Teachers Never Stop Teaching

 Mom taught school for many years, but not until I was a teenager.    

She was only 17 when she married Dad.  I was born a year later.  Fast forward to 1974 and two more children later - she decided to go back to college.  At that time, the local community college had busses to pick up students and bring them to college.  She rode that bus three days a week for two years.  She was in her thirties and riding a school bus - well, a college bus.

When she transferred to Ole Miss, they didn’t have busses.  Mom usually drove herself, but occasionally, she car pooled.   Three years later, with three kids and a husband working nights so he could go to preaching school during the day, Mom graduated.

I remember her graduation like it was yesterday!  It was the summer before my senior year of high school.  Dad bought Mom a cake and when we got home from her graduation we celebrated her!  It was a very good day in the Wigginton household.  She began teaching as soon as school started that fall.

Mother was dedicated to her profession.  She cared about her students and always wanted to do the best she could for them.  Mom had a strong desire to help them learn.  She was a huge encouragement to her students. 

I say all that to say, she saw two of her former students yesterday.  They spoke to her and you should have seen her glow!  It gave her so much joy to see these former students. 

Mom thanked both of them for speaking to her.  The man who was her student hugged her when he said goodbye – and his young son (who had never met her) did too! 

In that moment, I realized Mom touched many lives. And she still does today.  She still encourages them and she still shows her love for them when they see her.  I had been with her when she met former students before, but today was different.  I saw her interactions in a different light.  I respected her more.  I loved her more.

Two things I learned from Mom.  The first thing is we can do almost anything if we are determined enough to do it.

The second thing is that we all interact with people every day.  We don’t have to be school teachers to encourage and show love to others.  We can have an impact on the people around us.  Every day when we wake up, we have a new set of opportunities to make a wonderful difference in this world. 

We can be cheerful and encouraging when we meet old friends or acquaintances – or even strangers! We can be the difference between a bad day and a good day. 

When we see others through the eyes of Jesus, it changes our whole perspective.  This really is what we are supposed to do. 

“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me’ (Matthew 25:40).

Christ above all things – Robin

The Class Officer

Living right next door to my parents has always been a blessing to me.  I wouldn’t change it for the world!  Of course, the added benefit is that I always got to see my brothers and their families when they came to visit Mom and Dad – especially around the holidays. 

On one such occasion when everyone was “home” I had a great conversation with my youngest nephew, Will.  I think he was in fourth grade at the time.  He had been elected as an officer in his class. 

He talked about his campaign and the new ideas he wanted to put into practice for the students.  Will is a smart guy, and I loved hearing him talk about his election.  I could tell he had put a lot of thought into his campaign. 

Will was not bragging about himself.  I had to pull just about everything out of him.  I was careful to ask questions that required more than a yes or no answer. I wanted to hear what he had to say regarding the whole process. 

This was not something Will was doing just for the fun of it.  He wanted to be a good officer and represent his class well. 

His mother sat across the room listening to us talk.  I saw her smile occasionally.  She seemed pleased that Will took it all so seriously. 

I think we would all be so much better off if we took the role of being a Christian as seriously as Will took his duties as class officer.  Being a citizen in the kingdom of God is important.  Each of us has a job to do. 

As Paul wrote in Romans 12:4-5 “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”

Note that Paul said we do not have the same function.  But we all have a function - a job to do.  It is different for each of us.  God’s work requires many people working together. 

One member may be an observer who notices when someone needs extra encouragement.  Others may have a great gift with young children.  Some are talented in helping the elderly and sick in the nursing homes or hospitals. 

Let’s never underestimate our worth or the power of our influence.  As Paul said, we are all members one of another.  We should strive to represent our Savior well.

Just as Will understood the seriousness of taking on his duties as class officer, we should be serious about taking on the duties of serving Christ. 

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

Christ above all things - Robin

When Dad Was an Umpire

My youngest brother loved just about any kind of sports.  Through the years he played football, basketball, and baseball. 

Growing up our biggest fans were our parents.  They were there for anything we participated in.  We all have our own memories of those times. 

I may not have this memory exactly right because it isn't mine and I wasn't there.  But it is pretty close to what happened that day.  

John tells a story about one particular ballgame and oh, how I wish I had been there to see it!  It was a little league baseball game – an away game in another town.  Usually the umpires for these games were local volunteers.

As John tells it, the umpire at this game was partial to his home team.  I suppose that happens sometimes, but apparently in this game it was quite noticeable.  Several of the parents voiced their displeasure over the bad calls. 

Mom and Dad were there.  Usually Dad was pretty quiet, but he doesn’t like things to be unfair either.  Our parents always taught us to stand up for what we believe in. 

When the local umpire made one particularly bad call, Dad spoke up and said something like “Come on, Ump.”   

The umpire took off his mask, turned around and looked at Dad.  Imagine being 11 or 12, hearing your Dad’s voice in the crowd and then seeing the umpire stop the game! 

The man looked at Dad and said, “If you think you can do better, then come on down here.”  John was shocked.  He was even more shocked when Dad came out of the bleachers to call the rest of the game! 

All the other guys on John’s team said things like “Wow, your Dad is going to be the umpire!”  John didn’t know whether to be embarrassed or proud, but I don’t think he will ever forget that day.

There may come a time in our lives when we have to step up and say “This is not right!”  It may be that we are the only ones who are brave enough to stand up.  It could be a situation of our children being taken advantage of. 

It could be a situation at work where something is wrong– like bullying, or someone taking credit for another person’s work, or stealing.  Will we look the other way and hope they don’t do it again, or will we speak up then and there? 

One day, we may even have to speak up for Christ.  We must always be ready for our spiritual battles. 

Doing the right thing is not always easy.  It takes a lot of courage to speak out against evil.  The song “Stand Up for Jesus” comes to mind – so does “Soldiers of Christ, Arise.” 

We are never alone when we take a stand against evil.  God is always there with us.

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong” (1 Cor. 16:13 NIV).

Christ above all things - Robin

The Essay

Sometimes children and parents clash, especially during the teenage years. 

I heard about a young man who had an argument with his mother one morning.  What the argument was about doesn’t matter.  Mom should have had the last say.   As the parent, he should be abiding by what she said, right? 

The young man thought otherwise.  He ended up disobeying her.  He thought he knew more than she did.  I can admit I used to feel like that as a teenager.  I think many of us go through that stage. 

The discussion was quite heated.  He said horrible things to his mother.  By the time he got home, his dad was waiting for him.  His parents took his car keys away from him for a month.

The boy was sullen for several days.  He didn’t speak to his parents and only came out of his room for meals.  His mom dropped him off at school every day, and they rode in silence. 

One day at school, the teen’s class was given an assignment.  Everyone had to write an essay about the last time they were angry.  

The teenager couldn’t wait to get home and start writing his essay!  He was still angry with his parents.  When he got home, he went straight to his room.  He noticed the dirty clothes he left on the floor that morning were washed, dried, and folded neatly on the bed.

He sat down and started to write.  Oh boy, he was really going to get his mom!  But then he heard her working in the kitchen as she prepared supper.  

“Better get back to writing,” he thought.  “She was totally unfair to me last week.”   He wrote furiously.  He was about halfway through his essay when he heard his dad’s car in the driveway. 

Looking at his watch, the boy realized his dad was an hour late.  He was working a lot of overtime these days. 

Mom called him for supper.  When he got to the dining room, he saw what a nice meal his mom had prepared. Dad asked about school.  He told them he had an essay due tomorrow. 

After supper, Dad stood up and said, “I’ll help your mom with the dishes tonight.”  He smiled and went on, “Go finish your essay.”   Mom smiled too as she headed toward the kitchen. 

When the young man got back upstairs, he tore up the essay he had started.  “I’ve got to start this whole essay over again.” 

“Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city” (Proverbs 16:32).

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” (Colossians 3:12).

Christ above all things - Robin

Dried Spaghetti Sauce

Hello everyone.  Please remember to pray for our nation and its leaders.  Even in these trying times let’s remember to keep God first in our lives and do our best to live peaceably with all men.

 This morning, I noticed one of our bowls from last night was left out on the counter.  The remnants of spaghetti sauce had dried at the bottom and around the edges of the bowl.  I rinsed it off to put in the dishwasher. 

 There was a problem.  I only saw from one side of the bowl across to the other side.  I neglected to look at the side closest to me.  It had spaghetti sauce on that side too. I’m glad I gave it a final look, so I could rinse it out all the way around.

 Isn’t it sad that we notice things happening over there on the other side, and fail to notice what is going on right under our eyes?  It might be that we see or hear another person’s child across the room.  Perhaps we even comment to someone else about that child’s misbehavior.  We forget our own son did the same thing last week. 

It is easy to point out someone else’s fault than it is to see our own.  Sometimes those things we notice are the very things we are guilty of.  We either truly do not see those same faults in ourselves, or we refuse to acknowledge them.  Maybe we point out the faults of another to distract people from our own.

We must be very careful to avoid this type of attitude.  We should examine ourselves and come to terms with our own shortcomings, even asking for forgiveness if necessary. 

God does not want us to tear down our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are all part of His body. It is hard enough to make it in this world without having to deal with that kind of thing from our own church family.

Christ said we are to love one another.  Ephesians 4:29 tells us the only talk that should come out of our mouths is what is good for building people up.  Paul continued in Ephesians 4:31-32 “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

I really didn’t intend to go this direction with the dirty bowl illustration, but it is where I ended up.  At any rate, isn’t it better to build people up than it is to point fingers? 

And isn’t it good to clean up our own bowl (life) ? We should look at ourselves carefully – and not just at what we see first.  Let’s remember to see others as Christ did and keep ourselves free from any hardness of heart. 

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience" (Colossians 3:12).

Christ above all things - Robin

 

Finish What You Start

 Hello,  

We are almost at the end of another week and I'm thankful for the days of sunshine we've seen in our area lately.  I'm sharing something else our parents taught us.  

In my opinion, Mom and Dad were great parents.  They both wanted us to grow up to be responsible citizens.  We were to be respectful and courteous at all times.

 They taught us was to finish what we start – that included cleaning our rooms, doing school work or participating in extracurricular activities.  I remember them saying if we tried a sport or activity we didn’t like, we still had to finish out that season.  We made a commitment to the coach and our team.   They depended on us to be there.   

Learning to finish what we start is good training for life in general.  We learn about commitment, responsibility, and dependability.  These traits help us become good employees and good friends.  The same characteristics are necessary in our spiritual lives.

Our fellow Christians need to know they can depend on us.  I remember one lady arrived at our ladies’ devotional a little earlier than some of the others.  Her car was in the shop, so her husband dropped her off.  She told him not to worry about picking her up because a certain lady would bring her home. 

The unusual thing about this was the one who needed a ride had not even spoken to the one who would be giving the ride.  It wasn’t an assumption as some might think.  It was the confidence she had in the other lady’s dependability.  

The Savior needs workers in His kingdom, so He needs to know He can count on us.  This is not an unrealistic expectation.  After all, Christ finished what He started.  If we commit to Him, we need to be willing to do the same.

Two scriptures come to mind.  Romans 12:1 – “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

The phrase “living sacrifice” indicates a continual offering of our bodies to the service of God.   It is quite reasonable for us to serve God considering all He has done for us – including the sacrifice of His Son on the cross. 

The second scripture is 2 Timothy 4:7.  Paul is in prison and knows he is nearing the end of his life.    He tells Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

Oh what glory awaits us, if we finish what we start!

Christ above all things - Robin 

Elbow Grease

Hello everyone, 

It been over a week since my last post.  I apologize for that.  Going forward, I plan to post at least once a week.  

Our children may take some of the lessons we teach them and pass them down to their children.   The lesson may go on even further down the line.  That is why I have heard the term "elbow grease."

I was born on my maternal grandfather’s birthday and though he never made any difference between any of his grandchildren, I felt honored to share that day with him.  Grandpa was an honorable man. 

He was a shoe cobbler.  Grandpa learned this trade from his father who had learned it from his father before him.  I’m not sure how many generations of Marlowe men were skilled in this trade, but it went back at least to these three men.  By the time their grandchildren came along, my grandparents owned a shoe repair business in Virginia. 

We lived in Mississippi, so we usually only got to see them for about a week during the summer.  I loved to visit their shop.  The mixture of old leather and the oil used on the machines gave the senses a unique experience.  Everything about the shop was fascinating to me and my brothers. 

Mom told us many times that when Grandpa showed her or her siblings  how to do some kind of chore he would say, “Put a little elbow grease into it.”  Meaning work a little harder.  Put honest effort into what you are doing.   Grandpa was never lackadaisical about his work and he didn’t want anyone else to be either. 

He passed that on to Mom.  She taught us to do our best too.  Mom still says, “Anything worth doing is worth doing right.”  If we do our work right the first time we don’t have to worry about doing it again. 

Colossians 3:17 is a great verse.  I think it shows us why it is so important to do the best we can.  “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” 

When we work enthusiastically – and do things the right way we honor Christ our Savior and sometimes we have to use a little elbow grease to get it done. 

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”  1 Cor. 10:31

Christ above all things – Robin Whitley