WACKY WEDNESDAY WISDOM- It Doesn't Take a King's Ransom

     It was one of those "Aha!" moments for me recently as I watched this lady leave her pew in the church, ascend the steps by the altar, and take her place behind the podium as she prepared to read the daily scripture for the congregation assembled that day. I listened as she read the selected verses and then afterward, for a few moments (forgive me for daydreaming during church, please) my imaginative mind traveled to a time long ago in a distant kingdom far, far away. .
     It seems that in this kingdom, the king had choices like all kings do. He had lots of business to take care of so he hired a Minister of the Purse to advise him and direct his financial arrangements. His mind needed to be stimulated, informed and educated in order for him to remain intellectually capable of sustaining and leading the subjects of his kingdom, so he also hired a Minster of Knowledge to train him in this endeavor. In addition, all the stress of being the King required that he hire a Minister of Diversions to distract his attention away from his duties and provide him an outlet by which he could laugh and enjoy a few anxiety-free moments occasionally.
     A king has lots to do on any given day but he made sure to schedule some quality time with each of his three top ministers. The Minister of the Purse was normally the first to enter the King's palace. His advice about where to store the gold, what items to trade with the neighboring kingdom, and what level of tax burden to place upon his subjects was valuable. The King was pleased with the advice because more often than not, it worked out well when put into place.
     Next the Minister of Knowledge would enter and provide the King with lots of intellectual stimulation, often schooling him in mathematics principles and scientific wonders. The Minister would then take him on a journey through history, reminding him of the triumphs and the tragedies associated with great leaders of the past, insights which proved invaluable to the King. And to finish things off, the Minister read from some of the great classics, greatly expanding the King's mind and his ability to think in multiple dimensions from varying perspectives.
     Finally, the Minister of Diversions would enter. Some days he juggled various sorts of items in the air while the King watched in amazement. Sometimes, if the rest of the royal family wasn't within earshot, he would share with the King the latest Queen jokes being passed around throughout the kingdom. On other days, the Minister would sing songs or act out plays for the King to watch and enjoy. And on a slow day the Minister would simply toss a ball back and forth with the King or play a couple games of checkers to entertain His Majesty.
     Said the Queen one evening at the royal dinner, "It is time for you decide how the royal compensation will be distributed among your closest ministers. You have twelve bits at your disposal. How will you reward each for their service?" The King scratched his chin for a few moments and answered, "Give 8 bits to the Minister of Diversions, 3 bits to the Minister of the Purse, and 1 bit to the Minister of Knowledge." The Queen asked, "Are you sure, my Dear, that these are your wishes? 1 bit seems a rather small amount for the Minister of Knowledge and 8 bits would seem rather large for one who does little more than distract you each day. Why not give each Minister 4 bits?" The King pounded his fist and declared, "My verdict is final, whether it makes any sense to you or anyone else is totally not my concern."
   
     As the organ music came to life for the next hymn, my mind returned from the faraway kingdom and nestled back into the church service where it probably belonged all along. I snuck at glance to my right where the Scripture reader had returned to her seat after her time at the podium. This fine lady had made a lifelong impression on hundreds and hundreds of children in her role as a schoolteacher- and in the process became one of the main professional and personal inspirations for my middle son who is a few weeks away from college graduation, where a nice job that has already been secured awaits him.
     Perhaps as you traveled with me to the faraway kingdom, you were annoyed at the King for his allocation of resources. But alas, you need not look too far away and too long ago to find such a modern example. We do the same thing in our society today. We pay businessmen plenty. We overpay entertainers and sports figures. And we grossly underpay our teachers. Okay, they're not perfect and there's a few of them who have embarrassed their profession, but there are plenty of them out there who love what they do and who do it for much less than a King's ransom. And we should appreciate them more.
     Romans 12:6-7 reminds us that to be able to teach is a gift from God. Teaching is listed right up there with several other essential God-given gifts, yet we as a society have traditionally decided its ranking, at least financially, should be lower than most other professions. But, you might say, the free market dictates what salaries each worker will receive. By that logic, if entertainers and sports stars generate millions, pay them millions. If business investments generate revenue, compensate them with loads of money. Those who generate money should get the money. But I say though teachers aren't generating revenue, they're changing lives. They're molding dreams. They're teaching kids how to believe in themselves. They're setting hearts on fire with dreams for the future. And that's more valuable than any dollar amount a mutual fund or a Hollywood blockbuster could ever generate.
     Thank you, Mrs. Q, and all the others like you, who put their heart and soul into teaching our sons and daughters how to grow to become men and women. Perhaps you're underappreciated in today's kingdom, but you'll be forever appreciated in the Kingdom to Come.