Lent 2014
March 12, 2014 

‘Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven. What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost. – Matthew 18:10-14  

School budgets are being cut by increasing the number of children in each classroom thus reducing the need for as many teachers in our intercity schools. It is a perfect example of being penny wise and pound foolish. Usually, in this instance the children lost in the gaps are the ones who neither excel nor make waves. Quiet kids who do as they are told and do the best they can on their own get little quality time with teachers or staff. They deserve time just as much as the others. How is a teacher going to know a child’s potential if they do not know the child? How many small learning issues will not be addressed early that may grow into something bigger? What does it say to their self-esteem that they are not worth much, if any, of the teacher’s time? Actually, what message are they getting about behavior; if they see that those misbehaving get all the attention? 

Schools need to be adequately staffed with not only teachers but also teacher’s aides. Some schools fill this gap with volunteers who can be trained to either work with the high maintenance or the average children while the teacher works with the others. God may be calling you to be such a volunteer. Prayerfully consider making a difference in a child’s life at school, and then pursue what might be available at your local school. At Crown Heights Christian, you can talk to Joan Corbin or Dru Graves to get involved. 

We often assume when we read the scripture above that the “lost sheep” is a sinner. It doesn’t say that. It indicates that the “lost sheep” has wandered away from the shepherd. In the case of Jesus, he did not let that happen. Teachers sometimes do not have that choice when they have too many “little sheep.” 

Prayer: God grant each teacher the patience and ingenuity to deal with the challenge of all their “little sheep” and grant each of us the willingness to answer your call to aide them in any way we can. Amen.

The identities of students, families, or staff in stories that are shared in the devotions have been altered to protect their privacy. Any similarities between these stories and the experience of others are coincidental. No stories about students, families of students, or staff from Putnam Heights Elementary School are included in any of these devotions.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.