Every human being loves to feel appreciated. No exceptions! Sometimes a word of appreciation provides just the spark we need to keep going.Albert Schweitzer once said, “Sometimes our light goes out but is blown again into flame by an encounter with another human being. Each of us owes the deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this inner light.”
As teachers and instructors of teachers, we all love to hear words of appreciation from our students. Their gratitude helps validate our ministry and gives us hope that God is still using us to touch lives. Many of us keep “encouragement” files where we store those kind notes, letters and emails from students. We often turn to that file on days when we need a reminder of why we do what we do!
It’s easy to get so caught up in our own need for appreciation that we forget about encouraging others the same way. Why is it we are so quick to criticize, complain or judge, yet so slow to appreciate? Try this little exercise: close your eyes for a few moments and think about someone whom God used in the past to rekindle that light in you. Perhaps it was a teacher, a mentor, or maybe just someone who shared a word of encouragement at just the right time.
Now, here’s your assignment! Sometime in the next 36 hours, commit to sharing a word of appreciation to that person. It could be a phone call, letter, email or even a personal visit. If that person is no longer living, you might want to drop a note to a family member or at least offer a prayer of thanks for that person’s life.
Do you think your appreciation will make a difference. Writer Barbara Glanz challenged a group of people to do this assignment. One man in her group reported back that he had thought immediately of his 8th grade teacher—a woman who had been everybody’s favorite teacher because of the way she challenged them. He located this, now elderly, woman and wrote her a note of appreciation. To his great surprise, she wrote back.
Here is her letter:
“Dear John, You will never know how much your letter meant to me. I am 83 years old, and I am living all alone in one room. My friends are all gone. My family is gone. I taught 50 years and yours is the first ‘thank you’ letter I have ever gotten from a student. Sometimes I wonder what I did with my life. I will read and reread your letter until the day I die.”
The man was incredulous. He said with tears, “She is always the one we talk about at every reunion. She was everyone’s favorite teacher. We loved her! But no one had ever told her.”
So…write that letter or email. Make that phone call or visit. You just never know how God will use your act of kindness and appreciation to rekindle a flame in someone’s heart!
Here’s the last part of your assignment: Click the COMMENT link below and tell us who God brought to your mind. No names please—just tell us if it was a teacher, coach, relative, mentor, etc. If we all do this assignment, there are a lot of folks out there who are about to get rekindled!
4 comments:
This made me think about a music director at my home church. He encouraged me to use the talent God had given me, even though I was a very shy teen. His encouragement sparked a desire in me to share my music with others for God's glory.
That's when I realized I could minister to others and not die from embarrassment! I believe God used that experience to lay the groundwork for my future ministry as a teacher, then an instructor of teachers.
I'm so grateful to that music director, who saw something in me that I didn't see myself, and coaxed it out. He has since gone Home to be with the Lord.
I did my assignment and offered a special prayer of thanks to God for the memory of this man who kindled a fire of service in me. Thanks for the reminder!
I try to keep short accounts with those who encourage me. The latest one was a fellow CEF worker who encouraged me when I shared with her the difficult situation I am in, and how hard it is for me to continue in the work right now. She told me I am an excellent teacher, and it gave me courage to keep on keeping on, not in my own strength, which is so limited, but in God's.
A few months ago a friend of mine from elementary school informed me that while reading an obituary she saw the name of our former Sunday School teacher listed as a family member. We, as 12-14 year olds, idolized Dorothy because she loved us so much and we could talk to her about anything! (We were from unsaved homes and needed special guidance at that time in our lives!) My friend, Gail, did a google search and discovered that "Dorothy" lived in Illinois and found a phone number. (Although we were from Florida, we remembered that Dorothy was originally from Illinois). Gail sent me the number but I was hesitant to call, thinking it was probably someone else. After several weeks of seeing the number on my dresser, I picked up the phone and dialed. I asked if this was Dorothy who was the Sunday School teacher in such and such a church in Florida and she said "yes"! You can't imagine how elated I was! I had not had contact with Dorothy for 42 years and now Dorothy was 83 years old. I explained how God had called me to full time ministry with children. I told her what a tremendous influence she was in my life and in the lives of Gail and others in our class. I let her know that her ministry was not in vain. She loved us and poured herself into our young lives like no one else in that time period. I don't know where we would have ended up if Dorothy hadn't been used of the Lord to keep us steady and focused on spiritual things.
Dorothy was obviously moved, her voice quivering as she told me how much the call meant. She he had been going through a very discouraging time and needed some encouragement.
Remember how we teach God's intervention in the lives of the Bible characters in growth Bible lessons? (How does God intervene to provide a solution?) Remember, God intervenes in our lives today to encourage us and provide a "solution" that we need! He frequently uses people to do that.
I felt like God's intervention that evening. Can you imagine receiving a "random" phone call from a Sunday School kid you had 42 years before and hadn't heard from since? I can only imagine what it must have meant for this now inactive 83 year old to hear a word of thanks for her sacrifices made over 40 years before.
Since that time, Dorothy moved and I have never been able to phone her again. I hope I can make contact in the future, but maybe that was the only call I'll be able to make to her. Anyway, I feel good that I was able to tell her what she meant in my life--even if it was 42 years later!
You're right, Lynda--we need to "Rekindle the Light" and REALLY let people know how much they mean to us. Too soon it will be too late!
Twelve years ago when I took a CEF training class(ToT) the teacher asked me to consider taking the IOT class. She told me that she always looks for certain qualities in students to take the course. She told me that she saw those qualities in myself. At the time I knew that it was not feasible for me to take it due to a prospective move. But I asked the Lord to someday to allow me to take the course and set it as a goal. It took nine years for my goal to come to fruitation but I never let go of those encouraging words from that teacher.
This past March I completed my practicums and am looking forward to the Lord showing me the process of putting a TCE course together. I thank the Lord for that teacher who went the extra mile to not only teach the course but also look to the future to consider other teachers. I pray that I would exercise the same quality as my teacher, that of biblical vision, using the work that the Lord has done in another and using it for His glory.
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