A teacher’s decision to include a troubled boy in his class leads to healing, belonging, and transformation through compassion, highlighting the power of love in trauma-affected communities.
Leo* felt both surprise and a twinge of worry when Alex* asked him to join the group of boys in his class. In a community still marked by deep scars and lingering wounds from violence and conflict, Alex was known as defiant, always causing trouble, and Leo was concerned that his presence might disrupt the group dynamics and undo the progress he had made with the other boys.
“I hesitated, but then I remembered that this is the whole reason I’m here and I decided to give him a chance,” Leo said. That love softened Alex’s tough exterior and to everyone’s amazement, he began to change in ways that even the other boys appreciated.
“Look!” someone shouted out as the boys gathered around Leo to admire a group photo they’d taken, “Even Alex is smiling–I’ve never seen him smile ever!”
Alex was proud to be part of the group, to belong. And in a context where many of the children have lost their parents or live in families marked by great suffering and trauma, it was a particularly touching moment when Alex looked gratefully at Leo and said, “You are the first person who has ever hugged me.”
God‘s greatest gift to us is his love, and it is a gift to be able to pass it on to others.
*not their real names