As our students walked across the stage at graduation, I wondered if we had done as much as we could to prepare them for the road which lies ahead.  There are so many decisions ahead for the graduate, and life is difficult, even with the best training.  We all know it is a daunting task to raise children.  Parents are responsible for the choices they make in raising their children, and some parents chose Pathway to be a part of their children’s lives and assist with the task.  This is a grave responsibility for our ministry.

The Lord tells us that we should take care of the children.  It would be better for a millstone to be wrapped around our necks than to offend or hurt a child. (Mark 9:42)

In the ministry our Lord has allowed me to be a part of, I see hurting children all the time.  Why are they hurting?  They don’t fit in the mold that society has designed for them.  Some children look different.  They are overweight or have physical qualities that are deemed unacceptable.  Their social skills seem awkward; therefore, they are not accepted.  No matter how hard some children try, they are laughed at or put down.  Perhaps academically they struggle because the work is overwhelming.  Maybe something was missed along the way, or they have a processing difficulty.  These students have been deemed “leftovers” by society.  Cheer up!  I am here to tell you; society is wrong!

 Did you know?

Albert Einstein’s parents thought he was retarded.  His teacher even asked him to drop out of school, telling him, “You will never amount to anything.” Boy, was she wrong!  His enrollment at Polytechnic Institute was delayed a year because he failed his entrance exams.  After graduating, he had trouble holding down a job, even though he was formulating his first ideas about the theory of relativity.

Sir Winston Churchill seemed so dull as a youth that his father thought he might be incapable of earning a living.  He was hyperactive as a child and entered Harrow School at rock bottom.  He failed his entrance exams at Sandhurst Military Academy twice and finally passed on his third try.  As history reveals, he ended up a very capable British statesman who successfully led England through World War II.

Sir Isaac Newton was an idler and mechanical dabbler.  He was allowed to continue his education because he failed at running his family farm.  Maybe sitting under one of those trees is where his scientific mind began to work.  He became one of the greatest intellects of all time.

Thomas Edison’s first teacher called him addled, and his father was convinced he was a dunce.  His headmaster claimed he would never make a success of anything.  Perhaps they saw the light when he eventually patented over 1000 inventions.

Henry Ford made it through school with a minimal grasp of reading and writing.  We drive around in vehicles that bear his name today.

All of these men, by society’s standards, were failures and seemingly going nowhere.  Why do we lock ourselves into a mold?  Why do we believe that children who don’t fall in line with the standards of society are failures?  I wonder how many times as a teacher I have been guilty of this terrible lack of judgment?

No child is a failure.  Every child is a success unless he refuses to try.  Many children have been convinced by bad grades and constant ridicule that they are not worth anything.

It is our ministry at Pathway to make every child feel successful.  If he is learning his multiplication tables at fourteen years of age or learning physics at sixteen, he is special.  This did not originate with us.  Our Lord tells us every child is special.

When you see the smiles on their faces after their first 100, you know the Lord is pleased.  A parent was in my office and told me with a big smile that her daughter, who was in the fifth grade, had received her first “A”.  Another parent had tears of joy because her son had received an award in mathematics.  Were these just prideful parents?  No!  They were proud of their children, but they were even more excited because their children had been beaten down by society and now, they had seen some success.  By working with them individually we were able to start where their skills left off and bring them to a point of success.

Once children experience success, the transition begins to occur.  Our mission is to minister to each individual.  We are able to teach them they are special in God’s eyes because He created them for a special purpose.  They learn God believes in them even though they might not believe in themselves.  We try to start with each student where they are emotionally, spiritually, and of course, academically.  We have students who come to us struggling, and we have others who are advanced in their studies.  All are a part of God’s plan.

Our Lord starts with us in our spiritual walk where we are as well.  If we have made mistakes, He starts after the mistake.  He gives us a complete recovery; unlike the way most people treat us.  He does not put us in a mold and expect us to perform.  In fact, look how differently He created each one of us. He patiently helps us grow and develop in our walk with Him.  He doesn’t expect us to run before we learn to walk. I am so thankful He watches our faith grow and nurtures us along the way.

I pray that our graduates will remember that God has a plan for their lives.  May we all remember to keep striving to look to God for our answers.  May we always look to the Lord as our example.  He will never steer us wrong.

God, help us to reach each child for your glory.

Mrs. Worthington has five children and twelve grandchildren.  She serves as Principal of Pathway Christian Academy in Goldsboro.