And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." (Revelation 5:9-10, NIV)
Now that John Alan is in first grade, I began to think back to when I was in first grade. I was nothing like John Alan, though I know you never believe me when I say that. It’s true. I was pudgy and wore glasses. Whereas he has always gotten along well with the girls, I have had only one serious relationship, and sometimes I consider that one a miracle!
Nevertheless, I have a wonderful memory. Today, I could tell you the names of every student in my class that year and remember my teacher like it was yesterday. One thing I remember vividly was fruit break. Every day at 10 AM, Mrs. Dunn stopped our lessons and gave us fifteen minutes to eat a snack since our lunchtime was not until 12:30 or so. Fruit break was an exciting time of the day. In 1984, the Fruit Roll Up was invented. Later, in 1985 the Fruit Bar came about. All kinds of bartering took place just to try a piece of these treats. However, by the second 6-week term, I was all the wiser and my mom began to pack Golden Delicious Apples (still my favorite), oranges or grapes.
However, to carry fruit to school you need a paper sack. So, my mom went out and bought some paper bags – Strawberry Shortcake paper sacks to be exact. And there I was everyday with my Strawberry Shortcake bags. Now don’t feel sorry for me – I have an over-inflated self-esteem that needs humbling every now and then. And, I never said anything about the paper sacks either. Every six weeks we sat by someone different. This particular term I sat by a little girl named Tisha Johnson. Sometimes Tisha did not have a fruit snack, so Mrs. Dunn would take out her pocketknife and cut the apple in half, and we’d share. Other times, I would share my grapes or orange slices. And, every day, Tisha would say, “Gimme your sack!” Of course, I did not want my Strawberry Shortcake paper bags. Nevertheless, every day, Tisha would neatly fold the sack, and take her wooden jumbo pencil and slide it over the sack. Then she would take her sack, place it in her folder and take it home. So, I never complained about taking the white paper bags with the red picture of a girl’s doll on the front. I knew Tisha wanted them. I never asked why.
“I have a dream that one day,…one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.” Those were the words of Martin Luther King, Jr, spoken in Washington, DC, in one of the most tumultuous times in the history of the United States of America. Little did we know, when Tisha, a little African-American girl, and I shared a fruit snack and a Strawberry shortcake paper bag, as well as our worktable, we were a part of the fulfillment of a dream. However, it was not just the dream of Dr. King, or the many who heard his sermon that day. It was the dream of a people who had been changed by another visionary, one who knew intimately Israel’s God, and the intentions of his will. Jesus of Nazareth, inspired by the prophets who came before him, led a movement that taught that God loved all people and had a place for them at his table, in His kingdom.
What are the dreams that you dare to dream? You may not be living your dream. Maybe, without knowing it, you are living the dream of those who have come before you who did not accept things as they are, but dared to dream how different they could be.
Grace and peace,
Tim
No comments:
Post a Comment