Core Scripture: “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10)

(This blog is a continuation of last week’s message.  Reading it in order will make more sense, so if you haven’t read part 1, it might be a good idea to do so.)

Message: Josh was my escape.  I didn’t care for my internship, so once a week I drove up the road to the local elementary school to participate in the Youth Friends program.  They matched adults with young kids who needed a positive influence in their life.

We hit it off immediately.

It took a few weeks for the little 2^nd grader to warm up to me, but once I started playing with him at recess after lunch, he opened right up.  I can still see his dark hair and coca brown eyes gleaming up at me.  His olive skin shined in the sun.  Josh wasn’t the biggest kid out there, but when we played basketball, I did everything I could to make him look big.

We were always on the same team.  I would hold the ball high until all the opposing players would hound me, jumping, waving their arms in futility, trying to swat the ball from me.  Then I would flip the ball to Josh for an easy layup.  I would lift him in the air so he could dunk on the 8-foot rim, and I never missed the opportunity to hoist a few 3-pointers myself, just to prove to the kids I had game.  Buckets!

“Clint’s here!” they would scream when I walked in the lunchroom.

By the third week, all the kids knew who I was.  Our table immediately became the cool kids’ table.  We rotated the friends allowed to sit with us, and if anyone’s feelings were hurt, we’d just say they got to sit with us next week.  I would eat the school lunch with them.  The lunch lady always gave me an extra scoop of mashed potatoes.  She might have had a crush on me. 

I remember one week Josh wanted to impress his friends, so he told them he had a pet shark.  They called him out in disbelief, but when Josh asked me to confirm, I smiled and said, “Yeah, guys, he actually does have a pet shark.  He keeps it in a big aquarium in his basement, and he feeds it fish every day.”  They fell for it. 

I would come home from lunch on those days on cloud nine!  My colleagues heard quite a few stories about Josh, and our secretary, Dorothy, was especially drawn to those stories. 

“You seem to really enjoy your time with him!” she encouraged me.

That was quite the understatement.  I cherished my time with Josh.  Especially the times I got to tutor him in whatever subject he needed help in.  And then there was the day he got in trouble and we had to eat in the principal’s office together.  I forget what the little dude did, but it was certainly something ornery. 

I looked for any reason to spend extra time with him.  One day he asked me to meet his specials teachers.  Choir was one week, and gym was the opposite week.  The teachers welcomed me into their classes, and I got to see firsthand the power of an impactful teacher. 

One day Dorothy spelled it out for me.

“Have you ever thought about being a teacher?” she asked.  “You can’t stop talking about Josh on the days you meet him for lunch.”

A seed was planted.  I doubt Dorothy knew how much her words guided me.  The next thing I knew, I was looking up local schools, finding out how long it would take to become certified to be a teacher.  I already had all my English classes taken care of, so all I needed were the education classes. 

My internship ended that winter of 2000, and I enrolled at MidAmerica Nazarene University for the fall semester of 2001.  The problem was that I couldn’t continue my relationship with Josh.  That was when I had the idea of my mom stepping in to take my place. 

Passing the baton to her wasn’t easy, but Josh learned to accept it.  I still came on occasions when my schedule allowed me to, and my mom kept me updated.  I will never forget, however, the day she told me Josh was gone.  There was some conflict at home, and the state came in and took him into foster care.  Just like that.

We were not allowed to know his whereabouts.  I wanted to write the kid a letter to say goodbye, but the state doesn’t give private information like that out.  My mom kept saying that someday he would look me up again when he got older.  That day hasn’t come yet, but I am still holding on to the hope that our paths will somehow cross.  Maybe he would somehow run across this blog and reply to it!

Josh, if you are reading this now, my email address is theteachersdevotional@gmail.com.  You will never know the full impact you had on my life.  You helped me discover my teaching career, and I taught middle school language arts from 2003 to 2024.  Twenty-two years of teaching.  All because of the little brown-eyed boy who looked up to me.

And to you, Dorothy, if you are reading this, I just want to thank you.  Thank you for seeing a spark in me.  Thank you for encouraging me in a time of my life when I desperately needed it.  The seed you planted was life-changing, and I will always remember the wisdom you shared with me. 

Pay attention.  The Lord puts people in your life for a purpose, and He works everything for your good.  He has a plan for you that He has already mapped out, and you are His masterpiece.  His creation.  Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” 

I love that scripture.  I NEED that scripture.  I may not know what my future is, but God does.  My hope is in Jesus.  And that is enough for me. 

Challenge: Reflect on your life.  Who has God placed in your life that really made a difference?  Praise God for those people, and if you still keep in contact, send them thanks. 

Just for fun: God bless substitute teachers.  My friend sent me this video this week, and it is sure to bring a smile to your face. 

Prayer: Lord, I know you intentionally bring difference makers into my life.  Thank you for those amazing people.  Amen.