He nailed it!!

What do you want to be remembered for?

That is the question I posed to my history classes earlier this week. We discussed people who are remembered for doing something good. Popular answers included Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, and God. We then looked at the flip side of that. What about those remembered for something not so good? Hitler and Michael Jackson were at the top of this list for my 7th graders.

After several minutes of what I felt was some good discussion, they began to journal about what they would like to be remembered for someday. I got several silly 7th grade answers, but I also got some really good and well thought-out answers. I required the students to show me their work before they could put their notebooks away for the day. During this process I skimmed their entries to get an idea of what they said. In my afternoon class as I was skimming, one student's essay brought tears to my eyes. I told him I would have to read his later.

Today, during my planning period while I was alone, I pulled his notebook and finished reading his entry. He wrote about a couple of things that he wanted to be remembered for, all very sweet and touching.

There was one paragraph that really hit home with me and I wanted to share with you all. With a promise not to give his name, this student gave permission for me to share. Actually he didn't care if I shared it all with you and his name, but I want to respect his privacy.

Anyways. Here is what this particular young man wrote...

"I would also like to be known as someone who spread the word of Christ. Because I would feel at the top of the world that I saved someone from hell and led them to God, and also that God would be proud of me. Because this is the best thing you can do."

WOW!! That's it! He nailed it. This 7th grader understands something that a lot of adults never figure out. It's all about God. Telling others about him is the best and most important thing we can ever do in this life.

I'm thankful that God gives me students who are an example to me.