This day was a long day coming. There were many hard and difficult days leading up to this one ceremony. Days filled with tears, anger and frustration. There were days he wanted to give up. But he didn’t. He persevered. Because of that he walked down the aisle wearing a black cap and gown and was ready to graduate from high school.
The young man I’m referring to is my son Jonathan. You see Jonathan has Aspergers, which is a form of autism. He sees everything a bit different than you and I do. He’s incredibly smart but struggles socially and finds it difficult to relate to his peers. Think of a day filled with individuals that you struggle to understand bumping into you in the hall, making jokes you don’t understand, some being so different than you that you often feel a bit like an alien in the world you’ve been placed.
We moved to Le Mars when Jonathan was in 8th grade. Nobody knew him here. None of his peers understood his interests, ticks and mannerisms. Eighth grade was a very difficult year for Jon. Then came high school.
When Jon entered high school he was teamed with a new teacher Mr. Kleeman to help him navigate through some of the frustrations and trials in school. For four years Mr. Kleeman helped Jon through some of the toughest trials he’s gone through. I’ve been there and saw how Mr. Kleeman encouraged Jonathan when he struggled. I saw him remind Jon that whatever he was going through was temporary. When Sheila and I met with Mr. Kleeman during parent/teacher conferences or his IEP meetings, we saw the genuine concern he had for our son. I say confidently that Mr. Kleeman was placed by God into Jon’s life.
So there we are, sitting at graduation. Jonathan just walked by us wearing his cap and gown. After some speeches by all-of-the–dictorians, eventually Jonathan walked on the stage and was given a diploma signifying that he indeed did make it through high school. It was a major milestone. One we have been looking forward to with Jon for years. That was his goal, to get through high school. With that milestone accomplished I noticed that I wasn’t even tearing up. That was extremely odd because I’ll well up at anything emotional. I was ecstatic for our son, but wasn’t tearing up.
Later that day we were going through photos from the weekend. Jon’s open house was the day previous. As I’m going through I saw a picture of Jon and Mr. Kleeman at his open house. That’s when it hit me. That’s when the flood of tears came. I lost it because in that moment I realized that a big part of Jon’s success was because Mr. Kleeman was looking out for our son for those four years.
Galatians 6:2 says “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” I’m not sure if Mr. Kleeman thought of this, but that’s exactly what he did for our son. Jon was carrying a backpack that was filled with anxiety, stress, frustrations and worry. Mr. Kleeman came alongside Jon and tried to carry some of the burdens that were in Jon’s backpack. I’m sure it wasn’t easy or fun at times, but he did it.
So I ask the question to you and to myself at the same time. Who are you looking out for? Who can we come alongside and take some of the weight out of their backpack? It may be inconvenient. It may be difficult, but the difference it could make in someone’s life may end up being eternal. In Mark 12:31 Jesus reminds us of the importance of looking out for others around us. He says, “…Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Father God, I ask that You would reveal to us through Your Holy Spirit, who we can come alongside. I ask that you would show us who in our lives we can be tangible hands and feet of Jesus to. We acknowledge and praise You that You have placed people in our lives that have removed heavy burdens from our own backpacks. We look forward with anticipation who it is You will make known to us.
