Senior I.d.

Senior I.d.

Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.

Romans 12:3

After retiring from teaching school for many years, I decided to take a long-term job substituting for a teacher on maternity leave. Before returning to work, though, I took time to hide my advanced years. I cut and colored my hair and purchased trendy clothes and up-to-date teaching materials. I was ready!

At the orientation meeting, the principal stressed a school rule: no cell phones in use during teaching hours. I had not planned to use mine, but I still carried it to school with me inside my purse for emergency use. To my surprise, one day during class I heard the phone ring. I quickly gave an assignment and turned my back to the class to open my purse under my desk and retrieve the ringing phone.

As I glanced at the phone, and before I could turn it off, I heard a student say to another, “I didn’t know old people had cell phones!”

I’m sure my face turned red, but I simply returned the phone to my purse and resumed teaching. Although I had convinced myself that I was still young enough to handle the strenuous job of teaching, I had not fooled any of the students about my senior status.

Surely our Father God sees everything in secret and knows us better than we know ourselves. He sees our efforts at pretending to be more than we are and winks at our humanity. And I am sure he gets a good laugh out of our wasted efforts to be someone we’re not.

—Grace G. Booth

Father, let me recognize my own frailties and look to you for help in my time of need. Allow me to be transparent so that others can see your goodness in my life. Amen.