A believer was appointed as a lecturer in a government-run college in a remote place. It was a co-educational school. When he arrived, he found that there were only boys, and girls did not come. On inquiry, it was found that there was sexual harassment of girls, and the girls stopped coming to school. A part of the school building was used by three groups. One was old men who would come and sit and gossip. In another middle-aged man group, you used to play cards and even drink. The third group was youngsters, students from other institutions, or dropouts. The new lecturer spoke to the management to take steps to bring back girls to school. They laughed: “If you want to save life, keep quiet.” However, the Christian lecturer felt that God had sent him to do something.
Wise strategy
He befriended the young school dropouts and spoke with them. They were not interested in studying but wanted to play sports. He started football and played with them. He said that they can make sports a profession. There were around 30 boys who started coming to him every morning to do exercise and practice. He asked them: “If one of their sisters were harassed coming to college, would they keep quiet?” That made them think. Then the 30 of them went and told the middle-aged group: “This is your last day, do not come here anymore to play cards and drink.” They were stunned but did not come back as they saw young boys firm and bold. The old gossip group also stopped. These boys visited the homes of the locality and asked their parents to send them to school. Within a few years, the school produced district, state, and national champions.
Go Forward
When Moses led the Israelites: God told Moses: “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.” (Exodus 14:15) That was not a time to cry, but to move forward. Believers need discernment: When to pray, when to wait, and when to act.
Do I engage constructively in my contexts by faith?