Climbing to the Top
Reflective Reading: Proverbs 1
It was a field trip I was looking forward to—until…
Fifteen ninth graders were heading to Gettysburg for their annual class trip, and I was looking forward to peace and quiet. As the principal of this Christian, school I assigned which teachers and chaperones would accompany these notorious ninth graders. Every so often one class seems to be branded as the class that makes teachers retire. And because my teachers were not planning on early retirement, they came to my office and gave me an ultimatum—“If you don’t go on this field trip, neither will we!”
I laughed. But they weren’t laughing. There was no way that they were going to risk going all that way without me being with them, especially with our notorious “five.” These were the worst of the worst! They were the sons of our church leaders and Sunday School and Bible teachers! Well, maybe I’m exaggerating a tad, but these kids needed constant supervision. What was interesting about them was that they never seemed to get caught breaking the rules, but everyone knew that they were at the root of all mischief. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration too. One-on-one they were actually nice kids, but get them in a group and look out!
Thankfully the trip went smoothly, and three days later it was time for our 7 hour drive back, with the notorious five being in my car. The conversation among the boys was typical—worldly, carnal, absent of anything spiritual. I didn’t expect anything more.
I was not enjoying myself. Then one of the boys said something that crossed the line of acceptable, and I lit into him like a stirred up hornet’s nest. I told him that there was no possibility that he was saved, and if he continued his gutter mouth I was going to drop him off at the next gas station and let his parents pick him up! I was so mad. A few minutes later, the Holy Spirit began convicting me, and I apologized profusely to all the boys. I couldn’t believe I lost it like I did. I looked at Danny, and with sincere compassion told him that he talked that way because he was hiding his insecurity. Then I shared how much the Lord Jesus wanted to have a real relationship with him and could change his heart and mind forever.
As I continued driving, Danny bowed his head. After a few minutes he looked up at me and strongly stated, “I just got saved! Really! I just got saved!” And it didn’t stop with Danny. Soon, four of the five boys repented and received Christ as their Savior. Immediately after the four had prayed, they started to spontaneously quote Scripture that they had memorized when they were children. Then suddenly one of the boys yelled out, “Stop the car!” I thought I ran someone over. I pulled the car off the side of the expressway while the other cars and vans pulled over behind me. Then one of the boys shouted, “Up there! We’re going to the top!”
There was a mountain top that they wanted to climb. Without hesitation, they bolted like race horses. “Wait for us!” When we reached the top, we were speechless. The sun was starting to set, and below was a lake with the reflection of magenta-colored ripples. It was truly breathtaking. Then, Danny climbed a huge rock, and with his hands outstretched, began to cry out to God, telling Him how sorry he was for neglecting Him for so long. Then Danny began to thank him for his goodness. Now remember, these are ninth grade boys…in front of their peers!
The next day, the ninth graders had the day off from school, but there they were…all of them. Before I could start teaching Bible class to the tenth through twelfth graders, Danny asked if he could share what God had done in his life the day prior. As he began to share with our student body, it wasn’t long before 83 students would walk forward to cry out to God for salvation, sanctification, or repentance…but something triggered this phenomenon. The first ones forward to repent and cry out to God were 10 teachers and one janitor! This all took place at around 9 am and continued until the bell rang at 3 pm. They didn’t even break for lunch!
Events like this are rare and oftentimes emotionally driven. I’m sure that for some of our students, they were following an emotional response, but that’s okay. It’s difficult not to respond when God is pouring out His Spirit and changing lives. The power of this event is best explained by the unlikely and unexpected actions of four ninth grade boys humbling themselves in front of their peers, and 10 teachers and one janitor doing the same.
I will never forget what happened that day. It has now been over forty years since then, and I still remember it as if it happened yesterday! The best way to explain what happened that day is found in Proverbs chapter one. Solomon writes that when the Simple turn from their simplicity (thoughtless naivety), and Fools turn from their hatred of knowledge, and Mockers turn from their delight in their mocking, THEN God will pour out His Spirit and make known His Word. There is no other explanation.
A few weeks ago I was teaching a class and sharing this story with our Masters Guild students. I could see the skepticism on their faces. So I took out my phone and searched for the possibility that I had somehow retained Danny’s phone number. There it was! I dialed. Danny answered. As Danny shared, I could see skepticism start to turn into tears. We were all moved by Danny’s sincere testimony. Danny is now in his fifties, and he too still remembers vividly what God did on that day we climbed to the top!
Sincerely,
Mark Hamby
M.S., M.Div., Th. M., D. Min.
Recommended Reading:
Runaway Darling (Ages 6+)
More Than Conqueror (Ages 9+)
My Mates and I (Ages 12+)
