I wasn’t your picture-perfect learner. My friends and I spent our time riding around on our motorcycles, bunking off school, and playing the board game, Risk. At the end of matric, I barely managed to get matric exemption.

It didn’t go much better at varsity and I managed to make my three-year BA degree last five years. I succeeded in passing my theology degree after that in the prescribed period, but only because of my three clever fellow student pals pushing and pulling me along.

If it wasn’t for them, I would never have had that piece of paper. I know my mom played a big role in this, because she spent hours on her knees for her youngest.

I see that same reluctance to study in my son. When his mom scolds him, I just walk away, because it was the same with me.

It is only now that I’m a parent that I realise what I have missed out on. I could have known so much more about so many things if only I had been more dedicated in school. I realise I could’ve made many fewer mistakes if only I had grabbed all that I could’ve learned and made it part of my life.

So many lost chances that will never come again.

I don’t regret my student days. I really enjoyed that time, but I should’ve been more attentive in class.

The author of Hebrews is also feeling a bit disappointed with his readers, because they’re the same: ¹¹I have a lot more to say about this, but it is hard to get it across to you since you’ve picked up this bad habit of not listening.

The readers are losing track. They’re not taking their faith seriously. They don’t realise that their faith should be the basis, the foundation of their lives. They keep going back to their old way of life.

The world in which they found themselves at that stage wasn’t easy for God’s children. It seems as if their ears were shut and they couldn’t hear. Which is fatal for God’s children.

I realise that our world isn’t totally Jesus-friendly either. We, who follow Jesus, are easily tempted to go off track. Without realising it, we start following worldly things. We don’t notice where we’re going and end up in the wrong place.

We must deliberately start paying attention and concentrating in class. We must listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit so that the alarms can go off and warn us when we don’t listen and start going our own way. When we’re in class, we must concentrate all the time.

Scripture
Hebrews 5:11-14

Reflection
Where aren’t you concentrating?
Where do you have to listen more?
Where do you have to spend more time?

Prayer
Lord, forgive me when I lose concentration. Please help me concentrate all the time and listen to Your voice. Lead me everywhere I go today. Amen.