Did I Ever Get in Trouble at School?

Did I ever get in trouble at school as a child? Well, not at first.

I enjoyed responsibility, like cleaning the chalkboard erasers, or being assigned as hall monitor. However, I was lousy at homework; I really needed someone to help me. I always wanted to be in the best reading or math group, but I thought I wasn't "A material," so I became discouraged and lost motivation, thinking I wasn't smart enough.

Here is the first time I was in big trouble.

When I was ten, I ran away from home after school, and I convinced a girl to run away with me. I had in mind we would walk to the city of Downey, where I was infatuated with an older boy. It was a long way there, it was getting dark, and we became tired and hungry, so we called my parents to pick us up.

To our dismay, the police came to collect us. They took my friend home first, talked to her parents privately, then turned her over to her parents. I was never allowed to play with or hang out with her again. Next, the officers delivered me to my parents, who were waiting curbside for me. The officer told me to never run away again, and told my parents that I needed a good spanking. Well, then came the walk of shame. When I went into the house, my grandparents were there, as well as my brother and sister; they were all looking very angry or disappointed with me. Sometime later, my mom, looking very angry, said, "I have been waiting for you to apologize for running away, but you haven't." It really did not occur to me that I should apologize.

Then, in fifth grade during lunch break, I told a girl about what I was doing with the older kids. Looking back, it was a cry for help. I told this girl in particular because she was really nice, and a pastor's daughter. She did the right thing by telling her teacher. However, her teacher called me out of my classroom to come to her classroom. Instead of offering help, she had me stand next to her in front of the kids in her class, and told them that they were not to talk to me, that I was a liar and told inappropriate stories. I never talked about it again, or looked for help again. I carried the shame. I was at fault.

When it was time for Jesus to heal me from childhood damage, He reminded me that at nine years old, I was innocent; I had no understanding of what the older kids were doing to me. Over time, He healed me from the damage caused by being molested.

Here is a fun aside. My Uncle Keith asked my parents if they would give him permission to test my IQ. I was four years old at the time, and the test results would be part of his doctoral research. The test lasted hours, but it was really fun. He timed me as I completed puzzles, I put picture cards in order to tell a story, and told him what images I saw in ink blots. Later he brought the findings to my parents. Uncle Keith wanted me to know the result, and I wanted to know, but Dad said there was no reason for me to know because I would not be going to college on his dime. Uncle Keith did tell me the results when I was an adult: at four, I tested at 142. He became Dr. Keith Reece, a licensed child psychiatrist.

I am grateful to God for giving me the mind of Christ, for redeeming all my past, and giving me all I need to serve Him and others. Thank you, Jesus.