With the Faith of a Child

Three days ago, one of my students was killed in an accident. I lost a student, but more than that, parents lost their oldest son, students lost a classmate and friend, a swim team lost a teammate and promising competitor. This is uncharted water for me. I have dealt with loss, much more in the last three years than I care to recount. But, this is a child; a student in my class. We have grieved losses and accidents and tragedies of people around us, but it has never been this close. Every time I close my eyes, I see that child’s face. He was somebody’s baby and I cannot imagine the depth of sorrow his parents are feeling.

All weekend long, I tried to figure out how I would handle today. We are in the midst of final exams. The students I teach are in a very small, close knit group. I had no idea what to say or to do. My father prayed with me. My mother, pastor, and friends prayed for me. I prayed for the parents, the students, the other teacher. I arrived at the school with a knot in my stomach and a lump in my throat. When I saw my students, I told them the truth. I do not know what to say or do, but I will do anything you need me to do right now. If you need to talk, I will listen. If you need to leave, I will understand. If you need to do things normally, I will do that. I wanted God to speak to me the perfect way to handle the situation and He did, through these children.

As I looked around, I noticed that they were all dressed in purple, the school color, as a sign of solidarity. They were calm and collected. There were a couple that looked distressed, but they all decided to take their final exam. The Bible speaks of having the faith of a child, and today I saw it. Through the demeanor of these children, God told me to stay strong and be of good courage. He will never put me in a situation that I am not equipped to handle. In the face of the storms of life, we have to know that God is bigger than the storm, and that, as the preacher spoke yesterday, He does not have to stop the storm or even take us out of it, to bring us peace. These children have shown me what it means to have the faith of a child. I will trust God. Please keep this family, our students and faculty, and this young man’s friends in prayer, as we deal with this tragedy. Ms. EV