Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?

Ahhh 5^th grade… I have fond memories of that grade because we were the seniors of elementary school! We even had a prom and graduation ceremony to commemorate this momentous passage into middle school. I attended a private school so middle school was simply in the next building (one that we passed each day on the way to the cafeteria), but it was a big deal for a group of 10 year olds.

I can recall being a bit of a tomboy during my “senior year” of elementary school. My friends and I thought boys had cooties back then. As I reflect back I find it quite amusing that the boys had mysteriously gotten rid of the cooties by 6^th grade since most of us had boyfriends by then. Of course that was a simpler time and relationships were not much more than a case of “popcorn love” as described in the infamous New Edition song.

Though times are quite different now, one thing that still rings true is that for long as I can remember I’ve been interested in graduating and moving on to the next level. You may not have had a 5^th grade graduation, but I’m sure you felt the same way about your high school or college graduation or even your 18^th or 21^st birthday because we all have a natural tendency to want to grow up.

Where am I going with all of this? Well a young lady said to me that she had been praying for God to remove her sex drive because her life would be easier if she didn’t have to face the daily struggles and urges of being single. However, my advice to her was to stop praying that prayer immediately! Think about that for a minute, you don’t want your sex drive to be removed because you will need that when God sends your husband.

Although no adult has won the big prize on the game show ‘Are You Smarter than a 5^th Grader', I would still like to suggest that indeed we are smarter and wiser than a 5^th grader because of our life lessons.

So just as we have grown beyond the 5^th grade physically, we must also elevate our prayer life spiritually speaking. As we grow as Christians, we must move beyond just asking for life to comfortable and convenient, but utilize difficult circumstances as an opportunity to mature in our Christian walk.

Just as we have evolved to a point where we realize boys don’t have cooties, we must also evolve in our Christian walk where our only solution to a challenge is not to ask to be removed from it.

So are you smarter than a 5^th grader? Yes, indeed you are! You are a savvy Christian single who is cultivating a discerning spirit, choosing men based on their relationship with Christ, not what they drive, prayerfully proceeding in relationships and yielding to the prompting of the spirit. Just because your flesh desires something doesn’t mean you must give in to it. You have dominion over your flesh.

Remember we are preparing for marriage and marriage includes bringing two imperfect people together so there are bound to be some challenges. Praying to simply avoid difficulties will not adequately prepare you to handle those challenges. What will you do when the enemy tempts you in a similar fashion after you’re married with someone who is not your husband? What we practice will become our natural response so we must practice the proper way to respond now.

Pray for strength to overcome, not just be removed from trials. Learn how not to yield to temptation (James 1:12-18). Of course this is not to suggest that you place yourself in compromising situations then pray to overcome them, but when you find yourself facing a challenge, seek God’s face and conquer your flesh.

Just as you’ve looked forward to going to the next level in life, seek the next level in your spiritual maturity. Endeavor to pass this test and mature in your Christian walk.

"For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong." - Hebrews 5:13-14 NLT

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