It's been a while since I last wrote. I want to get out of that habit. This story has been on my mind today...
I am student teaching in a second grade classroom. There is this particular student who has been on my heart since the first day. She is small and very cheerful. But behind the smiles there is some sort of sadness...
My second day teaching in this classroom I watched as the students put their lunches on their desks for them to quickly grab after recess. I watched this particular student as she placed a small granola bar on her desk. I walked over and asked if she had more for lunch. "No, but I will be fine!" was her simple reply as she ran off for recess. I started paying closer attention over the next few days as this child placed her "lunch" on her desk each day. One day, a bag of chips. Another day, a swiss roll. The next day, half a peanut butter sandwich. Daily I would send her to the office to ask for more food. Daily I would offer this child an apple from my lunch. My heart slowly started breaking as I watched this child's eyes as other students were placing filled lunch bags on their tables. Complete embarrassment and sadness.
We started receiving notices that this child would no longer be receiving extra food from the school due to a negative balance in her account. How could this be! This child is already as skinny as can be and comes to school hungry daily! I decided to do something about this. I walked to the office and asked the secretary why my student was no longer going to receive help with her lunch. My heart broke when I learned that the parents of my student refused to apply for the lunch program for needy families. They were ashamed that they couldn't pay for lunches.
My heart was heavy. "Lord, I can hardly afford gas each week for my brand new car when this family can't even afford to pay for lunch." I wrote a check today to feed this child for the rest of the school year.
I didn't write this to receive praise or attention. I wrote this because I realized today that hunger exists all around us. I wrote this because I realized how selfish I am and how often I walk right past someone in need. I feel ashamed for the number of times I have stuffed my face at a restaurant and complained for feeling too full. I have been called to pour Christ's love into others because He first loved me.
