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August 4, 2024: Prophets Abound

Ever meet a prophet?

• Are we able to see the presence of God in others?

• Are we able to recognize that God speaks through others?

• Do we see and acknowledge the prophets of our own time?

What are the qualities that stand out to you regarding prophets? They

came from a long time ago, they are from the olden days.

How about it being someone on a mountain hearing the booming like

Moses hearing the voice of God and then bringing that word and food to

the peoples?

I think all of us have met people who inspired us in our lives.

 

I got to thinking if I ever met a prophet in my lifetime. I thought deeply about

this as I reflected on my life. Someone who opened my eyes to God's

grace and love.

You know when I was growing up, I had a lot of difficulty in school with

reading, with math, with being able to study with concentration.

For years, I was tracked to be in the lowest level for performance in reading

and math. You see, I am dyslexic. I mean to get a C was ?-joy for me. And

a C+ I was in heaven.

Now, I was not lazy in school. I worked extremely hard on my assignments

and studying for tests. I didn't whine. I just plowed through as best I could.

And it seemed everything I tried in my life to get better grades, all the

studying, all the extra time rereading the assignments never got those

grades any higher.

When I got into 6th grade, I didn't get the teacher I wanted - the one where

all my friends were in. I got Mr. Tatting and I heard he was tough. It was a

bit disappointing but it was what it was.

I continued to work as hard as ever and at the end of the first quarter, I

expected the same outcomes on my grades.

 

But it was with that first set of grades that I was astonished. I got all B's and

several B+'s. I couldn't believe my eyes.

I went to my teacher Mr. Tatting to see if these were right, especially if my

parents were going to sign-off on seeing the grades.

As I waited to see my teacher, I felt a sudden rush of peace and grace and

inspiration in that moment.

As I spoke to the teacher, I said are you sure these are the correct grades.

He said

"Indeed they were, in fact I missed two /:\s by just a few points. My jaw

dropped!

He looked at me and said to me: "Mark, you have a great deal to give to

this life. I see your potential and gifts. I see them but you have to.

You haven't yet discovered all that you are good at. But you work very hard

and I see that. It will be a great benefit to you as you get older.

You are a great student because you never give up or stop trying. And

something I noticed is that you care for the kids around you. Never stop

caring.

Now keep up the good work!"

That quarter and those affirming words jettisoned me onto the path that I

am on today.

From that day on, I began to see life as a gift and opportunity. This

teacher recognized me as a valuable gift to this world.

Now Mr. Tatting was not a prophet in the eyes of definition, but he was a

prophetic inspiration in my life. He gave me hope, he saw me as someone

worth affirming and didn't judge me because of my disability.

I have never forgotten that day and although he was someone who

validated my worth, affirmed my hard work ... He inspired me by seeing

something in me that I had yet to discover.

That I was a prophetic gift from God - that I had something important to

give back to this world. For me that was very profound and prophetic.

Funny, after that quarter, there weren't too many times that I saw less than

a Band when I graduated from my class, I graduated with honors.

The teacher gave me the courage to move through school and life with

grace, with hope and knowing however hard the task would be, I had the

resources to solve any problem or face any situation.

 

And I never looked back but saw that schooling as a gift. And for the rest of

my schooling, I frankly had a blast.

Mr. Tatting was a gift in my life to help me have the strength and courage to

take a chance and discover gifts I had to offer the world around me.

With all the cynicism of today, all the negative energy in the world, we often

reject the prophets around us and even more troubling, we reject the

prophet within ourselves.

The reason we reject our own prophetic possibilities, if we are honest with

ourselves, is that we think how weak or inadequate we are. But that's the

copout.

St. Paul, it seems, was also hounded by the thought of his inadequacy.

He begged-three times-that God would remove the "thorn in his flesh.".

But if, like him, we learn to be "content with our weakness, for the sake

of Christ," we may one day discover the great strength of God pointing us

into a new direction.

With the struggles in my life and learning, and from the affirmation of Mr.

Tatting, I discovered the strength of God's grace and direction in my life.

I think each of us needs to be more present to the beauty, love, and grace

that brims within the ordinary moments of our lives.

Over this next week, just take a moment to open your eyes to see how

blessed and graced you are. Be present to the richness of the people and

things of this world.

Have you ever met a prophet?

• Are we able to see the presence of God in others?

• Are we able to recognize that God speaks through others?

• Do we see and acknowledge the prophets of our own time?

Take a look again!

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