My 5th grade students and I have spent a considerable amount of time this year focusing on how to include descriptions of the 5 senses in our writing to depict the reality of life more accurately. The sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and things we touch in this world are so real to us because we are surrounded by them each and every day. Colossians 3:2 says, however, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on earthly things.” How often are we aware of the reality of God and His Kingdom? Much of the time, the reality of our circumstances here on earth crowd out the spiritual Kingdom for which we, as Christians, live.

Some don’t even believe that such a Kingdom exists because all they can see is the world we live in here and now. But the Bible points us toward a Kingdom–and a God–that is real enough to taste, see, smell, hear, and touch.

Taste: “O taste and see that the LORD is good.” (Psalm 34:8)

Smell: “All Thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces.” (Psalm 45:8)

Hear: “My sheep hear My voice.” (John 10:27)

Sight: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)

Feel/Touch: “When You did awesome things that we did not look for, You came down, the mountains quaked at Your presence.” (Isaiah 64:3)

The unseen Kingdom of our Creator God is just as present as the things we see daily. Sadly, it is unnoticed by many people. It takes the eyes and ears of faith to observe it for the reality that it is. “For what can be known about God is plain to men, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:19-20)

Sometimes it’s difficult to be a Christian teacher at a public school. While I am teaching temporal lessons and values, I am often aware of the deeper, spiritual lessons that are so much more valuable.

In science, we are studying natural disasters. It’s fun to learn about the complex world that God created. Graham crackers, fruit roll-ups, and frosting helped us understand tectonic plate movements that cause earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis. This week, we spent time watching National Geographic videos that answer the questions, “How does Earth’s surface change?” and “How do changes on Earth’s surface impact humans?”

We had good discussions about how the changes on Earth’s surface impact us. The students have all been through a real tornado warning (end of school year 2004), and some students have lost family members to avalanches or other disasters. There is no question that changes on Earth’s surface impact us, but I am afraid some of my students may have left class feeling frightened of these things. We talked about how we can’t change these disasters from happening, even though people are working to predict them and warn people of the danger.

As I gazed out at the pleading eyes of my students, I nearly spewed what I believe. These things are scary, but the Lord is sovereign over it all! No, we can’t change these disasters from occurring, but we can trust our lives into the hands of the God who created it all. It would have been the perfect opportunity to give them these words of truth…yet I cannot speak of such things in the classroom. It saddens me that I can teach about the beauty of creation without even mentioning the Creator.