The Empty Egg

THE EMPTY EGG


Jeremy was born with a twisted body and a slow mind. At the age of 12 he was
still in second grade, seemingly unable to learn. His teacher, Doris Miller,
often became exasperated with him. He would squirm in his seat, drool, and
make grunting noises. At other times, he spoke clearly and distinctly, as if
a spot of light had penetrated the darkness of his brain. Most of the time,
however, Jeremy just irritated his teacher.


One day she called his parents and asked them to come in for a consultation.
As the Forresters entered the empty classroom, Doris said to them, "Jeremy
really belongs in a special school. It isn't fair to him to be with younger
children who don't have learning problems. Why, there is a five year gap
between his age and that of the other students."


Mrs. Forrester cried softly into a tissue, while her husband spoke. "Miss
Miller," he said, "there is no school of that kind nearby. It would be a
terrible shock for Jeremy if we had to take him out of this school. We know
he really likes it here." Doris sat for a long time after they had left,
staring at the snow outside the window. Its coldness seemed to seep into her
soul. She wanted to sympathize with the Forresters. After all, their only
child had a terminal illness. But it
wasn't fair to keep him in her class. She had 18 other youngsters to teach,
and Jeremy was a distraction. Furthermore, he would never learn to read and
write. Why waste any more time trying?


As she pondered the situation, guilt washed over her. Here I am complaining
when my problems are nothing compared to that poor family, she thought.
Lord, please help me to be more patient with Jeremy. From that day on, she
tried hard to ignore Jeremy's noises and his blank stares. Then one day, he
limped to her desk, dragging his bad leg behind him.


"I love you, Miss Miller," he exclaimed, loud enough for the whole class to
hear. The other students snickered, and Doris' face turned red. She
stammered, "Wh-why that's very nice, Jeremy. N-now please take your seat."


Spring came, and the children talked excitedly about the coming of Easter.
Doris told them the story of Jesus, and then to emphasize the idea of new
life springing forth, she gave each of the children a large plastic egg.
"Now," she said to them, "I want you to take this home and bring it back
tomorrow with something inside that shows new life. Do you understand?"


"Yes, Miss Miller," the children responded enthusiastically- all except for
Jeremy. He listened intently; his eyes never left her face. He did not even
make his usual noises. Had he understood what she had said about Jesus'
death and resurrection? Did he understand the assignment? Perhaps she should
call his parents and explain the project to them.


That evening, Doris' kitchen sink stopped up. She called the landlord and
waited an hour for him to come by and unclog it. After that, she still had
to shop for groceries, iron a blouse, and prepare a vocabulary test for the
next day. She completely forgot about phoning Jeremy's parents.


The next morning, 19 children came to school, laughing and talking as they
placed their eggs in the large wicker basket on Miss Miller's desk. After
they completed their math lesson, it was time to open the eggs. In the first
egg, Doris found a flower. "Oh yes, a flower is certainly a sign of new
life," she said. "When plants peek through the ground, we know that spring
is here." A small girl in the first row waved her arm. "That's my egg, Miss
Miller," she called out. The next egg contained a plastic butterfly, which
looked very real. Doris held it up. "We all know that a caterpillar changes
and grows into a beautiful butterfly. Yes, that's new life, too." Little
Judy smiled proudly and said, "Miss Miller, that one is mine." Next, Doris
found a rock with moss on it. She explained that moss, too, showed life.
Billy spoke up from the back of the classroom, "My daddy helped me," he
beamed.


Then Doris opened the fourth egg. She gasped. The egg was empty. Surely it
must be Jeremy's she thought, and of course, he did not understand her
instructions. If only she had not forgotten to phone his parents. Because
she did not want to embarrass him, she quietly set the egg aside and reached
for another. Suddenly, Jeremy spoke up. "Miss Miller, aren't you going to
talk about my egg?" Flustered, Doris replied, "But Jeremy, your egg is
empty." He looked into her eyes and said softly, "Yes, but Jesus' tomb was
empty, too."


Time stopped. When she could speak again, Doris asked him, "Do you know why
the tomb was empty?" "Oh, yes," Jeremy said, "Jesus was killed and put in
there. Then His Father raised Him up."


The recess bell rang. While the children excitedly ran out to the school
yard, Doris cried. The cold inside her melted completely away.


Three months later, Jeremy died. Those who paid their respects at the
mortuary were surprised to see 19 eggs on top of his casket, all of them
empty.


If this blesses you, pass it on.


Happy Easter!