"Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies."
Psalm 27:11 (KJV)
One of the hardest things to accomplish as a teacher, is to get a student to take their understanding of a concept to a new level. In the past 20+ years, education has greatly shifted. Standardized testing is getting more rigorous as those in power of the education system try to find ways to assess a student's progress.
When I was going to college, I remember learning about a concept called Bloom's Revised Taxonomy. (Sometimes referred to as "Blooms" for short). Not gonna lie, when I first heard about it...I thought it was something I'd missed in science class about plants. Mr. Bloom created a system to describe higher levels of thinking in education. In order it goes:
Remembering
Understanding
Applying
Analyzing
Evaluating
Creating
The thought behind Blooms, is that this is a progression of levels that a person can work to achieve. Put into some form of context, most any of us can remember things (if you struggle with this, I'd recommend making an appointment with a doctor in the near future...). Remembering is a simple skill. What is her name? What color is that? Next, you have understanding. Now that you remember something, then you work to understand it. As one source I briefly looked up said, when you understand, you can "state a problem in one's own words". So you can figure out that something's wrong. Next, we go to applying. This is when it gets harder. According to my resource, this is the level when a person can "use a concept in a new situation" or "applies what was learned in the classroom into novel situations in the work place". This means that a student can now begin to own the concept and apply it in simple forms someplace else. Next, we have analyzing. As the concept becomes more understandable, students will be able to "distinguish between facts and inferences" or "separate material or concepts into component parts so that its organizational structure may be understood". At this level, a student is able to analyze (break down or separate) information. From there, we go to evaluating. This is when a student can "make judgments about the value of ideas or materials". The highest level of Blooms is creating. Unlike applying, this level is the highest level of thinking. From my resource, this is when a student can "put parts together to form a whole, with emphasis on creating a new meaning or structure".
Let me put this into context for a minute. Take a simple reading comprehension question for example. At the remembering level, a student would be able to simply restate basic information such as the character's name. Simple, easy...because all of the information was given to them. If we take our comprehension to the understanding level, now a student is able to see that there may be a problem. Who stole the cookie?
Many students are able to get through remembering and understanding. But the challenge as a teacher is to encourage students to go higher than that. In a way, we want students to "own" their learning so that they may eventually be able to CREATE something.
Let me put this in a different way. Every teacher has classroom rules. It's part of our classroom management plan. Rules are most effective when they are posted in the classroom somewhere. Simple. No need to even worry about the remembering stage...it's on a poster! Understanding the rules takes a bit more from some students. This is where the first week or two of school comes in handy. This is the time when I teacher should be modeling how this looks so a student understands. In my classroom, my first and highest rule is to raise your hand and not shout out. Reading the rule on the poster is one thing. Seeing it modeled...easy. But what does any authority figure want you to do with rules?? APPLY them!! Rules don't do much until we learn to apply those rules. We could go through the other levels of Blooms talking about rules in a classroom, but I think you get the picture.
I've come to learn in the last few weeks and months...that the same is true of how God teaches us.
In the last few months, something that God has been teaching me a lot about is idols. For so long, there has been something that I have allowed to become an idol in my life. Actually, let me rephrase that. There is someONE who I have allowed to become an idol in my life. Don't get all upset. This person never asked to be an idol. It's not their fault. It's mine. And quite frankly, I never intended for it to get to be that way. A friendship began, I wanted to love on them and share so much of life with them, and ever so slightly, I began seeking them more than I was seeking God.
Idols aren't just figurines that you bow down to. It's anything that takes a higher place in our life and in our hearts than God. Many times what becomes an idol IS a good thing. Alcohol...there are many mentions of it in the Bible. But when a person turns to the bottle as a way to solve their problems instead of turning to God...it's an idol. Worry...sure, the world can be a scary place. But when you spend more time fretting over EVERY single thing instead of taking those to God...it's an idol...you're worshiping your worry. Success...sure, it's wonderful to be successful...God works crazy blessings out just for that purpose. BUT...if you're constantly trying to chase the next success...the perfect house, the perfect significant other, the perfect job....but not thanking God for those successes...it's probably an idol...it's like you want people to bow down and ask for the secrets to your success.
I realized I had been struggling with this idol, and wanted to do something about it. So...I decided to spend more time with God (or...at least that's what I thought I was doing). I read...pretty much anything I could get my hands on. I think at one point I had started about 6 books and Bible studies...all to different levels of completion. Sometimes I'd sit still and pray. But mostly I read. Don't get me wrong...all the studies I was in had some Biblical truth to it. But I wasn't necessarily going to the Bible.
I was doing a great job with remembering and understanding. I could recall all sorts of great information. However, the idol still remained in at least some form.
For weeks, I've been struggling with understanding how to deal with this idol. How do I free myself from an idol...even if it's a person that didn't necessarily ask to be an idol? Was there a way to be free the idolship...yet still be able to keep the friendship? This is what I worked on for the last few weeks to understand.
Today during church, the pastor was actually talking about idols. I was listening intently as he seemed to perfectly explain all the thoughts and emotions I had gone through for the last few weeks. And then he got to a part where he rhetorically asked the question "how can we be free?" I waited on the edge of my seat. But I never heard the answer. After a couple more verses that didn't seem to answer the question and a specific time during the sermon to lead the entire congregation into a salvation prayer for any wanting to take the invitation...the sermon ended.
I tried to ask a couple friends. Even actually sent an email to the church, asking the pastor to give me more information. But I was so curious about what the answer to this was. How do we get rid of idols in our lives? Obviously, God really hates them. They've been a problem for a long time. But how do we get rid of them?
I don't know where it eventually came from...but eventually...it made sense. I've been looking for an answer that I could REMEMBER...maybe even one I could UNDERSTAND. But...the way to get idols out of our lives...is to APPLY what we learn. I was looking for a simple "to do". Something simple that was a "to do" that would remove this idol. But I couldn't find it. There was no magical prayer, simple answer, or simple apology that would change anything. It's not a thing to do or a thing to say. I have to apply. Every. Single. Day.
It's one thing to remember that you have an idol and to understand where it comes from or how it got there. But true removal of an idol takes APPLICATION.
For me...it means this. It's not going to be a simple "to do" list of words to say or a list of rules to follow. There's not really a quick "5-Step Manual for Removing Idols". In order to put God back where He belongs in my life, it means constantly being alert and making decisions for my life that ultimately lead to worshiping Him.
I can sit in my room and read as many Bible studies and other pieces of literature that my heart wants. But a Christian's walk is just that...it's a walk. It's a journey. It's going from the remembering and understanding levels...and going to the applying level. Don't just READ your Bible...LIVE your Bible. Don't just read ABOUT what God's done. APPLY those same things into your life.
I was stuck in my thinking about idols. We get the choice every minute of every day to choose to follow God, or choose to follow something else. It's simple to think in simple-ish terms. Morning: will I spend time with God...or push the snooze button until I have to leave? Breakfast: will I eat these healthy scrambled eggs...or lose to my sweet tooth and eat a piece of cake? Entertainment: do I sit here and watch Netflix like I have for the last week...or do I go out and do something for someone else? Writing each of these here seems so silly. Like...really? Someone actually may struggle with making any of these things become an idol? But it happens!! And as a song by Jeremy Camp states..."It's a slow fade". It's a slippery slope.
I don't know yet exactly what this whole "applying" thing looks like. Probably means spending more time with others, giving some of my time and energy helping someone else. I can't give you a simple "to do" list. It's more than just telling someone to "help someone in need". But that's the point. It's going to look different for every person. The examples I listed above are a very simplistic version of choices we get to make each day. Maybe for some people, the meal choices are more along the lines of...eat this meal to give me fuel...or skip this meal because I don't want to gain weight.
There is no simple answer for removing idols. Removing idols takes us to higher levels of thinking...we have to apply. People can give you all the "to do" lists they want. (Generally, this is known as "advice"). But then you have to take those ''to do" lists...that advice...and weigh it. Is it ultimately going to worship God...or something or someone else?
In order to move on with your relationship with God...to grow closer to Him...you have to move from just remembering and understanding what's in the Bible...and actually work to apply it. Don't just be a great rule-follower. If God wanted us to be great rule-followers, the entire Bible would be one page long and would just be the 10 Commandments.
