Words are powerful and life-changing. They can teach, bless,
inspire, challenge, give direction or warning, provide hope, shout “Hallelujah,”
whisper “Come unto me,” say “I love you” or proclaim “I am with you always.” They can
also encourage or turn people away.
One day each semester, I write “Barnabas Day” on the board
in my Lifetime Wellness classes, and without fail my thoughts take me back
36 years to the inspiration for the assignment. Although my teachers wouldn’t remember,
nearly forty years later, I can recall the distinct handwriting, color of
ink, and their exact written
words…
It was common at Happy Valley Elementary to have friends and
teachers sign an autograph book at the end of the year. I had the same likeable sixth grade teacher
as mygifted brother, and looked forward to seeing what he would
write in my autograph book. *I will preface
what he wrote by saying that math was a subject I had to work really hard in and my grades were pretty inconsistent (a nice way of saying, “not so bueno”). * To make a long story short, I flipped through my
treasured book at home and found my teacher’s remark. It said, “World’s Greatest Math
Student???” To have received those words from someone you really respected was a
tough and embarrassing blow!
Fast forward one year: I had just completed my first year of
playing basketball for the Stanley Spartans Jr. High team. I had a fun science teacher and on the top of
one of my tests, he had written a message. It said, “17 points in the Cage Carnival
game! Wow!!”
And there you have it:
two of my favorite teachers writing a message to me in their own handwriting. One
was inspiring and one was devastating.
I know firsthand how written words can leave a mark;
therefore, I share the story of these two teachers and challenge my students to bless
someone they care about with words in what I coined as a “Barnabas Note” on “Barnabas
Day.” I specify that the note should be in their own handwriting and not typed, texted, or
emailed to their recipient. You see, I know, and I am sure you know, how special it is
to receive a card or letter from someone who took the time to hand write a message. In fact, one of the reasons ACU appealed so much to me was receiving handwritten letters
from my future basketball coach, Burl McCoy, and some of the ACU boosters who
had never even met me such as Dewby Ray, Ruby Guy, Chic Owen, and Annette
Mossman.
So, will you take the challenge and write a “Barnabas Note”
to someone this week? We can’t let the real Barnabas have all the fun encouraging
people! Words of Life, words of Hope give us Strength, help us
Cope. In this world, where e'er we roam, Ancient words will guide us home. –Michael W. Smith
Deonna Shake
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