Loving others

At my reunion I was able to see some very special people, besides my classmates and spouses. We had a good amount of teachers attend. I was able to see my kindergarten teacher, my sixth grade science teacher, my seventh grade English teacher, and my tenth grade social studies teacher. Each of these teachers had an impact on my life. However, it was seeing my kindergarten teacher which touched me so greatly. She was in her 80’s and she was adorable. As a little kindergartener, I loved my teacher, Mrs. Williams. I don’t remember very much about that year of my life, except for being in the hospital several weeks with a critical condition and receiving notes and letters from my class. It helped the long, boring days pass by easier. I can’t remember the exact actions Mrs. Williams did or the exact words she used to impact me. It wasn’t so much what she did but how she made me feel. I know my little kindergarten class was a place where I felt loved. I believe this feeling gave me the foundation of liking school. She seemed honored to have so many people thank her for investing in their lives. Can you imagine seeing 'children' you taught 43 years ago, and hearing them as adults thank you for the difference you made in their lives! I wonder if she has had to wait 43 years to hear it. She may have even felt forgotten at times, like her efforts didn’t count. However, after visiting with her I do not believe she did what she did for the praise of man. I believe she did it for the praise of her Lord.
There are times we may be like Mrs. Williams. We may invest ourselves into the lives of others and may never know if it really made a difference. We may have to wait years to hear someone say thank you, or we may never hear it at all. We may feel forgotten. It is at this time we need to remind ourselves that it is the Lord we're to please. We please Him when we share his love to others. As long as we are loving people we can be assured that we are making a difference in this world. People may not always remember what we do or what we say but they will remember how we make them feel.

Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it.

Love makes up for practically everything.

1 Peter 4 (The Message)