While reading the testimony of a friend (http://www.ahavatammi.org/bob’s_testimony.htm), I was struck by an experience he had as a youth. ‘One Sunday morning when I was 8 years old I was messing around with some friends while waiting in line to go to mass. Well that annoyed one of the Nuns and she came up to me from behind, smacked me in the head to stop and called me “a little Jewish B****rd!”.’

As a teacher of young people, I felt immediate conviction (though I’ve never been a Nun – promise!). I wanted to slap her silly - a most unchristian attitude on my part, actually, and a little late to boot. Too often I find myself agreeing with Ghandi’s sentiment in that I love Christ but very often dislike Christians. Too often, my own sin shows through as the Nun’s did, in uncharitable attitudes and unkind language, and I’m so terribly unaware of it at the time.

Children are sometimes impacted by these “minor” events far out of proportion to what seems reasonable to adults. When I was young and visiting a Baptist church in another state, the teacher led a group of about 40 kids in playing a game in which, if your number was called (mine was 4), you had to jump up before “it” did something (I forget what). If “it” beat you, or you jumped up when a number was called that wasn’t yours, you had to go to the end of the line, and everyone below you advanced one. To win the game and a modest prize, you had to advance to slot #1.

Being badly over-competitive (then and now), I had achieved the #1 slot when the agreed upon time expired. I was quite excited to have won, and was surprised when the leader announced “We’ll do one more round.” He then looked directly at me and called “four!” - I paused and then jumped up – and as soon as he saw me standing, shouted “tee!”. He then took great pleasure in presenting the prize I had rightfully won to the girl who had finished second – a local girl I later learned was his favorite.

Was this truly a significant event in my life? Hardly – and yet I remember the humiliation of being forced to lose to this day. I’d like to think that I can draw on this experience, and my friend’s by empathy, to become more sensitive in what I say and how I act toward my students. If so, then God receives the credit, for no man can truly tame his own tongue.

So short a life for so much needed change – so I’m glad He is a God of miracles!