blind?

My wife is a kindergarten teacher, and Monday was her first day.  She had a great day and told me about several distinct personalities in her classroom: one little girl has been quite spoiled and pampered, so it will take some work to discipline her; one little boy has a cute smile; several of the girls are chatty, so that will take some work; and another little boy is perhaps slightly autistic, which requires a sincere, devoted effort from his teacher.  But perhaps the most intriguing child is a little boy that is almost blind; he can not see much beyond three feet.

 

The children were assigned their lockers on Monday, and after most of the other students had stored their backpacks, the little boy approached my wife and said, "I can't find my locker."  You see, the student's names were labeled at the top of the locker, which he couldn't see.  Later that day, as the children were playing at recess, the boy came up and asked, "Can you help me find my friend Colton?"  He simply couldn't see to find his friend as they were playing.  My wife is moved with compassion for this child as she begins to appreciate his challenges.

 

Yesterday, the teaching emphasis was, "What makes you special?," in an effort to formalize each student's personal identity in his or her own mind; this helps kindergartners understand their role in society and why it is necessary to come to school and learn how to read, write, and count.  She asked the students this question, "What makes you special?," and several children responded, but she was amazed at the simplicity and profound depth of this precious boy's reply, "I'm special because Jesus made me special."

7 ... there was given me a thorn in my flesh ... 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he said to me, " My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12)

Indeed, I am humbled by this boy's statement.  How easily I become distracted with the business of life that I forget this sweet and simple truth:  Jesus made me unique for His purposes and for His glory, and I can have a vibrant and abundant life with Him.