CF? Or Extra Class?

2 days ago, our Math Paper 2 teacher (Mdm Chah) had to attend a koperasi meeting during her 2nd period with us (last period). So she gave us some homework to do, and told us that we were to be seen busy + quietly doing the homework by everyone. Our class is super exposed to everyone cuz it's like in the tempat pertemuan yang strategik in the school and everyone who wants to go anywhere will pass by the class and see everyone and everything through the large, open windows. However, as usual the boys (5 of 'em, one K.O. already) and some of the noisier girls fooled around the class a few minutes after she went out. 5 minutes before school dismissed, Mdm Chah was seen staring straight at us (them) with a totally angry look. So they say la. I was *ahem* busy and quietly doing my homework. In her anger, she sentenced us to completion of chapters 23, 24, and 25 of the Federal (past year) textbook - due today. A lot la wei. She actually wanted us to pass up after CNY, but then...

Good thing I was busy and quietly doing my homework.

So I kinda had a little bit to finish only.

Muahaha.

However, the next bad news was that she wanted us to stay back for her extra class today: 12pm - 1pm.

Here's the thing.

CF starts at 12.10pm and ends at 1.15pm every Friday. To make things worse, I was supposed to be speaking on something today.

Between kelas tambahan and CF, of course no competition la. CF wins by a mile man.

But I still had to tell Mdm Chah cuz she was already so angry, plus my monitor would be the one to really kena if Mdm Chah found me missing from class. I didn't know how to tell her lor. Everyone was like, can meh? Must go leh. She'll scold wan lei. And other such things. I tried explaining that I had CF and I was speaking, but here're some of the stuff they said:

• Between academic and co-curric, of course academic more important la. CF only wat! Logically must choose academics la.
  
• Cannot get people to replace you meh?
  
• Chair meeting only mah.
• You don't have vice president meh?
• Got AJK wat.
• Extra class more important la.

To Ming Zhu's remark (1st one), I said that for us Christians, whatever we get in our exams and tests are all given and determined by God. So if we're about to discuss logic, I'd say putting God first is much more logical =_=

But then... talking about God with people who don't know God is like Stephen telling me about cars and getting new shoes for his car and such.

1. I don't understand a thing about cars. I know they have wheels and all la. Yeah, the basics. But only the baaasics.
2. I can't get how important a car is to him cuz it's not really important to me except to get here and there. I like the driving more than the car.
3. I can't sayang a car like he does cuz to me, there are better things to sayang. The car is the better thing to him, of course.
4. The car to me is just a thing. Nothing more.

Anyway, I found myself thinking about it the whole day yesterday. I was thinking about how I should tell her, what I should say, how I should say it etc. I was so worried that I didn't even tell anyone in the family about it. Partly cuz I was afraid they'd say I should go for the extra class cuz in F6 already or something. After what everyone said in school, I'd started to doubt the win by a mile statement. I started to think that maybe it's no that important to push everything else aside in favour of CF. I remembered what Mdm Ho said about Christians doing things with wisdom in school. I even started to think that maybe I could get someone to replace me or something. As I was doing my homework, I felt that I should just put everything aside first and just go talk to God about it. So I went and did my quiet time. As I was reading the Bible, my mind kept going back to the extra class issue, and after awhile, the lines in the Bible started to turn into "extra class Mdm Chah extra class co-curric extra class CF extra class". Cacat as it seems, that was what it felt like. Then I remembered what I wrote in my spiritual diary a few days ago. In the Changes section, I wrote that I would get on my knees and pray or at least pray real hard when other stuff start to plague me during QT. So I prayed and told God about it. At that point, I didn't feel like telling anyone else about it. And the realization just came to me - If I can't even make a stand about something so simple like choosing CF over extra class, how am I gonna make a stand about bigger things in future? I keep telling and asking God to use me, but just when He gives me a simple test to prepare me, I fail to see it as one. And then another thought came to me: What if Mdm Chah decides to have extra class every Friday?
I told myself that I couldn't skip it for CF every Friday!
But then another part of me told me that I could. I can! Jesus carried a stinky, wooden, ugly, splinter-y cross for me! What's the big deal about getting scolded by teacher for choosing CF over extra class??
Yet another thought came to me: What if this act of mine in a way smears the reputation of CF and Christians?
What kind of Christian would I be if CF is not important to me? People like Seoks would think that I'm not standing up for Christ at all. She'd probably say something like, "Har? You skip CF ar? You usually not like that wan lei." And well... people never really liked Christians anyway.

I felt so much better after that. The words of 2 Chronicles suddenly became much clearer. Reminds me of that song...

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will go strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace

Keep your eyes upon Jesus
Let nobody else take His place
And the things of heaven will go strangely clear
In the light of His glory and grace

Can't really remember the last line heheh.

I completed all my exercises yesterday, prayed really really hard, and came to school hoping to find Mdm Chah in the staff room today. She'd already gone home when I looked for her yesterday. This morning, Seoks told me that the school had made the cacat rule that no students are allowed to enter the staff room d. -_- So once the bell rang, I ran to the student's corner and stood outside the staff room's glass door and tiptoed and peeked here and there trying to find her. That verse came to me:

2Ch 14:11 And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power.

I prayed. Ben came along and said (claimed) can enter after school. I went in and found that she wasn't there. I started to pray again, and presto! Mdm Chah came strolling through the door in front of me! I greeted her and she immediately said:

Don't tell me you can't make it to class.

I was like, "um...

I can't make it to class.

At that point, I just felt really really cartoonish.

I told her that I had CF, and I was speaking today. I was expecting to hear the list of stuff listed up there. As expected, she asked,

Cannot get people to replace you meh?

I said no la. Cuz need to prepare wan mah. Next, I expected something about the vice prez or something, but she asked,

You're chairing the meeting izzit?

"Ya". Then...

What about my homework?

I happily said that I'd finished it, save for some that I couldn't do la.

Only you right?

Yes! Yes!

And she gave me the green light. YEAH!

All the while I was already thinking of saying that I'd do anything to make up for it, e.g. stay back everyday except Friday for detention or finish all the questions in the Federal text or answer every question in class or something. I was also thinking up an answer for if she said that I should follow the school rules about going for extra classes etc. I was thinking I'd say that if I weren't a law-abiding student, I wouldn't have told her in the first place. Was also thinking that I might have to give a speech about how I have a responsibility as prez of the CF etc. Thank God I didn't need to say all that.

Funny how God has a simple solution for everything. Sometimes we just think too much and forget that God's in control...

But then Ming Zhu told me this morning that Mdm Chah's gonna have extra class every Friday till CNY.

I think I'm gonna have to go look for her again on Monday.

She might blow a fuse since I'm gonna be skipping every Friday. I might have to start being the model student in class to make up for it or something. She might criticize the CF and Ms Chok might come after me.

But I don't think I'll have to hang on a cross with nails in my hands and feet like Someone did.

So it ain't gonna be that bad.