Teachers Who Showed Kindness to a Troubled Youth
TestimonyStory★★★★You know, when I was young, I was a troubled young person, and I caused my teachers a lot of grief. But I had some teachers that were very kind to me.
I can think of 2 right now, Mr. William Tapa from South Africa and Ms. Alice Garcia. They treated me with such respect, in spite of the fact that I was such a schmuck.
They were kind to me. They went out of their way. You know what that did for me? My attitude towards them changed.
And I made every effort possible to not give those 2 teachers any problems. I didn’t do right in an effort to earn their affections. Their affections were already given to me when I was rotten.
And as a result, it awakened within me love and gratitude towards them. My friend, love awakens love. That is the motive for obedience.
Baute, Jorge, “09 The Most Holy Place” (AudioVerse teaching 25309).
The point
The preacher recounts being a troubled youth who caused his teachers grief, but two specific teachers, Mr. William Tapa and Ms. Alice Garcia, showed him kindness and respect. Their unearned affection transformed his attitude, inspiring him to behave well out of love and gratitude, not to earn their favor. This illustrates that love awakens love, and gratitude is the true motive for obedience to God.