Matthew 10:29-31 (NIV)
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of
them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very
hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more
than many sparrows.
The story is told of a young boy named Teddy Stollard. He
was not the kind of kid who got invited to parties. He slouched in his chair
and looked bored most of the time; he only spoke when called upon, and then in
monosyllables. He never dressed right; he had smelly clothes; he was a rather
unattractive boy.
Whenever his teacher would mark Teddy's papers, she. got
a certain perverse pleasure out of marking all the wrong answers. She would put
the "F" on top with a little flair. She might have known better,
because his history was on record:
First grade: Teddy is a good boy and shows promise, but
has a poor home situation.
Second grade: Teddy is quiet and withdrawn. His mother is
terminally ill.
Third grade: Teddy is falling behind. His mother died
this year; his father is uninvolved.
Fourth grade: Teddy is hopelessly backward. His father
has moved away; Teddy's living with an aunt. He is deeply troubled.
Christmas came, and all the children brought presents to
school. They were carefully wrapped, except for Teddy's, which was packaged in
brown paper and held together with tape and marked, "For Miss Thompson.
From Teddy."
The teacher would open the gifts one by one for the class
to admire. When she opened Teddy's, it was a rhinestone bracelet with most of
the stones missing, and a bottle of perfume that was mostly gone. The other
children started to laugh, but Miss Thompson caught herself. Snapping on the
bracelet, she said: "Isn't it lovely, class? And doesn't the perfume smell
good?"
At the end of the class, Teddy approached her shyly.
"I'm glad you liked my gifts, Miss Thompson," he whispered. "All
day long you smelled like my mother. And her bracelet looked nice on you,
too."
After he left, Miss Thompson put her head down on the
desk and cried. She asked God to forgive her. She prayed that God would help
her to see what he sees when she looks at a motherless boy.
When the children came back to school the next day, Miss
Thompson was a new teacher. She tutored the children who needed extra help,
Teddy most of all. By the end of the year he had caught up with most of his
classmates and was ahead of some. After that, she didn't hear from him for
quite a while. Then one day she received a note:
Dear Miss Thompson,
I wanted you to be the first to know I am graduating from
high school, and I am second in my class.
Love, Teddy Stollard
Four years later came another note:
Dear Miss Thompson,
I wanted you to be the first to know I am graduating
first in my class. The university has not been easy, but I liked it.
Love, Teddy Stollard
Four years later, another note:
Dear Miss Thompson,
I wanted to you be the first to know that as of today I
am Theodore J. Stollard, M.D. How about that? I want you to come sit where my
mother would have sat, because you're the nearest thing to family that I've
had.
Love, Teddy Stollard
The ability to assign value is one of the rarest and greatest
gifts in the world. So value what God values..
Let us see the value in those around us as God sees the
value. Take a minute today to see
someone through God’s eyes.
Dear Lord, Thank You that we all have value. Help us see
what You see in others. Help us spread
Your love today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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