Drops in the Bucket

“May God our Father himself and our Master Jesus clear the road to you! And may the Master pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you, just as it does from us to you" - 1 Thes 3:12

 

Years ago I worked as a substitute teacher in the public school system.  For the most part, I loved it.  It was a great opportunity to spend the day with kids from all walks of life and learn their stories and bring added knowledge into their world. 

Often I would encounter a child who came from very difficult circumstances.  They would show up to school angry, exhausted, unkept, - you name it.  Those were the children most difficult to leave when my temporary job was done.  What could I possibly do in such a small amount of time that would make any bit of difference?  Due to their lack of sleep and life difficulties, their capacity to take in added knowledge was less than ideal.  I had no control over where or even IF they would sleep at night, and often their anger caused behavior which involved removing them from the classroom. 

The one thing I could do is love them, and accept them right where they were, right in that moment.  I found that love looked different at almost every turn.  Sometimes it meant sitting with them on the “time-out” bench during recess, sometimes it meant reminding them, “You are better (more valuable) than the way you are acting right now.”  Sometimes it meant letting them sleep in the classroom before school began and maybe during lunch.   And while it may have taken different forms, it always meant loving them in a way that Jesus would if he were me.

That’s it.  That’s all I could do, and often it felt so menial and small….just a drop in their impoverished-world-bucket.  Then someone reminded me of something today and it absolutely changed the way I think about those little “drops”.  We love, even if only for a short time, so that when they encounter Christ again, He will feel familiar.

WOW!  That makes our little acts of love, remarkably valuable and worth-while! Whatever they are, in whatever setting they may take place, down the road those small acts can prepare they way for eternity's entrance....

SO.....

I’m going to be bold here and say pass this message on to those you know who could use the reminder…I know I did J

Christ has no body now on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

no feet but yours,

yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion

is to look out to the earth,

yours are the feet by which He is to go about doing good

and yours are the hands by which He is to bless us now

 

Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)