The Blue Church

One of the smartest men I ever knew was a high school math teacher. He was patient with those of us who were not numbers people, and he often would help me after class when I was stuck, as I often was.

He was working on an advanced degree in the summers, but during the school year he slogged it out with high school students, some of whom were as brilliant as he, and others, like me, who were just trying to pass Algebra II.

I remember well how he would explain various formulas and graphs, sets, and my personal favorite, imaginary numbers. What? I would do the homework, try to understand, struggle to recall, and hold my breath every time he passed our graded tests back to us.

I did end up passing the class, but only because of his kindness and his grace: kindness in his explanations, grace in his grading. He knew I was trying, and seemed to strike a balance, that sweet spot between the objective score and the subjective effort. Thanks, Mr. K.

I think of him often, as well as his example, for he seemed to remember that there was a time when he didn’t know, and he wanted to bring us to where he was. He never ridiculed or talked down to us.

That is a biblical principle at work, and in fact, several biblical principles. For one thing, love is patient and kind, neither irritable or resentful (1 Corinthians 13:4, 5). For another, we are to treat others as we want to be treated (Matthew 7:12).

And finally, “Don’t be haughty, but associate with the lowly” (Romans 14:16). The “lowly” are those who have not attained, for whatever reason, a given level of sophistication, whether social, academic, or spiritual. (Reality Check: It helps to recall that while you will be ahead of some, you will be far behind others.)

That means remembering that wherever we are in life, there was a time when we knew less, and it took effort and time to get where we are. We should show grace to those who are making the trip we’ve already made, especially those who are young. We can’t help from the heart with a condescending attitude.

A few years ago, I looked up my former teacher online. Turns out he received a major award for his excellence in teaching. I was not surprised.

“Father, help us remember that whatever our attainments or accomplishments, there was a process getting there, and in that process we had help. Help us help others along our path, today, in the name of Jesus. Amen.