The Teacher

I have a new heroine. She is a woman who lived in darkness. Blindness and deafness imprisoned her in a world of no communication. A sickness at the age of 2 led to Helen Keller’s disability and set her adrift with a meaningless future. 

In her book, she shares, “I was without compass or sounding-line, and had no way of knowing how near the harbor was. “Light! Give me light! was the wordless cry of my soul, and light of love shone on me in that very hour.” 

That very hour she speaks of is when Anne Sullivan came to her house. Her beloved teacher who brought her into the light, who showed her the blessing of communication. 

Anne Sullivan took her under her wing and patiently began to teach her. It was a struggle at times. In fact Anne calls her a savage because Helen quite honestly was pampered by her family and allowed to do whatever she wanted. So they butted heads many times. 

Anne would not give up and kept teaching her words,  but Helen didn’t understand the meaning of what the “words” meant until one blessed day when Anne took her to the water pump, pulled her hands under the flowing water and spelled w-a-t-e-r. 

Helen shares, “Suddenly I felt a misty consciousness as of something forgotten-a thrill of returning thought and somehow the mystery of language was revealed to me. I knew then that “w-a-t-e-r” meant the wonderful cool something that was flowing over my hand. That living word awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free!”

Helen Keller quickly learned how to communicate, how to read and even to write. She went to school and college. 

She was known to recognize people by touching their hands. She could sense fear, joy, anxiety, and sadness simply by “feeling” another person. 

She traveled the world, met well known people, even presidents. She didn’t allow her disability to stop her in any way. It humbled me as I read her story. I have all my facilities  and yet I allow my hang ups sometimes to keep me from being all I could be. 

Helen Keller’s remarkable life would not have been possible if not for Anne Sullivan, her beloved teacher. Her teacher led her out of darkness into life.

I couldn’t help but think of the precious Holy Spirt. The Spirit of Truth, the Revelator, and our Teacher. 

Where would we be without our Teacher, the Holy Spirit? We were walking in darkness, without understanding. But the Spirit brought us into God’s wonderful light! He opens our eyes to glorious truths in the Word of God. The Spirit even drew us to the Father in the beginning of our walk. He helps us in our weakness, He intercedes for us with wordless groans. 

A compelling passage about our Teacher is in 1 Corinthians 2:

9 However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"-- 10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: 16 "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

I need the Holy Spirit desperately, but more than that, I need to be sensitive to His stirrings. Just like Helen could sit next to you and feel your anxiety, fear, happiness, etc... She could not see or hear you, but she knew. She could sense your feelings. 

The Word tells us not to quench the Spirit. I need His direction, I desperately need to know the great truths of the Word, How can I remain in the “Light” if I am hard hearted? If I am not tuned in to my Teacher? 

May I always remain close. Keep my heart tender and sensitive. Thank you Blessed Jesus for the Holy Spirit. Where would I be without Him?