"He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season" (Psa. 1:3).
Hey Gang, Mega times I have often heard the comment, 'That person
really has potential' only to see that person totally fail to develop that
potential. In my tenure of working with young folks who have made bad
decisions, I have seen many who do have the potential to do great things but
they do not have a clue they have that potential.
One of the great stories that has been part of what motivated me
to give my life to helping those young folks who were not doing well is that of
Dr. Theodore F. Stoddard. He was a lad who began well but one day his
world took a nose dive when he lost his mom. In school he was the scourge
of the classroom and the teacher even enjoyed placing the red "E" on
his papers.
Then one day the teacher, more from curiosity than any desire to
find a solution to this menace, dug out his previous school records and found that
Teddy was a sharp, personable and even loving child in the first grade.
But the next part of the report stuck out like a neon sign in a dark night,
Teddy's mom died.
Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of
herself. On Christmas when all the other kids brought beautifully wrapped
gifts, Teddy brought a roughly wrapped brown gift that contained a bracelet
that was missing some of the stones and a half bottle of perfume.
On that day, she quit teaching reading, writing and arithmetic and
began to teach children. She paid attention to Teddy and gave him some
special encouragement. Teddy responded by becoming one of the top students in
the class.
The story is a wonderful story that had a wonderful
ending. Teddy not only completed that school year, with very good grades,
but went on and graduated from high school and college with highest honors.
Throughout his years in college and medical school, eventually becoming a
medical doctor, he sent periodic notes to Mrs. Thompson saying, "You are
still the best teacher in the world."
And then one day she received a letter from Teddy announcing
that he had found the’ love of his life’ and asked if she, Mrs Thompson, would
be his mom for his Wedding Day. On that special day she wore the bracelet
and perfume that she cherished all of those years. Teddy said, "You
smell just like my mom".
Soooo, look at your hands this morning. Do you realize
that you have the power, through the leading of the Holy Spirit, to be a Mrs.
Thompson to a Teddy? But perhaps you will have to seek until you find
that special child that God has commissioned for you to mentor and come along
side. Are you looking?
Blessings,
Gramps
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