Teachers in Disguise
"And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers . . ." (1 Cor 12:28 NIV)
The poet Robert Browning once said, "Take away love
and our Earth is a tomb." Thankfully, I have been able to choose love and
avoid that tomb so far in my own life. I have been fortunate too that God
has given me so many great teachers who have shown me what it really means
to love. I haven’t always been the greatest student and I know I have a long
way to go. Still, with their help I keep trying to choose love and learn
more about love everyday of my life.
One of my greatest teachers is very different from the rest. This teacher is
my youngest son. He has a severe form of Autism that limits his speech and
keeps him trapped in his own world most of the time. Changes in the simplest
things disturb him. The smallest difficulties frustrate him. His mood can go
from extremely happy to very sad in a heartbeat. Often he cries for no
reason I can see and all I can do is hold him and wait for it to stop.
Even with all he has to go through, however, my son has still shown me so
much about love and about joy. He has shown me that love must be
unconditional, patient, kind, and giving. He has shown me that love means
sometimes just being there for someone even though you can’t solve their
problems or ease their pain. He has shown me that love is its own reward.
He has also shown me, though, that a child’s laugh can sound as lovely and
joyous as an angel’s song. He has also shown me that the light in a person’s
eyes can twinkle as beautifully as the stars. He has also shown me that a
single smile can warm a heart and uplift a soul. He has also shown me that a
Heavenly spirit can shine through any disability. He has also shown me that
God sometimes sends us our greatest teachers and angels in disguise. My son
didn’t need words, a PhD, or a brilliant mind to teach me. All he needed was
the loving heart and the joyous soul God gave him. May all of you learn as
much from your own teachers in disguise.
Joe Mazzella