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.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible Readings: Genesis 41-42 Matthew 22:1-22
To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"