A rant about missing the Georgia game.

Background information that will help you understand this blog post:

I joined a cohort of teachers in my school district that are part of the Teaching American History (TAH) grant...a federal grant that sponsors teachers to take classes to become strong history teachers.  My requirements are that I take a graduate level history course every fall semester and a literacy course every spring semester.  In my first year, the literacy class got me hooked and I started pursing my Master's in Language and Literacy.  Because I'm a part of the TAH grant, I get FREE language and literacy class every spring semester....but history? I get through those classes.  I push through the history classes in the fall in order to get the free, federally grant supported masters classes every Spring.

These history classes are good, don't get me wrong, but I have no interest in pursing my Master's in history. Ever.  So therefore, these courses are nice to take but ultimately a waste of my time and efforts.  But, if you read above, taking them as part of the grant gets me FREE courses that I actually want to pursue.

And here's where the problems begin.

The history course is set up where we take 4-5 courses in a face-to-face/lecture setting, then take a mandatory field experience related to our course.  Two years ago, this adult field trip came at the WORST OF TIMES...the #1 Alabama Crimson Tide rolled into town to play football and our TAH grant class rolled out of town on a bus heading to Beaufort.  Two years ago, I had to miss the biggest game in SC football history to go on this trip.  Two years ago, College Gameday came to the horseshoe and I was on a field trip.  Two years ago, the GAMECOCKS upset the #1 Crimson Tide, and I was not sitting in my season ticket spot to enjoy it. (I was on a bus watching the game on an I-phone)

Fast forward two years...to today.

The history course is taking a mandatory adult field trip at the WORST OF TIMES.  The Georgia Bulldogs are rolling into town and our bus is rolling out of town on a bus heading to Washington, DC.  This year, I am having to miss the biggest game in SC football history.  This year, College Gameday is coming to the Horseshoe when I'm on the field trip.  This year, I'm going to miss the GAMECOCKS upset the Georgia Bulldogs...and I won't be sitting in my season ticket spot to enjoy it.

I won't be able to recreate this roomie picture:

In Athens last season.

I won't be able to recreate this best friend picture:

We do this every week.

Instead, I'll be on a mandatory adult field trip to Washington, DC and stuck on a bus with 30 other teachers who will all be oblivious to the fact that the game is happening (minus my 2 diehards who will be my bffs all weekend).  Instead of soaking in the history of our capital, I'll be dreaming of Columbia.  I'll be missing the biggest game of the season.

....and then it hit me.  The Gamecocks don't NEED me to be there.  They didn't NEED me there two years ago when the #1 Alabama team came into town.  They didn't NEED me to successfully have College Gameday here two years ago.  While I was gone, they still did their thing and the game went on without me.

(this is a stretch but bear with me)

In the moment of complaining about not being here, I was reminded that the Gamecocks do. not. need. me. to still have the game continue.

And in all this....It made me think of Jesus.  He allows me to be part of the action.  He allows me to be a part of His team.  He lets me cheer for something bigger than myself.  But He doesn't NEED me to be there for His work to continue.  He graciously invites me into the work He's doing, but he doesn't NEED me there for it to still happen.  He is the Lord. He is the author and perfecter.  He is before all things and in Him all things hold together.

While my trip is BEYOND inconvenient and ill-timed, I know that the Gamecocks will ultimately be just fine without me.  The game is still going to happen.  The teams will all run out onto the field and play 4-quarters (or, if the Gamecocks play like they did for Kentucky then they will only be out there 2 quarters).  It humbles me and makes me not as quick to complain about how annoyed I am with this field trip...because it is a bigger thing than just me.  Such with my life.