"Consider it all joy, my
brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your
faith produces endurance, and let endurance have its perfect result, so that
you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:2-4).
Hey
gang: Have you ever had a bull’s eye on
your back that the local macho club members of the community accepted as a
challenge? There was no sign that said,
“Let’s beat the tar out of Kermit" but one did not have to be a rocket
scientist to know it was there. (I can attest that bullying was a part of life
in the 1930’s!) So, I tried to come up with ingenious ways to prevent my being
the object of their harassment for that day; I took a different route to school
and home each day, or arrived at the school at the very last minute.
As I think
back to those days at Fairview Elementary School, I can see why I was singled
out to be the target of this particular group of thugs. I had just moved into the city from the
mountains, therefore, was not very hip on the way one was supposed to act in the
city. I was skinny as a rail, had buck teeth, wore brogans and knickers and my
name was Kermit. Now I realize most of
you do not know what brogans and knickers are and it would take too much time
here to describe them, so let's just say they did make me stick out like the
proverbial sore thumb.
On top of
that we were poor as church meeses, which qualified me, along with another
misfit, to go into the bowels of Fairview Elementary School twice a day and
drink a glass of milk that was supplied by the school. That only added to the ‘sore thumb”
scenario.
But I want
you to know I believe I was in training for what God was going to do through
me. I believe every one of those
challenges were preparation for the day I would run into a youngster that was
going through a similar kind of experience.
I learned that the greatest gift I could give to a person who was really
hurting was to share that I, too, had been down that road, and God’s promise
that He would supply for all of my needs, even a bunch if hooligans wanted to
use me to build their very weak ego's.
Soooo, my
young buckaroos, did you know there are a barn full of hurting people, all
around you, who needs support, encouragement and acknowledgement that they are
a real live and very important person.
They need to know that God loved them so much He sent His only Son to
die on a hideous to tree them from the bondage of sin; and, you may be the only
Bible, or witness of that love, they will meet that day.
Blessings,
Gramps
P.S. A Plain People's Proverb "Where ever we
go, God is there; Whenever we call, God is listening; Whatever we need, God is enough!"
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