Conference Time

Last Friday was parent-teacher conferences at school.

As I was thinking about the conferences I got to thinking about what it would be like if God summoned us for a conference to review our progress. What if when we got home today we found a letter from the Almighty, informing us that we were to report for a face-to-face meeting in heaven’s conference room next Tuesday afternoon so that we could discuss with the Lord how well we have been doing (or not doing!) in our Christian walk.

What would we hear at such a meeting? Would there be things that the Lord could point to that we are doing well? I would hope so. Would there be some areas where we have made real improvement? Again, I would certainly hope so. Would there also be some areas where we are struggling? Areas where we are not doing well at all? In fact, some areas where, by all accounts, we just do not even seem to care whether we are doing what we are supposed to or not? I am afraid that the answer is yes. I know it is for me, and if you are honest with yourself I am sure that the answer is yes for you, too.

One of the points of parent-teacher conferences is for parents, and students, to find out where improvement needs to be made. The conference really only has any meaning, though, if the areas identified as needing improvement are addressed and the parents and their students take steps to insure that improvement is made before the next grade report. Few things are more frustrating for teachers than students (and/or their parents) who seem to pay no heed to the warnings and guidance offered during conferences.

More than likely neither you nor I will get that summons to a heavenly conference. Truth be told, though, we have the opportunity for such conferences every day. The book of James tells us that the Word of God is like a mirror. James also says that we are to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. When we read the Word, or hear it taught, we will, I trust, be reminded of areas where we are doing well in our Christian walk. But we will also most certainly have revealed to use areas where we need to improve. When we ignore the need to improve in those areas, James says, we are like someone looking at himself in the mirror and then going on his way, not bothering to address the flaws that the mirror revealed. Put another way, we are like someone who attended a parent-teacher conference and paid no attention to the areas identified as needing improvement.