“Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, ‘Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.'” (Matthew 19:13-15, KJV)

I was a brand-new teacher in the far north of Canada. Because Canada is a bilingual country, all students have to learn some French. I was therefore given the opportunity to teach French-as-a-second-language classes to English students. This meant I had to teach several classes, from grade 2 to grade 8.

I never mentioned that I was a Christian, but one day a girl from grade 2 came to me. She looked me straight in my eyes and said: “You must be a Christian. Are you?”

I answered: “Absolutely! I am a child of God.”

She was all excited. She started to share with other kids: “My teacher is a Christian!” More kids were excited. I heard one child say: “I knew it!”

I was in a public school. How did they find out I was in love with my Heavenly Father?

One other kid in this class stated to help me every time she could. For Christmas, she asked her mom to make a heart of fabric with her name on it as a Christmas ornament: “So that you will never forget me.”

The next year I had a new assignment, teaching grade 2 French Immersion, where all classes were taught in French to English-speaking children. There, too, the kids guessed that I was a Christian, and the parents liked that.

At the end of the school year I moved to the southern part of Canada. That summer, one of my former students came for a visit. She had made a t-shirt just for me.

A Christian cannot hide who he is. Some people won’t say anything, but young children are not shy to ask questions. They watch and see our actions. The silent testimony can be seen through our genuine love. When we care for others, they realize who we are.

I enjoyed those children. I had a great time with them. Let’s all keep on showing love to everyone, even our enemies, so that they will know who we truly are.

Rob Chaffart

(To access the entire “Influencing the Workplace” devotional series, please click here.)