6 Degrees

There is a theory by a Hungarian writer in the 1920's that all people on earth are connected by six intermediary people.

We meet thousands of people in our lifetime. We meet people in the street, at the store, through other people, in our careers, at sporting events with our children or family, in classes, etc. I worked as a medical transcriptionist for 18 years. I worked with many doctors, went to many hospitals, and met many nurses and office personnel. I have over 400 college hours and the other students and educators I have been privileged to meet have been too many to count. I was one semester away from a social work degree, went to nursing school, and have an Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, Educational Specialist, and Doctorate. I have attended conferences, meetings, and countless hours of professional development. I taught college for 13 years, 2 years as a principal, and am in my 22nd year as an educator. I have been involved in missions, church, and various other activities. It is true, we meet thousands of people.

I meet a young man one day, only for a few minutes, but I will never forget that young man. He was quiet, had newly been placed in foster care. He was struggling and I could see the signs. As a former "foster kid", everyone thinks they know what you have been through. People think they know your story. The looks, the questions, and the comments are not hidden. His face and words are what I will never forget. I didn't share my story then. I didn't talk to anyone about the details. I still have details that are not ready to share. There are still things that I hide away. But this day, I could see him. He wouldn't look me in the eye. I said, "What's going on? Tell me." Then he said the words I will never forget. He said, "I can't get it out of my head." I knew that feeling all too well. Immediately the small voice that I now realize as my Lord began to speak to me. The boy said, "It won't go away." I didn't tell him much about me, but I did ask him to look at me. Then I said "I know. I've been there." He looked at me and then he realized. It was like a light bulb. He said something about what I did to stop it. I told him, I found my way out. In essence, I told him that you have to replace what is in your head with something, something you can control to make your way out. I wish I could have talked to him about God and how he could go to Him. Only I can't go back and I missed my opportunity there. But instead, I told him how I found my determination.

You see, what I shared with him that day was my way out. I made Education my way out. I'll tell you why I love books so much later, but I used books and what I could do to replace those memories with new memories and new beginnings. It didn't always work until I found who Jesus really was. Over time I understood that managing and facing the things that I couldn't get out of my head was an essential part of moving forward. I was determined that I would move those memories, the things I couldn't forget, and replace them with the things that God allowed me to do. It was okay to remember, but the memories had to be replaced with what I was and not what happened. James 1:2-4 says "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.". Now up until March, I couldn't call what happened "joy". You'll have to watch my testimony to see the details of that.

I now understand that God's joy is not in circumstances, but in knowing that we have the 1 degree that separates us all in our lives. You see the Hungarian writer was almost right. There is actually only one degree that connects us all. Jesus! He is the one who connects us all through His love, His Joy, and His death. He connects us through His salvation.