I met Albert near the end of the school year last year. Not knowing much about him, I have spent the last six months trying to get to know him.

Albert was not one that would have crossed my path had he not been introduced to me by a dear sweet student. She is a student that has been in my classroom for her three years of middle school. We have faced some struggles. We have enjoyed some amazing times. We have found success both as teacher and as student. She knew I would love Albert (and she was right).

Albert does not require a lot of my attention, does not demand my time, but does bring me great joy when I think of him. During the school year, I really only see him during the school day. This school year, we (the one that introduced me to Albert and I) have been watching as Albert has started to gain strength, increase his confidence and find his place in our school environment. He has such great potential, and we both watch anxiously as we wait to see if that potential will bloom into something greater. We will mention him occasionally almost as if both of us are watching out for him and wanting to be there to support him as he meets the different challenges of his life. We want nothing more than for him to succeed. We want nothing more than to celebrate when success comes his way. We want nothing more than for Albert to reach his potential. We are waiting for him to bloom.

Yes, this is Albert. He came with that name (after all he lives in a science classroom). He is a flowering cactus, part of the Cactaceae family with more than 1750 known species. With that many varieties of flowering cactus, one might ask why this particular one gains so much of our attention and affection. He gains our attention because he is our cactus. No other cactus lives with us in our classroom. No other cactus is part of our story. No other cactus is the same. This is Albert.

This reminds me of how God sees each of us. With a current world population of 7.7 billion, God interacts with each of us. More importantly, God knows and wants success for each of us. In a similar way that I know Albert and want him to reach his potential to bloom, God has even a more intense love for each of His children. His grace forgives our shortcomings. His holiness makes us more than we are. His wisdom sees what we can become. He sees us in only a way that He can.

Remember that God loves you intimately and looks for a daily relationship with you. Join Him is His story. You will never turn back.

“You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.”- Psalm 86:5