sometimes you are reminded why you teach

I was out on a family night tonight and ended with some ice cream. I ran into a student that I had 4 years ago and haven't seen since. It was my 1st year at the christian high school and he was in a bad place. His home life was falling apart, it was both shameful and painful to him. His life was all about survival, his childhood and teenage years robbed from him. He struggled greatly with depression and cutting himself. We often just sat down and had conversations about life, hope and God. My heart breaks for these kinds of students and I think its the reason I was sent to CCS, amongst others. When he left after that 1st year, I lost contact and wasn't sure which way he would go.

Tonight as we were leaving, he made sure to stop me and say a few words to my face. It went something like this: "I want you to know how much of an impact you made on my life. A couple years ago I turned my entire life around and got on track and you were one of the primary reasons. The things you told me left a huge impression and I found God." He also mentioned that I sent him Psalm 142 at some point and it became the 1st passage he memorized when he gave his life to Christ. I noticed he had some pretty sweet Greek ink on his wrist, I should have asked him what it said. He is spending his summer after graduation in Thailand on a missions trip.

These kinds of meetings just are really meaningful to me. Tells me to invest into the lives of the broken, you never know what Christ will do. He tends to make broken things quite beautiful. i am criticized for my un-orthodox approach and some think I'm a dangerous influence to students. I just think that Jesus is dangerous and he tends to change lives. I'm just a voice in the wilderness and sometimes I'm reminded how purposeful it can be.

peace,