The Waiting Walk

She walked in and I immediately knew something was up. She’s always bubbly and her smile lights up the room. But not this morning. I wasn’t sure what was off, but something was. I made a mental note to check in with her later, and continued welcoming students and getting our morning routine underway.

It didn’t take long to find out what was going on. She waited until other students weren’t moving around so much, and came over. “Mrs. Fresse, I lost my hot lunch money this morning – I had it and I went to the gym this morning and must have lost it there. It was a $20 bill. My mom wants to know if you can loan me $10 and she will pay you back at dismissal.” The gym is open in the mornings for a few minutes before school starts and students love to play around a bit before heading to class. And with so many students who enjoy this option, the possibility that someone had swooped up a $20 bill lying on the ground was pretty big. It was probably gone forever.

I quickly assured my student that giving her $10 so she could pay for her and a sibling’s hot lunch was no problem at all. She gratefully took it, but the worried look in no-wise disappeared. As our morning got officially underway with me reading our worship story, I could feel the distress still emanating from her corner of the room. Suddenly, as I paused the story and scanned the room, she raised her hand impatiently. When I nodded her direction, she apologetically started speaking. “Sorry to interrupt, but I just remembered one more place to look. Can I go back to the gym really fast?” Normally my tolerance for off-topic comments during worship is pretty low, but this one seemed worthy of attention. I gave a quick nod and told her to hurry back.

As I continued reading the story, a few minutes later I noticed my student prancing back into the classroom. I really didn’t need to even ask, but had to anyway. “Did you find it?” She threw her fist into the air and did a little yes-dance, her smile lighting up the room again. After a few minutes the story was over and I asked who wanted to share prayer requests or praises. As I expected, she raised her hand and shared how she had lost $20 that morning, “and I prayed to God like 7 or 8 times to help me find it, and then I thought of one more place to look, and it was there!!! I am so happy God heard my prayer!”

Me too, sweet child, me too. Just watching her trust God’s care for her was inspiring. It filled me with joy. And I have to say that in my own life recently I’ve been feeling God whisper things to my own heart. There is such a sweet peace and assurance that comes from knowing that God cares – He cares about ME!

Thank you, God, for the little assurances that you not only care about the world, but you care about me. What peace that brings!