Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries - Monday, 3 February
2014 "Not Forgotten"
I lift up my
eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you
will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun
shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from
all evil; He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your
coming in from this time forth and forevermore.--Psalms 121:1-8
"Out of sight, out of mind"
That's an old expression which is often applied to folks who are
in love. The idiom implies that distance causes people to forget those people
and things that once were important to them. A news article carried by The
Huffington Post says the term can also be applied to teacher Kristin Ohsfeldt,
who is an instructor at A.B. Hill Elementary in Tennessee.
Ms. Ohsfeldt gives "time-outs" to students who are
being punished. She places them in a classroom closet with a book or some beads
or some other project to bring them down and under control.
Recently, Ms. Ohsfeldt gave a time-out to five-year-old Akeelah
Joseph.
It was supposed to be a temporary thing, a short-term
disciplinary action. Unfortunately, Ms. Ohsfeldt became ill, forgot about her
charge, and went home with the student still in the closet. It was only later
that a substitute teacher found out about -- and corrected -- the oversight.
When Joseph's mother heard about what had happened, she went to
the school to comfort her daughter and register a complaint. Together the
mother and school principal filed a police report. As of this writing, the
teacher has been suspended, and both police and Tennessee's Department of
Children's Services are investigating.
As a parent, I'd sure be upset if one of my children's teachers
forgot them in a closet.
Thankfully, on a spiritual level, that is not going to happen to
us. Those who have been given faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior
are comforted by the knowledge that their Redeemer is with them always. They
have a God who has done everything necessary to make sure they are forgiven and
always remembered.
Yes, Christians can be thankful that the Lord remembers, will
help, and protect them.
Sadly, those who are not followers of the Savior have no such
blood-bought hope or comfort. Although they may try to put on a brave face,
without Jesus they are alone, lost and wandering in the darkness. It is a
terrible place in which to be.
This is why we who have been saved do our best to share the
Savior with these folks. It is our hope and prayer the Holy Spirit will place
faith in their hearts, and they will be moved from darkness to life.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks You have sent Your Son who
has forgiven me and brought me into the family of faith. Because of Him, I will
never be forgotten. Now, may that love, which is so precious to me, also touch
and bring light to the many millions who are, at this moment, still in
darkness. This I ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.
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In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
660 Mason Ridge Center
St. Louis, MO 63141 United States
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