Zack

Yesterday was one of those days. Most business calls I made turned out to be disastrous. Is the average person stupider than they were a generation ago? Or do you just run into more stupid people because fewer stupid people are getting eaten by bears? The work day blues followed me to Bible study last night and parked themselves right next to me as I began to teach a class of seventeen kids about the importance of loving one another. Just as the lesson started a five year old boy named Zack asked if he could lead the class in a song he learned to play on his small, Mickey Mouse guitar. Everyone happily agreed and he proudly came to the front of the room carrying his instrument and ready to serenade us all in a chorus of “Jesus Loves Me.” No sooner had we started to sing than Zack stopped us because he needed to tune his toy guitar. Wearing a serious expression he carefully turned the knobs on the handle of the guitar and strummed until he achieved just the right sound. The class respectfully watched him as though he were a classically trained musician preparing for a recital. No one laughed or cracked a smile. This was serious business for Zack. We began the song again and he beamed with pride. After an encore he returned to his seat and carefully laid his guitar next to him on the floor. That sweet, unassuming act of praise hung in the air for the duration of the class. Any irritation I was feeling when I arrived at Bible study left the minute Zack played. It made me happy and humbled me in the process. I’ve thought about Zack and his kind offering many times since yesterday. It made me realize how ungrateful and stupid I am at times. I’m praying today that I won’t get eaten by a bear. Play on, Zack!