A Flower
So I know that it has been a while since I have been able to visit. But now that it looks like that my life may be getting back to some sort of normalcy, I think I will be around a little more often.
It amazes me how it always works out that we get more out of serving people than it seems the people we serve. For instance, recently a student came to my room and asked me to be their escort on the homecoming court. I never had this student in class, I only knew her through short conversations and encounters in the hallway. I of course said that I absolutely would be her escort without hesitation.
See, here is a chance as a teacher to make a connection with a student at my school and to be able to possibly be a presence in her life. Who wouldn't want to take the opportunity to be there for someone? I didn't know the situation, for all I know I could have been the last person that she asked and the only one who could do it. I had no idea. But it did not matter. Fact was, she asked, I said yes, and the opportunity was mine.
So, fast forward to halftime of the football game. We are walking across the football field at the fifty yard line, looking at the hundreds of people looking at us. She is wearing a beautiful dress with a beautiful smile, and I'm wearing a flower on my chest and her shaking arm in mine. I do my best to keep her from being nervous, but I know that it is an impossible goal at this time. The moment arrives where the new queen is to be announced. I feel her arm tighten up, and realize that I am quite nervous at this point as well.
The silence is broken as the announcer utters her name, and I look at her as her genuinely surprised smile covers her face, and I hug her. At this moment it all makes sense. Yes, I was there for her, yes I escorted her across the field. But, I was able to be the person to hug her the moment she was announced the queen. I was able to experience pure joy with the student of mine. As she received her crown, I could do nothing but honestly feel grateful to her for allowing me to experience this awesome time in her life with her.
I left when it was over; I had to go back to my coaching duties for the second half. But I still had a flower on my shirt, and I did not take it off. That flower is a symbol of the joy I was able to experience that night on the football field, and it had nothing to do with football.
This is what I feel about serving others. Jesus told us that we have a moral responsibility to serve others. We have grace for the purpose of sharing that grace with others through service. But I know Jesus understood exactly what would happen. Yes, serving others can do amazing things in this world. A few people can make a huge difference. But it is us; the people who serve that get something out of it. We get just as much from serving, as do the people we serve. You see, if I wouldn't have escorted her, somebody would have and the ceremony would have gone on without me. I was not the main part of the ceremony. But had I not escorted her, I never would have been able to experience the happiness and connection with that student. God, thank you for putting people in my life, and please grant me the ability to see opportunities to serve you and others in all aspects of my life.
It amazes me how it always works out that we get more out of serving people than it seems the people we serve. For instance, recently a student came to my room and asked me to be their escort on the homecoming court. I never had this student in class, I only knew her through short conversations and encounters in the hallway. I of course said that I absolutely would be her escort without hesitation.
See, here is a chance as a teacher to make a connection with a student at my school and to be able to possibly be a presence in her life. Who wouldn't want to take the opportunity to be there for someone? I didn't know the situation, for all I know I could have been the last person that she asked and the only one who could do it. I had no idea. But it did not matter. Fact was, she asked, I said yes, and the opportunity was mine.
So, fast forward to halftime of the football game. We are walking across the football field at the fifty yard line, looking at the hundreds of people looking at us. She is wearing a beautiful dress with a beautiful smile, and I'm wearing a flower on my chest and her shaking arm in mine. I do my best to keep her from being nervous, but I know that it is an impossible goal at this time. The moment arrives where the new queen is to be announced. I feel her arm tighten up, and realize that I am quite nervous at this point as well.
The silence is broken as the announcer utters her name, and I look at her as her genuinely surprised smile covers her face, and I hug her. At this moment it all makes sense. Yes, I was there for her, yes I escorted her across the field. But, I was able to be the person to hug her the moment she was announced the queen. I was able to experience pure joy with the student of mine. As she received her crown, I could do nothing but honestly feel grateful to her for allowing me to experience this awesome time in her life with her.
I left when it was over; I had to go back to my coaching duties for the second half. But I still had a flower on my shirt, and I did not take it off. That flower is a symbol of the joy I was able to experience that night on the football field, and it had nothing to do with football.
This is what I feel about serving others. Jesus told us that we have a moral responsibility to serve others. We have grace for the purpose of sharing that grace with others through service. But I know Jesus understood exactly what would happen. Yes, serving others can do amazing things in this world. A few people can make a huge difference. But it is us; the people who serve that get something out of it. We get just as much from serving, as do the people we serve. You see, if I wouldn't have escorted her, somebody would have and the ceremony would have gone on without me. I was not the main part of the ceremony. But had I not escorted her, I never would have been able to experience the happiness and connection with that student. God, thank you for putting people in my life, and please grant me the ability to see opportunities to serve you and others in all aspects of my life.
posted by Jeff at 1:49 PM
2 Comments:
God uses everybody in a particular way, and He used you as a the person she will share that experience with for the rest of her life. You were the one right by her side as she heard her name being called out. That is how God works within in people. You may not see him, you may not be able to touch Him but you do feel his presence when doing His will.
Getting involved with serving others at the Waters Edge has been on of the best things to happen to me in years. I have felt the presence of God on several occasions. I am not sure who is serving who. Thanks for sharing the experience.
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