Dear God,

Although it's been a long time, I still remember that some of the most useful classes I took in college had labs connected with them. Biology and chemistry come to mind. So do bookkeeping and woodworking. And golf.

I learned that it's one thing to have someone tell me about how something works, but it's a whole different sensation when I am hands-on with it. A lab is a great learning environment.

I can study sketches of the major arteries in the leg of a frog, but when I take my scalpel and gingerly slice down till I find them, I have a whole new appreciation for the circulatory system You designed.

I can read about the effect of a crosswind on my approach shot to the green, but when I take my 9-iron out of the bag and try to remember what to do next, I discover that although it works like the book said, it still isn't easy.

That gives me some insights into why You came up with the family plan. That is truly Life 101—with a lab.

In this lab I've learned that it's one thing to read about forgiveness, but it's a whole different transaction when I have to go to my wife and ask her to forgive me for something selfish or rude I've said.

It's one thing to read about patience, but it's a different issue when one of my kids spills her milk for the third time at breakfast.

It's one thing to read about forbearance, but it stresses that trait when one of the kids unplugs the deepfreeze in the garage one autumn and a whole season's worth of spoiled strawberries and asparagus has to be scooped out.

It's one thing to read about humility, but I get a chance to get hands-on practice when my son throws up all over the foot pedals of a Hammond organ in a radio studio where we are recording.

And then there are the advanced labs...

I can read about unconditional love, but if my teen-age daughter comes home one night and tells us she's sexually active—and pregnant—now there's a lab.

I can read about how it is expected of me as a follower of Jesus to love everyone, regardless. But how does that work when someone rapes my daughter?

It seems like many of the things You want me to know are too grand for lectures alone; they need a lab. The forgiveness I have received means even more when I experience how much it costs to forgive.

Your patience toward me is even more real when I see how difficult it can be to express it toward others. The unconditional love You have for me takes on new dimensions when someone I love makes a heart-breaking decision that can't be undone.

So, Lord, my reflection brings me to a huge sense of gratitude. I want to thank You for giving me these wonderful people to love. And for everything I've learned about You from them. Better than any college class I ever took.

Your friend.

Don Jacobsen is the former president of Adventist World Radio. He writes from Hiawassee, Georgia.