The story is told of Thomas Edison who came home from school with a note. “Mom, my teacher gave this paper to me and told me only you are to read it. What does it say? ”Her eyes welled with tears as she read out loud: “Your son is a genius. This school is too small for him and doesn’t have good enough teachers to train him. Please teach him yourself. ”After his mother died, Edison found the letter his Mother read that day: “Your son is mentally deficient. We cannot let him attend our school anymore. He is expelled. ”Deeply moved, Edison wrote in his diary: “Thomas A. Edison was a mentally deficient child whose mother turned him into the genius of the Century.” 

I was fortunate enough to stumble upon this story the other day and it reminded me of what we’ve been discussing in July. The mother in this story is God and the teacher’s note is the world. As we wrap up our series on “Who Are You?”, I invite you to remind yourself daily of who God says you are and that is always “beloved.”  

Pastor Jenny