THE EMPTY EGG
Jeremy was born with a twisted body and a slow mind. At the age
Of 12 he was still in second grade, seemingly unable to learn. His
teacher, Doris Miller, often became exasperated with him. He would squirm
in his seat, drool, and make grunting noises. At other times, he spoke
clearly and distinctly, as if a spot of light had penetrated the darkness
of his brain. Most of the time, however, Jeremy just irritated his teacher.
One day she called his parents and asked them to come in for a
consultation. As the Forresters entered the empty classroom, Doris Said to them, "Jeremy
really belongs in a special school. It isn't Fair to him to be with younger
children who don't have learning problems. Why, there is a five year gap
between his age and that of the other students."
Mrs. Forrester cried softly into a tissue, while her husband spoke.
"Miss Miller," he said, "there is no school of that kind nearby. It would
be a terrible shock for Jeremy if we had to take him out of this school. We
know he really likes it here." Doris sat for a long time after they had
left staring at the snow outside the window. Its coldness seemed to seep into
her soul. She wanted to sympathize with the Forresters. After all, their
only child had a terminal illness. But it wasn't fair to keep him in her
class. She had 18 other youngsters to teach, and Jeremy was a distraction.
Furthermore, he would never learn to read and write. Why waste any more
time
trying?
As she pondered the situation, guilt washed over her. Here I am
complaining when my problems are nothing compared to that poor family, she
thought. Lord, please help me to be more patient with Jeremy. From that
day on, she tried hard to ignore Jeremy's noises and his blank stares.
Then one day, he limped to her desk, dragging his bad leg behind him.
"I love you, Miss Miller," he exclaimed, loud enough for the whole
class to hear. The other students snickered, and Doris' face turned red.
She stammered, "Wh-why that's very nice, Jeremy. N-now please take your
seat."
Spring came, and the children talked excitedly about the coming of
Easter. Doris told them the story of Jesus, and then to emphasize the idea
of new life springing forth, she gave each of the children a large plastic
egg. "Now," she said to them, "I want you to take this home and bring it
back tomorrow with something inside that shows new life. Do you
understand?"
"Yes, Miss Miller," the children responded enthusiastically-all
except for Jeremy. He listened intently; his eyes never left her face. He did not
even make his usual noises. Had he understood what she had said about
Jesus' death and resurrection? Did he understand the assignment? Perhaps she
should call his parents and explain the project to them.
That evening, Doris' kitchen sink stopped up. She called the
landlord and waited an hour for him to come by and unclog it. After that, she still
had to shop for groceries, iron a blouse, and prepare a vocabulary test for
the next day. She completely forgot about phoning Jeremy's parents.
The next morning, 19 children came to school, laughing and talking
as they placed their eggs in the large wicker basket on Miss Miller's desk.
After they completed their math lesson, it was time to open the eggs. In
the first egg, Doris found a flower. "Oh yes, a flower is certainly a sign
of new life," she said. "When plants peek through the ground, we know
that spring is here." A small girl in the first row waved her arm.
"That's my egg, Miss Miller," she called out. The next egg contained a plastic
butterfly, which looked very real. Doris held it up. "We all know that a
caterpillar changes and grows into a beautiful butterfly. Yes, that's new
life, too." Little Judy smiled proudly and said, "Miss Miller, that one is
mine." Next, Doris found a rock with moss on it. She explained that moss,
too, showed life. Billy spoke up from the back of the classroom, "My daddy
helped me," he beamed.
Then Doris opened the fourth egg. She gasped. The egg was empty.
Surely it must be Jeremy's she thought, and of course, he did not
understand her instructions. If only she had not forgotten to phone his parents.
Because she did not want to embarrass him, she quietly set the egg aside
and reached for another. Suddenly, Jeremy spoke up. "Miss Miller,
aren't you going to talk about my egg?" Flustered, Doris replied, "But
Jeremy, your egg is empty." He looked into her eyes and said softly, "Yes,
but Jesus' tomb was empty, too."
Time stopped. When she could speak again, Doris asked him, "Do you
know why the tomb was empty?" "Oh, yes," Jeremy said, "Jesus was killed
and put in there. Then His Father raised Him up." The recess bell rang. While
the children excitedly ran out to the school yard, Doris cried. The cold
inside her melted completely away.
Three months later, Jeremy died. Those who paid their respects at
the mortuary were surprised to see 19 eggs on top of his casket, all of them
empty.
If this blesses you, pass it on.
Happy Easter!
