“[Love] always protects.” (1 Corinthians 13:7a NIV)

What would you do if someone was nasty to your spouse or to one of your kids?

I know that I would immediately go to that person’s rescue.

What about if you are a teacher, and one of the students in your class is nasty?

I know that I would always work to teach the student an important lesson on love, but at the same time, I would try to protect that student from unnecessary trouble.

One day, a student began to play around in the classroom by waving a folder in the air. In his play, he began to hit me with the folder. He wasn’t being mean, but when I asked him to stop, he continued hitting me. In the end, a mis-aimed blow hit my glasses, causing them to tumble off my nose to the floor.

Those who have been reading this post for a few years will know that I am legally blind in one eye, and the other eye isn’t much better. Without my glasses, I can’t see anything at all! Imagine how I felt then, when I realized that one of the lenses had broken on impact? What would I do? How could I pay for a new lens?

I took the problem to the principal. Unfortunately, she said that the school couldn’t do anything about replacing my glasses, and she encouraged me to call the child’s parents.

I knew these parents were not wealthy. They wouldn’t be able to help. Besides, I didn’t want the student to get in trouble, and I didn’t want the parents to think badly of him. True enough, he should have stopped his game before my glasses broke; his intent hadn’t been malicious. Instead of calling his parents, I told the student that I forgave him.

The student was so relieved! Nonetheless, my glasses were still broken…

I remembered then, that in the past a student of mine had broken his glasses at school. Once the school board loearned of the problem, they purchased a new pair for the student. I mentioned this to the principal, and she took the problem to the school board insurance department. She told them the glasses had been broken by a student, and sure enough, the school board’s insurance paid for me to have a new lens to replace the broken one.

My student was very happy that my glasses were repaired without me having to pay for them. Interestingly, that was the last time I ever had problems with that student! It is always best to forgive, to love, to keep from condemning, to protect those we love. Isn’t that the kind of true love the Bible speaks of when it says, “[Love] always protects” (1 Cor. 13:7a NIV)?

Rob Chaffart

(To access the entire “God’s Love in YOU” devotional series, please click here.)