Earlier this year, I had the privilege of speaking at a memorial service for a friend who passed away. On the day of the service, I decided to eliminate this portion.
I drive students with special needs. Earlier this school year, a young Autistic girl I transport was very upset and she refused to go to school. She was confused and afraid. She walked around the bus like she was lost, and refused to go down the steps to the teacher and into the school. She kept saying “home.” My monitor tried to nudge her toward the stairs and the teacher waited outside the bus calling to her, but she fought it. She got more upset, to the point where she began hurting herself. She hit herself with her fist and even banged her head on the bus, the whole time refusing to exit the bus. We could have forced her, picked her up and carried her off the bus and into school. Instead, we stood back and allowed her to work out her frustration. Her method was scary and dangerous. It was heart breaking to see her confused, lost and hurting herself. When she went to hit her head on the hand rail, I put my hand in between her and the rail, softening the blow. She kept banging. After a few minutes, she settled down. I asked her if she needed a hug. She came to me and I put my arms around her and comforted her. She was still in distress but eventually she was able to walk off the bus and go with her teacher into the school.
When I think about it, I picture God watching us lost, confused and banging our head. He knows he could force us in the right direction but instead he allows us to work through our pain. He stays close, watching, calming and protecting us. In a quiet moment, he reveals himself to us and asks us to go to him. When we go, he wraps us in his arms and heals us to the point we are able to carry on. I’m not God. All I had to do was watch a young girl in distress for a few minutes. God will wait for days, months, years or even a lifetime for us to turn to him. I would not have waited a lifetime! Does he let us hurt ourselves? Yes, sometimes that is what it takes for us to decide to turn to him. While we are banging our heads against the metal, he places his hand to protect us from doing severe damage. Once we turn to him, he is there with open arms, the right words and a healing power only he can provide that allows us to continue on with our lives
As the school year ends, I am reflecting on the year and also my life. For the next few weeks, my church is doing series called "This Can Change Your Life." It's true, your life can change and God is working on that right now. Can you sit still and listen to Him?
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