When I was 14, my dad had a sabbatical. He decided to take the family from India to the US. A few days after we arrived, Dad asked me to join him for a visit. The experience which followed has stayed with me as a reminder to anyone’s wining complaint of how terrible life is; “They’ve kicked me around ever since I was young.” (Psalm 129.1)
I walked into the quiet and semi-dark of an unknown home. The air was welcoming and the feeling compassionate. I was surprised by the soft shadows and spartan living. As a near-silent nurse showed us to a room with a hospital bed, an old man looked up from reading a book lit by an old fashion desk lamp.
“Hi, Jimmie. It’s so good to see you. Thank-you for taking time to come and see an old man.”
I listened as the grandfather-like stranger told me stories of my dad as a young boy. It was an imaginable part of my father’s life. I was spellbound. I have no idea how long the stories and shared remembering went on between the two, at the time it seemed like forever. All too soon it was over, and we took our leave.
As we walked back into the sunlight, my dad turned to me and slowly let the words settle on me. “Let me share some of my schoolteacher’s life and situation.”
The academic achievements were impressive. Even more so, his dedication to teaching above financial rewards and his perseverance in living and fighting on despite cancer, and several other painful illnesses which had no cure. He had already paid a heavy price and there was more to come.
“Every time I think my life is hard, that I am being kicked around, I think of my schoolteacher. He has fought to live in and through the pain for a very long time. He is still fighting with a spirit worthy of a god.”
Today’s challenges have context. God’s spirit from that day still embraces, giving strength and purpose to what comes next.
