Learning to Read by the Window

“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom.” — Proverbs 4:7

Amanda longed to go to school. But when she was a girl, Black children were hardly allowed to learn. The nearest school was far away, and even there she was made to wait at the back while all the other children were taught first. In all her life, Amanda went to school for only about three months.

One freezing winter morning, she begged to walk the two and a half miles to the schoolhouse anyway. The snow was deep, and she grew so cold she could not even speak when she finally reached the door. A boy had to open it for her, and kind hands warmed her up inside.

But Amanda would not give up on learning. Her father brought home newspapers, and she had a clever idea. She cut out the big letters with scissors. Then she laid them along the windowsill and asked her mother to help her put the letters together into words.

How her heart leaped the day she read her very first sentence: “The house, the tree, the dog, the cow.” She was so proud! She gathered the other children around to show them how she could read.

Amanda wanted to learn, and she worked hard, even when it was difficult. Learning is a gift from God. When something is hard for you, keep trying — a patient heart can do wonderful things.

Dear God, thank You for my mind and for the good things I get to learn. Help me not to give up when learning feels hard. Amen.