The Macro Men (by Luke)

Yes, it’s January 5, 2011, and this is my first post of the new year. I really wanted to write sooner, but writing takes inspiration, and lately, that inspiration has been missing. I look forward to its return.

Have you ever noticed when cartoonists want to take a little break, they either rerun old comic strips or they have their kids take over? Well, seeing as I already ran some old material (Lessons Taught by Neo), I decided that the kid method was the only way to complete the task. So, this week I will be posting some stories that Luke wrote for me (and the rest of the family) for Christmas. Since I am a word-lover, Luke’s words of insight and understanding delight me greatly. What an appropriate gift! Thanks Luke.

Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.

1 Corinthians 4:5

The Macro Men

There were two kids in my Macro class that I noticed come in every day. One had maybe cerebral palsy, or some disease that affected his movement. He always asked too many questions. There was another, from India, that tried to dress like a gangster. I don’t know why, but I didn’t really think I would like them, and I didn’t think they would really care for me either. I didn’t realize it, but I judged them.

For our first Macro test, I planned to study at the library with some of my Chinese friends. Maybe because of my lack of clarity, or because Chinese culture is just different, neither guy ended up showing up. I was wandering around the library and who do I see but Jeremy and Gupta. I walked up and asked if they were studying Macro, and they were, so I joined them. Although we studied, I learned more about these guys’ lives. Jeremy was from Florida, decided after high school that he didn’t want to go to college. But after four years of the work world, he was sick of delivering pizzas. He came to Iowa on some freak full-ride scholarship and is majoring in economics. He understood the material really well, but just wanted to help anyone he could. I talked to him at the end of the semester, and he probably has a higher grade in the class than me. Gupta was originally from India, but lived in the UAE most of his life; he was struggling to get the material. I talked over lunch and each of us just fed off of each other, and I got to ask him a few questions about the report I was writing.

God absolutely shattered my preconceptions of these two guys just by meeting them. I talked to each of them after this occasion multiple times and wondered why I had originally judged them harshly.