Fw: The Empty Egg!!!

[Guest guest]

Happy Easter everyone.

Hope we all get something out of this.

T. Ohio

The Empty Egg!!!

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 ,

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,

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, " 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 , " he said, " there is no school of that kind nearby. It

would be a terrible shock for 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

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 . From that day on,

she tried hard to ignore 's noises and his blank stares. Then one day, he

limped to her desk, dragging his bad leg behind him.

" I love you, Miss , " 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, . 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 , " the children responded enthusiastically-all except

for . 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 '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 '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

, " 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 , 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 '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, spoke up. " Miss ,aren't

you going to talk about my egg? " Flustered, Doris replied, " But , 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, " 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, 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!