Jesus Books

In our classroom, when someone brings a book from home, I always read it to the class. It’s a deliberate policy to promote literacy at home. Kids get excited about reading if they know they can share an especially funny book or a good story with their classmates.

Earlier this week one girl brought a book called The Book with No Pictures – a very silly book that makes grown-ups say funny things like “glibbity globbity.” I noticed a quiet girl smiling and mouthing the words as I read and sure enough, she brought in her own copy from home the next day. This time we asked one of the cooks – the one with pink hair and tattoos who likes to tease the kids – to come read it to us and the class just giggled in anticipation knowing she was going to be forced to say silly words.

It is part of the culture of our classroom that we love books and make time for books.

So yesterday, Blake, an intense bundle of energy who compensates for his hearing loss by touching everything and everyone….ALL the time, brought in two of his favorite books. “They are Jesus books,” he declared, as he plopped them on the table. He then proceeded to ask me repeatedly all morning when we would read his Jesus books. I kept pointing to the schedule, reminding him that we read books at story time.

During Literacy Centers, he did one of his characteristic ninja-roll-flips and knocked into Jenny, a delicate little flower of a girl who immediately burst into sobs. All the little protectors alerted me to the trauma, so I called them both over to resolve it. Seeing he had my attention, Blake once more asked, “Can we read my Jesus books now?”

Sternly I said, “No, Blake, your friend is hurt. You can’t share your Jesus books with the class until you make things right with Jenny.” So he said he was sorry and I asked Jenny if she could forgive him.

“No,” she said firmly in her itty-bitty voice, still stinging from the kick and probably aware his apology was hollow.

“Well, Blake,” I said, “How about you promise Jenny you will be more careful with her so this doesn’t happen again?”

He sheepishly said, “I promise to be more careful with you, Jenny.” She said OK and they went back to learning. We did eventually read his Jesus books at story time, which prompted some interesting conversation between the students.

Hopefully Blake learned what God’s children should know – you can’t share Jesus with people you are hurting. Now I don’t mean Christians need to be perfect or walk on eggshells around everyone, and I’m not giving permission to non-believers to discount the message because of our hypocrisy. I’m only saying that if you have just roundhouse-kicked your friend because you were being careless, by all means try to make it right before you go reading Jesus books to her.

Emerson said, “What you are speaks so loudly I cannot hear what you say.”

This morning I was reading an old falling-apart commentary on Colossians by H. A. Ironside published in 1928 (yes, I am THAT exciting), and he said this, “What I am when alone in the presence of God is what I really am. What I am before my fellows should be the outcome of this, otherwise my public life will be largely a sham.”

We need to get real with God and real with each other. If some follower of Jesus has lost their good sense and kicked you, call him on it. Or if you’ve been the out-of-control ninja, be brave enough to go to the one you’ve hurt.

Confess. Forgive. Reconcile. Make it right so we can carry on and share our Jesus books with the world.