We're Going on a Field Trip! Part 1

The following is from a published article by me in K ids Matter Magazine in September/October 2013.  It is written to children but is very relevant in leading my family to serve others and it was the inspiration for starting this blog.  Thought I would share it in a two-part blog. 

Pretend for a moment that you are back in elementary school.  Imagine where you sit. Visualize the teacher.  Feel the routine of going down the hall, walking through the door, opening your desk.  

Head Knowledge to Action

Do you ever feel you are in a rut going to school each day? Not much purpose in what you are doing? There is the routine of getting up at the same time every morning, eating the same cold cereal, finding the same seat on the bus, sitting in the same desk in each classroom, having lunch at the same table, knowing the bell is going to ring at the same time throughout the day, listening to the teachers teach the same subjects in the same order for days on end.  Do you ever ask,“Why do I ever need to need to know ___________? I will never use this in the real world.”

Do you look forward to those few days when you hear “We are going on a field trip next week!” Everyone goes into a frenzy for simply the thought of something different to do.  An uncontained buzz of excitement, high fives, and laughter fill the room.  There is so much excitement that you can’t even hear yourself think.  You even see a little smile emerge on the teacher’s face for the frenzy she just caused.  You don’t get to linger in this moment for very long, as the teach calls order back to the room.  You think, “Oh yeah, she hasn’t even told us where we are going” (although that doesn’t really matter, you are just ready to get out of school).  She announces where you are going and begins to explain the purpose behind the real life application of what you have been learning for weeks. You aren’t listening very much to what is being said as you have already begun “the field trip” in your mind.

Your attitude changes for the whole week in expectation of the field trip.  You rush home thrilled to tell your parents what was announced in school that day and to ask them to sign your permission slip.  You have conversations with friends on who will be who’s “buddy” that day.  You even begin to think about what your mom might pack for lunch that day.

On the day of the field trip your entire routine is thrown out the window and there is a carefreeness (I don’t think that is a word) about life, even if just for a day.  Your day starts the same with the alarm clock going off, but there is pep in your step.  You don’t eat the same breakfast; instead you opt for something warm.  You don’t sit on the same seat on the bus on the way to school, because you sit with who is going to be your “buddy” on the field trip.  Instead of hearing the same bells ringing, you hear the same energizing buzz (all day long) that you heard when the teacher announced the field trip.

And here comes the thing you were never anticipated to happen . . . you learn WHY you were being taught ________ and HOW it is used in the real world.  Minds are opened, lights come on, and purposes are found when you get out of the everyday routine.

A Fresh Wind

Do you need a field trip?  We all do!  Getting outside of your routine and going on a field trip in the “real world” will amazingly change your outlook on life.  School isn’t the only place we get into a “rut”.  Church and home are two other places to easily become internally focused.   Why not opt out of “church as usual” one week and instead go as a Sunday School group to serve those less fortunate?  Instead of watching tv or playing video games another afternoon or weekend, go do something for your neighborhood with your family. 

I think you can see above how a better attitude, joy and excitement come when you do something out of the ordinary.  But how can this help you find your purpose?  God knows each of us before we were ever born  . . .

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5

He knows what we are going to do for Him, because all believers are called to be His hands and feet throughout the nations.  Through relationship with Him and with others, He reveals the purpose we were created for. 

Discovering your personality, learning your spiritual gifts, becoming aware of your abilities, connecting your passions, and reflecting on your experiences in life are all ways to find your purpose and how God uniquely designed you.  But the real confirmation comes when you actually start serving others in your strengths.  

Next Time

Jon me for Part 2 of "We're Going on a Field Trip" as I share how to plan a field trip to serve others and put your faith into action.