Bless The Teachers

God bless the teachers, one and all, today and everyday.

I definitely went to school to soak up love and acceptance from my teachers. I always worked extra hard to please them and was crushed if I felt their least disapproval. I loved every single one of my teachers, but I absolutely adored my third grade teacher. I distinctly remember the sadness I felt on the last day of school that year. I wanted that school year to go on forever and ever.

After escaping the cult at age thirteen I was enrolled in a small, Christian school. My teachers there left indelible impressions on my heart. They were conduits of His Love to my desperately needy heart. When they found out that the last name I was using (Marston) wasn’t my real name, they went through the trouble of changing all my official school records so I could have my father’s last name. That is when I became Anna LeBaron. In a huge way my identity was restored to me.

My 1st grade teacher once wrote on my report card, “Anna keeps me on my toes!”
(I’m sure she thought I was just precious…of course she did. Yes, I’m sure that’s how she felt…)

Even though she meant that I was a handful (me…a handful?!) I received those words on that day as a compliment and felt loved and known; but mostly I felt SEEN and NOTICED in a sea of other kids at school and at home.

Today I suggested as much to Holy Spirit, writing in my journal that I must be a handful with my messy heart and with everything I still need to learn… and this is what my heart hears:

“Anna, you are even more precious to me.”

And I’m wrecked. Undone.

I’m undone in the presence of THE Teacher. The Teacher that worked through each of the teachers that went before Him and paved the way for me to come to know just how very loved and precious I truly am to Him.