I had an idea of what I was going to write about yesterday, but everything changed the minute I looked at my Facebook today. I first saw a notification that someone I know was “marked safe during Paris Terror Attacks.” The rest of my news feed was primarily made up of comments about the attacks and people across the world praying for the city. Everything changed in that minute.
Most of you reading this have the convenience of scrolling through Facebook, noting the news, and saying a silent prayer as you type a nice status update. Most of you also have the convenience of reading this update and walking away from your computer after thinking about how sad it is that a 26 year old teacher in Germany was robbed of the ability to walk over the course of just a minute.
Everything changed in that minute I fell, and yet the world went on for billions of people. There is tons of tragedy in the world, and we shouldn’t shy away from hearing about it, but I also think it’s important not to ignore the happy things. There is a time to mourn and a time to celebrate. This minute is one for mourning with the people of Paris. If you still have a minute after that, mourn with me that I’m not able to jump around my classroom with the same vigor I once was. If you have a third minute to spare, celebrate with me that I’m still able to teach every day.
Wednesday was one of the greatest moments for me as an educator as I had a student come find me after school and tell me that he was deeply interested in growing in his knowledge and relationship with this God who made a way to rescue him and could I recommend theology books for him to read in his free time. On my way home after that, I was chatting with three students, two of whom weren’t at BFA when I had my accident. One of them made a joke about how I frequently say I love coming to work every day. “I get to come to work everyday!” I exclaimed, “I spent a semester in a hospital where I couldn’t come to school.” He hadn’t realized that I’d been out of school for that long. That same student had asked me at the end of class that day about why I thought human experience wasn’t a reliable indicator of ultimate truth.
I have the best job in the world, and I’m so grateful that I get to spend every day talking about the Bible and encouraging students to think about their beliefs. I’m also grateful for the altruistic readers like you who will take just a minute from your day to think about me and pray with me for my sustained ministry here amidst ongoing recovery.
Just one more minute, if you please. The world can change in just a minute, and that’s not really in your control. However, you might have the chance to change someone’s day for the better in just a minute, and I’d encourage you to do so.
