God Doesn’t Make Mistakes

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them. ~ Romans 8:28

 

We pulled into the school parking lot, anticipating the teacher my son, Jacob, would be getting for his second year of kindergarten. This wasn’t easy, coming back to the same school to begin K-5 again. As a matter of fact, it was heart-wrenching.

The spring before, my husband, John, and I discovered Jacob had ADD and decided he needed to be held back. We hoped the extra year would allow him to catch up so he wouldn’t be left behind as he continued his education (I shared this story in last week’s blog, It’s Not Fair!). Because of the difficulty of the situation, Jacob’s principal, Mr. Davey, offered to let me choose Jacob’s teacher for his second round of K-5. Coming to check the class assignment that day was merely a formality for us.

However, when we read that teacher’s class roster, his name wasn’t there. Searching through the numerous classes, we finally found his name listed with a teacher I wasn’t very familiar with.

I was upset and hurt as I fought through the crowd to find Mr. Davey. Finally running him down, I struggled to control my emotions as I asked why he hadn’t granted my request. He stood there quietly for a moment. ”I had every intention of putting Jacob in that class,” he answered. ” But when I got to his name, I stopped and prayed over him. I suddenly felt he needed to be moved to Mrs. Myers class.” He continued, “I can’t explain why. I just know this is the right thing to do.”

My eyes welled up as I realized how much this godly man cared about my son’s welfare.

How could I argue with a statement like that? I thanked him and we moved on to the new class assignment.

As we approached his new classroom, I debated whether or not to share Jacob’s disorder with the teacher, due to the bad experience we’d had the previous year. I finally decided it would be best to let the teacher and her assistant know so they could better understand him.

As I nervously shared Jacob’s situation, the assistant teacher, Mrs. Henderson, smiled at me. “I have a son who’s ADD. Jacob just needs a teacher with a little patience who cares about him.”

Those words were music to my ears. I knew then he’d be OK.

He was made to feel cared about in this class, and it made a difference.I wish I could tell you his second year of K-5 was perfect and we never had any more problems. It wasn’t. But when I needed to address something, both teachers were more than willing to help out.

The next year when class assignments rolled around, I was anxious to learn the principal’s choice for Jacob’s firstgrade teacher. Scanning the class rosters, my eyes landed on a name I was completely unfamiliar with, Mrs. Wooten.

I was nervous about this choice of teacher because none of the other parents knew much about her, except this was her second year teaching at our school.

Once again, I debated about whether or not to share Jacob’s situation with his newest teacher. I decided to wait.

After having a few days to think about it, I felt the teacher should know.

 

 

The first day of school, Jacob was excited to start first grade. As I walked him into Mrs. Wooten’s class, I gathered up the nerve to ask if she had a moment to speak to me. She happily came over and I shared the dreaded ADD diagnosis with her. She gave me a great big smile and said, “That’s no problem at all. I’m ADD as well!” I couldn’t believe it. What better teacher could he have than someone who understood the way his mind works?

“We’ll get along just fine,” she said soothingly.” Don’t you worry a bit about Jacob.”

And they did. She was the most innovative teacher either of my kids has ever had. Jacob came home excited to show me what he’d learned each day and I was overjoyed with his progress. I can honestly say he loved Mrs. Wooten and I believe she loved him as well. She even came to one of Jacob’s Little League games, cheering him on from the stands.

When his time as a first grader ended, Jacob was sad to leave Mrs. Wooten, but definitely prepared for second grade.

Wow. When God works something out, He does it in the most amazing ways.

Jacob still remembers what a special teacher Mrs. Wooten was. I believe she made all the difference in building up his self-esteem after enduring the difficult trials of K-5. It’s amazing how God can use a series of people to make such an impact on a child’s life.

I know it may sound trite, but when we struggle with our childrens’ challenges, we must turn it over to God. We have little or no control over many of the situations they face, but God does. He sees the big picture and He gives us the correct perspective, if we’ll let Him.

The most important thing we can do for our children, however, is bathe them in prayer. We may not understand why God allows our children to suffer with certain difficulties, but we can be sure He has a purpose and a plan for designing them this way. God doesn’t make mistakes. He makes masterpieces.

Has God brought someone into you or your child’s life who’s made a wonderful difference?

 I’d love to hear your story!