Haggai 1:7 TLB
“Think it over,” says the Lord Almighty. “Consider how you have acted and what has happened as a result!”
In my former classroom as a teacher, we had a “Ssshhhh” chair. Not a time out, not punishment, but a place to sit for a few moments and ssshhhhh. This gave the little body sitting in the chair a chance to regain control and as God said in Haggai, “Think it over.” When I was in the 5th grade, I overheard my big brother and his friend talking about a prank they had pulled. They had loosened the lid of a salt shaker and when their other buddy went to use the salt, it poured out all over his plate. In my mind, I wanted to be just like my big brother, but my plan was to one up them by loosening not one, but all the salt shakers I could reach during our lunch period. What I failed to realize was the 5th grade was the last class to eat. When the lunch ladies collected the salt shakers and found the loose caps, they knew it was someone from the 5th grade.
Shortly after lunch recess, our Superintendent appeared in the doorway of 5th grade. Mr. Edwards was a very dedicated educator, he worked in our school district 35 of his 58 years in education, 29 of them as Superintendent and he was also a very large man! He wasn’t prone to outbursts or frightening displays of anger and threats, because his very stature spoke all the volumes he needed. Entering our classroom, he informed our class that he knew one of us was the guilty party and if there was no confession, the entire class would receive a consequence for our (my!) actions. I felt like every eye was upon me. After he left, I timidly went to the teacher’s desk. Her gasp added to my mortification and I despondently left for the office. As I sat in one of the chairs normally reserved for the sick kids waiting to be picked up, I was pretty sure I was going to spontaneously combust.
He opened his office door, and I entered. He calmly explained that he expected better things from me. If the shakers had spilled, the salt would have been wasted not to mention all of the time the lunch ladies would have had to take to clean it up. Then the worst question, “What will your dad say about your actions?” If he told Dad, then Mom will know, and then Grandmas and the Grandpas. Ouch, I hadn’t thought about anyone but me. Not the lunch ladies, not an unsuspecting classmate, not Mom, not Dad, and definitely not God. I was blinded by my own agenda. Again, like God in Haggai, Mr. Edwards was asking me to, “Consider how you have acted and what has happened as a result!” In the case of Haggai, God wanted His people to rebuild the temple, but they were too busy building their own elaborate homes and kept saying, “The time isn’t right.” The ultimate procrastinators were too focused on their own agendas to put God first. God sent a drought to readjust their focus, and he sent me to the Superintendent’s office to readjust mine!
That’s why I like the “Ssshhh” chair. It offers a chance to think before doing. It’s so important to just sit in ssshhh with God before we act in a way that doesn’t put His will first. In my case, I was reminded to think before I act, apologize to the lunch ladies, and tell my parents, which I humbly and obligingly did. When God’s people in Haggai started building, the blessings started flowing. It makes me wonder why personal agendas that live outside of God’s will ever seem appealing in the first place. Let’s think that over.
