Last week in a Buffalo School, the Youth With A Purpose Relationship Mentoring Program examined homelessness. Homeless people ought to be treated with dignity. All human beings should have access to shelter, food and a bath. The students were told that every human being should be valued and that we were all created for a purpose.
A student in the 7th Grade asked this question: "If everybody was created for a purpose, what purpose does a baby serve when it dies 14 minutes after it is born?" That is a great question. Many people struggle with the issue of struggling through death. I told the student that I would answer and give him my opinion. I also told him that it was his job to formulate his own opinion. I was taught many years ago that a good teacher should present information in a way that encouraged the student to own their own knowledge.
My opinion is based on my faith. The subject of religion always comes up in discussions within the classroom. The students are told that all faith traditions are respected as well as those who did not believe in any particular religion. In most religions that I know about, people are urged to pray when something happens that hurts us. Someone experiencing pain is cause for prayer. I believe that God uses the occasion of prayer to turn people to Him. Sometimes the only occasion for turning to God is through adversity. It is my opinion that God uses adversity to turn us in His direction.
The physical act of lifting weights causes an adverse reaction in our muscles. As we lift and exercise, microscopic muscle tears appear in the fabric of our body. Brokenness must happen before we can grow new and stronger muscle. The heart is a muscle. The only way to be able to love more deeply is to have our hearts broken. Some people are created for this purpose. I believe that the death of a baby after only 14 minutes outside the womb is God's way of creating a spiritual weightlifting exercise. Death hurts, we can choose to pray and trust in God. The alternative is to remain broken and let scar tissue form instead of healing. This causes bitterness. Trust and pray is a better way that leads to healing.
That was the end of our discussion that day. By the silence at the end of the class, I believe that the students had a lot to ponder as they formulated their own opinions about the struggles of life. Our goal is to help students learn how to climb the emotional mountains of life.
Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.
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| This is a newspaper sold by homeless people. An epoch is a significant event in history. A discussion in a 7th Grade classroom about the death of a baby at 14 minutes old may well be the beginning of an Epoch in Buffalo. |
A student in the 7th Grade asked this question: "If everybody was created for a purpose, what purpose does a baby serve when it dies 14 minutes after it is born?" That is a great question. Many people struggle with the issue of struggling through death. I told the student that I would answer and give him my opinion. I also told him that it was his job to formulate his own opinion. I was taught many years ago that a good teacher should present information in a way that encouraged the student to own their own knowledge.
My opinion is based on my faith. The subject of religion always comes up in discussions within the classroom. The students are told that all faith traditions are respected as well as those who did not believe in any particular religion. In most religions that I know about, people are urged to pray when something happens that hurts us. Someone experiencing pain is cause for prayer. I believe that God uses the occasion of prayer to turn people to Him. Sometimes the only occasion for turning to God is through adversity. It is my opinion that God uses adversity to turn us in His direction.
The physical act of lifting weights causes an adverse reaction in our muscles. As we lift and exercise, microscopic muscle tears appear in the fabric of our body. Brokenness must happen before we can grow new and stronger muscle. The heart is a muscle. The only way to be able to love more deeply is to have our hearts broken. Some people are created for this purpose. I believe that the death of a baby after only 14 minutes outside the womb is God's way of creating a spiritual weightlifting exercise. Death hurts, we can choose to pray and trust in God. The alternative is to remain broken and let scar tissue form instead of healing. This causes bitterness. Trust and pray is a better way that leads to healing.
That was the end of our discussion that day. By the silence at the end of the class, I believe that the students had a lot to ponder as they formulated their own opinions about the struggles of life. Our goal is to help students learn how to climb the emotional mountains of life.
Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.
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