INTERRUPTED
December 14, 2021
Prayer: Lord, please help me remember how very important You have allowed me to be in the lives of my students. This is a sacred trust from You, and I want to be faithful. I ask You to help me today to shine for You. Thank you. Amen
Scripture: Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. Mark 3:20 NIV
As we sat eating in one of our favorite restaurants, Emily’s eyes lit up. A gasp and then a squeal of glee flowed from my daughter as SHE walked by. How amazing – SHE even said, “Hi” and waved as SHE passed by to her table. Then for the next 30 minutes, Emily kept a close watch over my shoulder so she could watch HER sitting only a few feet away.
My daughter begged to go talk to her, “Just for a second,” she pleaded. I told her that we needed to respect HER privacy and let HER enjoy a peaceful meal out with her family without being hounded by HER adoring fans. I told Emily that this was HER personal time and that I did not think it would be polite to interrupt. Emily stared, almost unable to finish her meal; she was so distracted by HER presence – and in such a public place.
After Emily’s begging and bargaining and even bribing me, I finally gave in and said she could go over to HER table to say hello again and ask HER what HER new name was since we had heard that SHE had recently gotten married. Now you may be thinking, “How do those famous stars manage to get a bite to eat without being hounded by adoring fans staring at them and approaching them for just one moment to talk to them or ask them a question?” How do they put up with that? Well you should know that SHE was not a famous star, SHE was Ms. Vincent, a third grade teacher at Emily’s school.
In Jesus’ short time on earth, crowds followed Him everywhere. He taught them, had compassion on them, touched their hearts, healed their hurts and changed their lives. As a result they chased Him, pressed Him, touched Him, interrupted His meals and even cut open roofs to get to Him.
From time to time, the disciples had to take Him out in a boat, sometimes to teach and sometimes to withdraw, but when Jesus saw them rebuke those who were bringing their children to Him He said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth; anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them (Mark 10:14-16 NIV).
That is exactly what Ms. Vincent did. She gave Emily a hug, answered her questions, and sent her back to our table with thoughtful words and a warm smile. You are adored. You are admired. You have taught, touched hearts and changed lives.
Some of your students may be fanatic fans of yours. That’s just a fact of your life. You may have a few meals or shopping trips to the grocery store interrupted – enjoy the love. Share your experiences when students have seen you away from school. What was their reaction? What was your reaction? My prayer for you is that you would let the children come to you and that your words and actions would lead them to Jesus.
Copyright Kathy Branzell. To connect with the author, email [email protected]
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Awesome reminder for me today as a teacher! Thank you for this devotion.