It Rhymes With Inside

If my memory serves me I'm pretty sure  a couple days ago I mentioned a student of mine who is in danger of not graduating with the rest of her class. Maybe a quick summary will help. We had to tell her she may not pass, she got sad, all of her teachers helped make a plan to get her to graduation, she felt a little better because of all the support.

Yesterday she came to see me after school and we talked for a bit. She said she felt much better about her chances and she didn't want to give up. She then sat at a computer to finish an essay that had to be turned in.

As she gave me the finished essay she had a huge smile and her spirit beamed with joy. I couldn't help but smile as much as she was because the aura she sent was very contagious. As I looked at the other teachers in the room I noticed they too had a smile on their faces as they watched her walk into the room.

This young girl, in the midst of whatever she was going through, had found happiness in spite of her challenges. She became giddy, talkative, and almost burst with excitement. I couldn't take it any longer as I was going to burst with her. I just had to ask, "Why are you so excited?" Her answer made my eyes tear with joy. "Because I believe in myself again."

God wants nothing more than to be with us in times of need and to walk side by side with us as we work through our challenges in life. We sometimes forget that and falsely create a sense of alone-ness, shutting out God and everyone around us who may be trying to help. It's not until we get close to hitting bottom before we decide to let someone get close enough to pull us out of whatever is bringing us down.

It's in that moment when someone decides to open up to the possibility of accepting help we need to be ready to be the Christ people are looking for. And how do we be that Christ? By abiding in the love of God, in the lives of those around us, and in ourselves. It's only when we stay at people's side, never giving up on them, showing them there is always hope that God can truly get inside our lives and begin to let us feel the joy which is God's all-accepting love.