A post by Mary

When I think back over my school years, one person I remember most vividly is my fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Eva Mae Cross. Even as a child, I thought her name suited her perfectly. She was an older woman—or at least she seemed old to a fourth grader—and she carried a red yardstick that was both respected and feared by every child in the classroom.

I had seen Mrs. Cross use that red yardstick on more than one occasion, and I can testify that it was quite effective. In fact, I felt the sting of it myself one unforgettable day.

In our classroom, a student needed permission to go to the restroom. We were expected to raise a hand with it closed in a fist.  One day, I found myself needing to go and did exactly as I had been taught. I raised my hand and waited patiently. Apparently, Mrs. Cross never saw me. I continued to wait as long as I possibly could, but eventually my need became an emergency.

Now, I was not the sort of child who acted impulsively or deliberately disobeyed authority. I tried very hard to mind my “Ps and Qs,” stay out of trouble, and do what was expected of me. But on that particular day, I simply could not wait any longer. So I quietly got up, left the classroom, and hurried down the hall to the restroom.

When I returned, Mrs. Cross saw me immediately and called me to her desk.

Without much discussion, she took my hand, stretched it back as far as she could, and delivered a solid swat across my bare palm with that famous red yardstick.

Needless to say, not only was Mrs. Cross cross, but I was too. Right then and there, I made a firm resolution that I would never again find myself on the receiving end of that red yardstick. Thankfully, I kept that promise to myself.

Despite that memorable experience, I look back on my fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade years as some of the happiest and most enjoyable of my school life. They were years filled with learning, friendship, and experiences that have stayed with me for more than seven decades.

One particularly happy memory was our class trip to the Stephen Foster Memorial in Suwannee County. We participated in an Indian dance presentation, and my mother made me a long skirt with an Indian-inspired design to wear for the occasion. Our class practiced diligently and eventually performed alongside students from other schools. To a child, it was exciting, special, and great fun.

I also thoroughly enjoyed learning about the state of Florida, the state where I was born and raised. Those lessons helped deepen my appreciation for the place I called home.

But of all my memories from those years, one stands above all the others.

In those days, our school day began with the Pledge of Allegiance, Bible reading, and prayer. None of us could have imagined that such practices, which seemed as natural as breathing, would disappear from public schools within just a few short years. We simply accepted them as part of our daily lives.

I remember Mrs. Cross teaching our class a passage from the Gospel of John—John 14:1–15. At the time, she could not have known what an impact those words would have on one little girl sitting in her classroom. Yet the truth she shared took root in my heart and has remained there throughout my entire life.

The passage begins:

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:1–2, KJV)

As a child, I could not have fully understood the depth of those words. But as the years passed, and as I experienced both joys and sorrows, those promises became increasingly precious to me. The assurance that Jesus was preparing a place for those who trust Him has brought me comfort, peace, and hope throughout my life.

Now, at eighty years of age, I still repeat those verses to myself often. In fact, I spoke them aloud again today. They have sustained me through difficult days, encouraged me during uncertain times, and reminded me that this world is not my final home.

As I look back over the many years God has given me, I realize that one of the greatest gifts Mrs. Cross ever gave me was not an academic lesson, but a spiritual one. I will be eternally grateful to her for teaching our class that precious passage from the Gospel of John. I believe with all my heart that God saw and heard the influence she had on the children entrusted to her care, and I believe He will reward her for her faithful service. Certainly, He knows the profound influence she had on me.

Mrs. Cross may never have realized that the words she taught would remain in the heart of one of her students for more than seventy years. But they have. And every time I repeat that precious promise of Jesus, I remember Mrs. Cross with gratitude and thank God for placing her in my life.

Some teachers teach lessons that last until the end of the school year. Others teach lessons that last a lifetime. Mrs. Cross did both.

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.f ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?

Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me?

The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments.

John 14

King James Version