Fractions!

As a math teacher at both the high school and college level, I would guess that fractions are the single most math weakness for most students. At the college, one of the classes that I teach is Basic Mathematics. Most of the students in that class are adults who have been out of school for a while. The reason fractions seem so hard for returning students is that it has been so long since they have used them, at least without a calculator. We all know the phrase "use it or lose it". It's the same with my high school kids, too. Many can simply not manipulate fractions without the help of a calculator. Some of the brightest students taking the highest-level math courses can not do fractions with a pencil and paper. Since students are so afraid of fractions, I jokingly tell them for Halloween, I'm gonna dress up like one-third and scare everybody!

We experience the same kind of problem in our Christian life, at least I do. When things are going well, I seem to not be as "active" with God as I should be. Then when the road begins to get rocky, I find myself almost feeling guilty for begging for His help. It is that "use it or lose it" syndrome. I should have learned by now that I need God as much when things are going well as when they are not. I also like to read Bible resource books. They can be very helpful in understanding the Bible. But we can't concentrate more on the resources than the Bible itself. That's like doing fractions on a calculator. More times than not, we need to live the Christian life "with pencil and paper". There is no substitute for good, old-fashioned prayer and Bible study, not just reading. If we use these things more everyday, we will need less "refresher" material!

Romans 15:4 says, "Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance and encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

Father, help me to focus on You everyday, in good times and in bad. Your Word is good! In Jesus name, Amen.