We’re all children of God, my son learned throughout his religious education. Then senior year arrived, and Alex discovered that while God loved him, the colleges of his choice felt differently. Rejected or placed on a wait list by five selective colleges, Alex found it hard to hang on to his sense of self. In my wildest dreams I never imagined we’d find ourselves among the excluded, or that we’d feel so really, truly terrible.
Yes, I pushed a lot less than my friend whose son was just named a National Merit Scholar and so college may be uncertain, but it’s not “all over” for Alex. His life is really just beginning. But the basics were covered when Alex was baptized. And while God’s voice may be faint, the whisper assures me God is here. My son and I may have questions about our value in the eyes of the world, but not our worth to God.
This message is adapted from “God 101: Covering the Basics” written by Anne Basye in the September 2005 issue of Lutheran Woman Today (now Gather) magazine.