Recognising potential

In my last blog entry, I mentioned that Sue and I were arranging an informal service of thanksgiving for Sue’s mum in the church in East Yorkshire which she had regularly attended for many years.  We felt that it would be a good opportunity for some of her friends to get together, share memories of Rita, and give thanks for her life.  As it turned out, the opportunity was much appreciated by those who were there.

It was a rather strange experience for me, as the service took place in the village where I was brought up and in the church to which my family and I belonged for many years.  I took the opportunity while I was there to wander round the church building; so many memories flooded into my mind from my childhood and teenage years.  As I was wandering round the building I noticed a poster highlighting a campaign to save the now abandoned village school from demolition.

Despite the fact that I cried all the way to school on my first day, my memories of that infant school are almost all good ones; I loved my time there; even school meals were great (my favourites were Lancashire Hotpot, and jam sponge with pink custard!)  I do remember, though, that the boys toilets were separate from the main building, and they didn’t have a roof (not very pleasant on freezing cold, wet or snowy days!)

One of the ladies at Rita’s thanksgiving service happened to be one of my former teachers at the village school (and yes, she did tell everyone how she remembers me in short trousers!)  She greeted me like a long lost son, and was obviously proud of her part in my development.  However, one memory which she didn’t bring up was the fact that in my final year at infant school she informed my parents that in her opinion I had no chance of passing my 11+ exam; I didn’t feel that it would have been appropriate to remind her that I went on to prove her wrong!  Apparently at that point in time she didn’t see much potential in the little boy she taught.

I was fascinated to read this week that when Justin Welby, the new Archbishop of Canterbury, first applied to become an Anglican minister, he was told by his bishop, “There is no place for you in the Church of England.  I have interviewed a thousand for ordination, and you don’t come in the top thousand.”  The bishop saw little or no potential in the young man before him; thank God someone else did!

It can be very easy to make judgements based on surface appearances.  God reminded the Old Testament prophet Samuel of the error of that way of making judgements: ‘God doesn't look at things like humans do. Humans see only what is visible to the eyes, but the LORD sees into the heart.’  How wonderful that God sees great potential in every human being – even in me and you!