Many years ago my students and I were at State Contest. It was the Big Deal for my studio, and probably the reason for my waiting list. The trip was the reward whether you won anything or not, but many did win and their pictures in the weekly paper made free advertising for the studio.
First they had to play at the district level. Only superiors were allowed to go to state. However, you could participate in more than one event. Voice students could sing in art song and musical theater. Piano students participated in piano solo, piano concerto, piano duet, and piano trio. If a student made more than one superior, then they played in more than one event at the State level too, some as many as 4 or 5. Of course that meant that they often had schedule conflicts, with several events scheduled close together or even at the same time. The people in charge understood this and put up signup sheets outside the performance rooms. That is the order of performance that the judges went by. A student might sign up to be first in one room and last in the other in order to make it to the correct room on time. If they did not show up, they were marked "withdrawn."
One year I had students playing in so many events that I felt like an Air Traffic Controller at O'Hare. I had several to accompany as well, and had to count on them all to follow the plan we had drawn up. Since most were veterans instead of rookies, I wasn't too worried. Then I came out of the vocal room after accompanying a half dozen events and found three or four of my piano students waiting on me with tears of desperation in their eyes. "Mrs. Ward! That woman won't let us in to play!"
Every room has a monitor to gofer for the judges and to control the flow of traffic into and out of the room so the door only opens between performances instead of in the middle of one. So I had them lead me to the room in question. Understand, every teacher who brought students had to serve a four hour work stint somewhere—registration, monitoring, serving judges' meals, whatever—or have a parent take their place. Since I had to accompany so many, one of my parents had filled my spot elsewhere. When I got to the room in question, the monitor was indeed another teacher. She sat smugly on her stool outside the door. This is the woman who had not let my students in even though they had shown her their names on the signup sheet and had told her they had a schedule conflict and were just now arriving. Somehow, though, her students had gotten into the room.
I walked up to her and started to ask why my students were not allowed in, but I did not get to finish. She had seen my nametag. She knew I was not just another teacher—I was the State Vice-President! About then, the piano music inside the room stopped. I knew that piece because some of my students played it, so I knew it was finished. "Of course they can come in," she said sweetly, and opened the door for us. Only one more duet team played before mine—if I had not come, they would have been marked withdrawn! At our next state meeting, we came up with something to keep that from happening again.
For the 30+ years I taught, I treated those students like they were my own children. No one was going to mess with my kids! It's that old Mama Bear feeling that we get with our own children and grandchildren. Keith has been teaching Revelation recently and we came across something that makes me know God has a Mama Bear side too. We all know about the mark of the beast in that book. For some reason that is the only mark the world wants to talk about, especially in books and movies. But how many of us realize that there is also a mark that God puts on the heads of His own? And I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on the mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty and four thousand, having his name, and the name of his Father, written on their foreheads Rev14:1.
Ezekiel talks about a mark as well, one for those who sigh and cry over all the abominations done, Ezek 9:4. God knows who His people are. He cares for you, just like a Mama does for her babies. When I went down that hall that day with all those students following me like the neighborhood ducklings follow their Mamas, that teacher knew, even if she had not recognized my name and position, that I was there for them and she could no longer bully them around.
Sometimes the world treats us unfairly. Sometimes our neighbors gossip and indulge in character assassination. Sometimes our families don't understand our first allegiance to God and His people. But through all the turmoil and suffering, some of which may get much worse in the near future, God knows who we are and where we are. He doesn't always save us from ugly things, but He helps us get through them and will eventually take us to live with Him because of our trust and loyalty to Him. Remember that and hang on.
Howbeit the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, The Lord knows them that are his: and, Let everyone that names the name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness 2Tim2:19.
Dene Ward
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