Matthew 18:6 – But if anyone causes one of these
little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large
millstone hung around his neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea. (NIV)
It was very hot outside, and I had just come in from
doing yard duty. I was so thirsty that I didn't bother waiting to get a glass of
water from the staff room. I simply bent over and drank a long cooling drink
from the fountain on the way to my classroom.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a tiny grade one
boy watching me intently. He had a very puzzled look on his face. When I stood
up, I asked him what was wrong.
"You're drinking from the fountain," he whispered in
awe.
I was puzzled at this obvious statement, but I
replied, "Yes, that's what I was doing."
"But you're a teacher!" He exclaimed in amazement.
"Yes, I am a teacher, and I was thirsty. Don't you
drink from the fountain when you are thirsty?"
"Yes, I do. But I'm a kid. Only kids are supposed to
drink at fountains. Teachers drink out of glasses."
I was really taken aback at that observation. In the
days when I had just started teaching, I knew that many children saw teachers as
just a little less than God, but I had never heard it so vividly expressed.
I told him that teachers are just big people, and it's
okay for them to drink at fountains. But I don't think that I convinced him,
because he still had that dubious look on his face as I turned to leave.
I told him that he had better get to his classroom,
and I had to get to mine, then I hurried off down the hall. However, I noticed
that he was still watching me as I turned into my room.
This little encounter made a deep impression on this
young teacher, who had just recently dedicated her life to the Lord Jesus.
If such a simple action disturbed this little fellow
so much, how carefully I would have to watch my speech and actions if I were to
set an example for my students as well as others I met.
As the years passed by, this lesson has stayed with
me, and I have continually asked the Lord to help me "walk my talk". I am
reminded of one of the lines of a Sunday School chorus, "Oh, be careful little
one what you do, for the Saviour up above is looking down in love, so be careful
little one what you do."
Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to remember that we, as
believers in Jesus Christ, have been called to be His witnesses in our everyday
lives through the way we live, not just through our talk, but in our actions,
which speak so much louder than words. Amen.
Sandycove Acres, Innisfil, Ontario, Canada
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