I get the privilege of home schooling
this shining star! He struggles in school because he has such a hard
time concentrating. He needs more one-on-one teaching, and I am so
blessed to be his teacher. He enjoys it too, and loves to call me
“Teacher Mary”. His name is Trevor, and many days he teaches me
more than I teach him!
With him home and the other kids at
school, he does miss out on some of the things the other children
get. The other day, the children went to pick up their report cards
from the school. When they came back, they all were showing off their
reports. Some were happy with the results, while I encouraged others
to work harder on the next term. Trevor came up to me with crocodile
sized tears in his eyes. He declared he had failed school, as he came
crashing into my arms. I tried reassuring him he had not failed, but
he was convinced he failed. “Trevor,” I made him look at me as I
spoke these words, “I am your teacher. I would say if you failed or
not. And you worked so hard and learned a lot. You did not fail!”
Still he was convinced of his failure. I asked him why he thought he
failed, because I could not understand where this was coming from. He
said, “I did not get report!” At this point, the tears overflowed
from his eyes, and came rushing down his cheeks.
I did what any good Auntie would do at
this point. I got up and made him a report card! It was so simple,
and I really didn't put much thought into it. I just wrote different
things he worked on, and said he did good, which was no lie! He
worked hard. Then I wrote to keep trying his hardest, and he will do
great. He was so proud of his report card! He packed it around and
showed it off to EVERYONE! When I walked into the office this
morning, I noticed his little report card sitting on top of all the
rest. That little act made such an impact on his heart. The tears
vanished, and were replaced with the biggest smile.
Joy comes from the simplest of forms. A
little piece of paper with words of encouragement can change the
hardest of days into something worth celebrating. Trevor demonstrates
this fact in all he does. His spirit is joy, and it comes out in
everything he does. He is a dancing machine, and I believe it comes
from the joy within him. When he walks into a room, his joy is passed
to all. That is the kind of joy every Christian should possess. A
sharable joy that spreads like chicken pox! The joy which Christ
brings to us needs to reach the brokenhearted, and when we allow that
love to overwhelm our lives, the lost find their way to Christ. Joy
is so much more than a feeling. Joy is a way of life, and it brings
the fullness of Christ to our hearts. Let us grab hold of that joy,
and give it generously to all. Let others experience what we have
received from Christ.
If something as simple as a little
“report card” brings joy to another, then I will continue to do
it. Although sometimes those acts seem silly or like they are not
making a difference, I want to keep doing them so others will know
the joy I have gained from Christ. I lose nothing, but others are
able to gain so much more.
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