Manuel and the Little Things

So many of the kids in my class are so dynamic, explosive and unpredictable that it's nice to have a student like Manuel.  I don't have any dramatic stories about him, and he doesn't have many characteristics that make him stand out from the other kids.  But then again, all kids have something that makes them unique, something that shows the hand of the One who made them.  With Manuel, it's the little things:

Manuel works quietly all afternoon, his brow furrowed in concentration as he struggles to remember which way the number 5 curves.

Manuel grins self-consciously when I praise him on his round 'o's, his crooked smile slowly spreading across his face, his eyes shifting to the side, not confident enough to look me in the eye.

Manuel jumps out of his chair, excited to choose colored pencils: red, green and blue to color Joseph's coat of many colors.

                                                                                                                                

Pray for Manuel.  Pray for him to develop who he is, based on who he was created to be.  Pray against kids who would try to influence him, molding his innocent, not-fully-written nature into something dark or angry.

Wilber and Manuel