April 17
Scripture: Psa 10:17
Source author: Elsi Dodge
April 17
God Is a Special-Ed Teacher You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry. —Psalm 10:17
You can do better than that,” my teachers would tell me. “You’re too smart to get a B+,” my parents would say. Their intended encouragement backfired, and I felt dumb and incompetent. Now I teach special-needs children: kids with emotional problems, learning differences, developmental delays. And I say to them, “Good job! You’re getting there! You almost made it that time!” I say, “I can see how hard you’re working! What great effort!” And they smile, feel successful, and try again. That’s how God speaks to me. He never says, “Here’s the standard for people who’ve been Christians as long as you have, and you’re not meeting it. What’s wrong with you?” He says, “You’re making progress; you’re going to make it! Good effort!” He doesn’t say, “I can’t believe you just said that! How could you be so thoughtless? What’s wrong with you, anyway?”
No, He accepts my repentant apology, wipes away my tears of shame, and sets me back on my feet with a hug to try again.
Because the Lord accepts and encourages us, we can accept and encourage others. — Elsi Dodge —