“Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law”.
(Romans 13:10).
Do you like Math? It’s one of the hardest subjects for most people. Although I always liked Math, I’m one of those who has had a hard time with it.
In first grade I remember I once had to stay after all my classmates had finished their geometry assignment to try and complete it. I found it so difficult!
When I was fifteen years old, my family and I moved from Uruguay to the United States. Every morning, our first class was Algebra. My teacher was from Egypt and her English was very limited. But at least she knew how to speak English. I didn’t understand a word.
I would hear her arguing with students in an effort to get them to sit down and open the thick book full of math problems which weren’t necessarily the best breakfast. The classroom was small, there were many students, and it was all a mess of desks, books, televisions, computers and backpacks all over the floor.
I observed her and felt sorry for her.
That year, things changed in my experience with Math. I think my teacher realized I was the only student who, at 7:00 AM, showed such respect and interest in her subject. And it was the only place where I could “solve” some things and communicate on paper. I didn’t need to know English to understand numbers and graphs. By gesturing, I would ask her to come to my desk and help me with equations. She would patiently explain the problems in the midst of all the noise.
Algebra was the only subject I passed that quarter.
Ms. Rhonda was also an immigrant and they also made fun of her for her accent. Sometimes, when you’ve suffered in silence, you can identify with the silent suffering of others, and I think that was what happened.
One day, after she had explained a complicated topic through drawings and gestures, I let her know I had understood and we both smiled with satisfaction in that universal language.
We believed in each other. We paid attention to each other. And that was enough for us not to get lost in that hostile environment.
Plato said, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”
Jesus was our supreme example in that, and today we can show who we believe in by putting the Kindness He places in us into practice, therefore fulfilling His law.