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!