher’s SS Lesson #13, Q3, 2016):

• ·      Making at least one person smile each day
• ·      Showing a random act of kindness to at least one person each day
• ·      Starting/strengthening a relationship with your neighbor

The parable of the 10 virgins, (Matt. 25, 1-13), is a great reminder about the need for active waiting. To be brief, the wise ones waited actively for the bridegroom, with extra oil for their lamps. They were ready for the bridegroom, though he tarried, and were admitted to the banquet. Sadly the foolish virgins waited passively, with no extra oil, and lost the opportunity to be admitted to the banquet, while they went in search of oil.

What is your strategy for active waiting? Or are you too weary, or too busy to do the Lord’s work, so you simply wait passively? Keep watch because no one knows the day or the hour of His return.