James D. Slack,
Department of Government,
University of Alabama at Birmingham
[October 10, 2010] —
Smack dab in the middle of a hallway, he darted out of a classroom and collided with me. As classes changed, John, an undergraduate, obviously wanted to be “first” to his next appointment. Everything went flying as we hit, but no serious harm was done.
“Hey, professor, nice bow tie” a now embarrassed young man quipped as he helped pick up my notes. Equally embarrassed, I thanked him, wished him well, and collected my belongings and moved toward the elevator.
As we were walking in the same direction John asked “So, how do you tie a bow tie? I like ‘em, but I just can’t get the hang of it.”
I was tempted to say that such instructions are “on the web”. After all, even a techno-dinosaur like myself knows such information can be found with a Google or two. But this time I didn’t take the quick step.
Something inside me said “Stop,” and so I did. I began a conversation with him amidst all passers-by – as if no one else were in the hallway.
I told him that I wore bow ties because I received one as a birthday gift almost 15 years ago from my son, Sammy, and daughter, Sarah, when they were four and five years old, respectively. Like John, I initially had major trouble mastering the art of bow ties.
His curiosity grew when I confessed that faith had a lot more to do with mastering the knot than did the diagram given to me by a clerk at a men’s store. I know there is a mechanics to tying the knot, but I don’t understand it. If I think about it too long I get confused and have to start over.
Even today, I really haven’t a clue as to how that knot is tied. I just do it by acceptance; I wrap one end around and stick my finger into a tunnel. Somehow everything works out right.
John was shocked when I said that accepting the “unknown” in bow ties got me thinking about the unknown in the story of Adam and Eve. The creation story makes sense to me, but Adam & Eve? A talking snake? A tree of the knowledge of good and evil? That story had always left too many issues for this “learned” mind.
But if I do not need to understand the mechanics of a simple bow tie, what makes me think I must understand the mechanics of God’s creation? As I explained to John, at some point I had stopped worrying about the “how” of Adam & Eve, and just accepted it by faith. If God says it happened that way, that works for me! I got the “hang of it.”
John said, “WOW! All that from a bow tie!” Approaching my elevator, we agreed that it is neat to have faith in God’s Word, not just in bow ties.I never intended to tell about my “bow tie” miracle in faith. My plan involved a direct route to the elevator, but God had another plan.
As professors, we can bring students closer to God, just as they can bring us closer to Him. This is done not just by sharing the what, but also by following Him in faith into the how, and the where. It was God, not John, who collided with me that day.
© 2010 James D. Slack