Chaplain's Message

At the beginning of a new school year, a class teacher stands up in front of her students holding a $100 bill.

She tells them, “Put your hands up if you want this money”.

Every hand in the room goes up, to which the teacher says, “I am going to give this money to someone here, but first, let me do this…”

She takes the bill and crumples it up in her hands, before asking, “Who still wants it?”

The hands stay up.

The teacher then drops the bill on the floor, stomps and grinds it into the ground, and picks it back up. “How about now?” she asks again.

The hands stay up.

“Class, I hope you see the lesson here. It didn’t matter what I did to this money, you still wanted it because its value stayed the same. Even with its creases and dirtiness, it’s still worth $100.”

She continues, “It’s the same with us. There will be similar times in your life when you’re dropped, bruised, and muddied. Yet no matter what happens, you never lose your value.”

Moral of the story:

Life’s hardships are inevitable and we’ll all be put through the ringer at some point, often through no fault of our own.

I love this story and always find something new in it every time I hear it. The hard times in our lives are actually our training ground – God uses them to teach us new things about ourselves and about those around us. Furthermore it often gives us the right to talk love and wisdom into someone’s life when we can speak from experience. Be gentle with yourself as you seek the lessons set before you .

Romans 8:28 - And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

~ Pastor Sarah Pollitt

College Chaplain