Three weeks ago, we only had a day and a half of school thanks to typhoon warnings and heavy rain. Lucky for us, Dongducheon was not hit that hard. The most noticeable damage was a hole in the ceiling of our soon-to-be house which has been under construction since June (see video footage). This was followed by a lovely Labor Day weekend as I relaxed and walked around Myeong-dong in Seoul with my roommates (see more video footage). In the same weekend, I managed to make a few more friends, do some lesson-planning, and try on more sunglasses at the outdoor markets (this has proven to be an extremely entertaining pastime . . . for free!). As you can see, life has been especially “rough” lately--what with all the mandu (best korean dumplings ever!) that I’ve been forced to eat and the unlimited options available for window shopping (it’s called “eye-shopping” here). Still, I have to admit, I was anxious and excited to begin a full week of school.
Labor Day came and went. Tuesday morning finally rolled around with a very interesting beginning. Enter groggy student:
Slumping his backpack on the desk, he started, “Ms. Saenz, what’s left before everything comes to an end?” A little thrown off and confused, I asked, “You mean, what’s left before school is over or do you mean what’s left before life as we know it no longer exists on this earth?”
“Yeah,” he said, “like the end of the world, I mean. You know how some people think 2012 will be the end?” I stood there twirling my dry-erase marker between my fingers and took a deep breath. While I shuffled through scriptures in my head, I was desperately trying to come up with a sufficient response. Stalling (just a little) I answered, “Well, depending on who you ask, you’ll hear different theories. Even pastors and theologians can’t agree on end-time prophecies.” Okay, this was certainly not going to cut it. He tilted his head and searched the air for a better answer.
You should know that Eschatology tends to overwhelm me and I often shy away from it, but here was a student asking for my opinion and I was quickly feeling the shake of inadequacy.
I told him that according to the Bible, no one knows the day or the hour but we are called to be spiritually prepared. It probably did nothing to ease his nerves (not that he was really nervous about this to begin with) when I told him that scripture says, “the day of the LORD will come like a thief in the night.” Unfortunately, I did not have the entire context on hand but the following week we had another discussion (however brief) regarding 2 Peter 3:9-14:
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless . . . .
During this conversation, I was hoping to figure out where my student was coming from. Why was he asking me about this? Did he want the end to come quickly? Or did it freak him out? Was he looking for some kind of hope or was he contemplating the “benefits” of annihilation? Or, perhaps this was just plain teen-aged curiosity. Either way, I was already having to chin-up to an abrupt mental and spiritual challenge about something that I had not given much thought to in the last year.
Funny thing, instead of thinking about when the world will end (unless I have just read about the plethora of heinous crimes in the news), I tend to contemplate when and how my own life will end. Selfish, I know. But I don’t go about these thoughts like some goth-angst-ridden-vampire girl that thinks her life sucks. On the contrary, because I have been so blessed and rewarded as a teacher for the last six years, I kept thinking that if I died today, then I could “live” with that (sorry, couldn’t resist). All puns aside, just before I left Texas, I had strange thoughts about my life coming to a sudden end--I kept wondering if my time was coming soon. That is no longer on the forefront of my mind. Honestly. When I think of all the ways that God has physically rescued me from death, I know that He is in complete control. I can rest in the assurance that I have continued to ask God for His wisdom and guidance in my life and I am more than confident that I am exactly where I should be, and nothing beats that kind of peace. But . . . having peace about where I’m at in my life doesn’t mean that I won’t be knocked out of my comfort zone.
It is clear that I will continue to be challenged by God through my students, my fellow teachers, and the inconveniences that come with being a foreigner. This is a good thing and I welcome the process, however uncomfortable. I would much rather fumble around for the heart of truth in answering questions like, “what is left before the world ends?” than sitting in front of the television flipping through reality shows. And while many future questions (both my own and my students’) may remain unanswered, I look forward to the grit and nerve of learning.
Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. (James 4:13-16)
