I Missed It

"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." 1 Peter 3:15


The other day, a student asked me "Mrs. Baker, why are you so nice? Other teachers don't even like us. What's different about you?"
My estrogen-driven inability to take a compliment kicked in and I evaded, saying
"You don't think other teachers like you? How could that be?"
But now I know,
I missed it.
This was not a compliment.
It was an investigation.
I had a chance to share what You've done for me,
Through me,
In me.
And I missed it.
It's simple.
I love them because You loved me.
Saggy pants, short skirts, fists up, heads down, and all.
I love them.
Their images are clear to me
Because of Your love in me.
Thank you, Lord.
Others see lazy, smart-mouthed teenagers,
but they were someone's babies
and will always be Your children.
They are more than a number
More than a filled desk.
more than a label, an absence, a statistic.
They are souls
searching
Looking
Listening
Avoiding
Complaining
and Needing You.

"Love does not measure; it just gives." ~ Mother Theresa

Lord, help me to radiate, recreate, and re-enact Your love not just to my husband, my daughter and my students, but any and every person I encounter today and for the rest of my life.