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Not Just a Number

  • April 5, 2016
  • Posted by: Carolyn Mahal
  • Category: Devotions
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Remember when you were a kid?  A lot of things were different back then.  The days were filled with joy and adventure.  Summers seemed to last forever.  You used to enjoy spending the day outside in the snow.  And perhaps the greatest of all childhood memories: you didn’t have to pay bills!

Yep – things were different.

Think about the fun you used to have on your birthday.  Your family would throw you a party with food, cake, ice cream, gifts, games, and decorations – the works!  When you think about the time, money, and energy your family put into your parties it is easy to see just how deeply loved you were.  It was YOUR day and everyone worked very hard to make you feel very special.

So how do you spend your birthdays now?  You may still enjoy celebrating your birthday, but I am guessing that you don’t make as big a deal of it now like you used to as a kid.  In fact, for most adults the most “exciting” part of the birthday is getting to go to the DMV or Secretary of State or whomever in your state issues driver’s licenses.  You walk in, take a number, look at the sign, calculate how many people are in front of you, sigh, sit down, and wait.  Nobody there making plans on your behalf, in fact you will probably need to cancel your plans as you wait for your number to finally come up.  Wouldn’t you rather have preferential treatment?  How great would it be to walk in and have everyone in the office go out of their way just to help you take care of your business so you can enjoy the rest of your day?

(We all know that’s never going to happen, but hey – it doesn’t hurt to dream a little.)

When it comes to education, we too strive to make learning impactful.  For many students, the standard curriculum will work fine, but for some we must take a more customized approach.  Students who struggle in school often fear becoming just another student – a mere number in the teacher’s gradebook.  That’s where effective educators step in to initiate a different approach.

Parents and teachers of students with learning needs are very familiar with the importance of an Individualized Educational Plan, or an IEP.  These important documents are developed after a careful assessment of the student has been performed.  Once completed, parents and educators will come together to create the document which has three main purposes:

  1. To describe the learning needs of the child
  2. To establish the services that will be provided to the child by the school
  3. To explain the methods through which student progress will be measured

These steps are very simplistic and don’t fully convey the time, effort, and energy that must be expended by the student, parents and teacher.  However, when they are followed it provides the student with an opportunity for success that would be otherwise impossible on his or her own.

The process of an IEP is not only found in the classroom.  As Christians, we too benefit from an IEP – an Individualized Eternity Plan.  God assessed our needs, finding us sinful and unable to achieve salvation on our own.  To correct this, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to live, die, and rise again in order that our sin would be forgiven, our debts paid, and our lives would be redeemed.  Unlike the students who work so hard to succeed in school, this great gift is given to us without merit.  But in the same way our children receive the individual plan, we too have this great assurance that God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to save each of us.  That’s how deeply loved we are.  Or as the words of Romans 5:8 declare:

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

That’s one gift no birthday party could ever match.

Devotion by Richard Schumacher

LSEM Director of Programs & Services