Unknowledge ≠ Unresults

The idea of building the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, was conceived in 1160 by Maurice de Sully. Three years later, the foundation was laid; however, construction took approximately 200 years. De Sully was long gone before the manifestation of his inspiration. He never saw the completed structure. Did you catch that? Construction took 200 years!

Sometimes, I think we are too incentivized, needing a guaranteed successful outcome before acting on what we feel is right and important. Contrary to the natural desire to know the result, some of the most impactful people never know how it all turned out . . .

Fortunately, her children had maneuvered their teen years without interacting with the police . . . as far as she knew. Her experience with the juvenile detention system was nil, yet here she was sitting in one of two uncomfortable plastic chairs crammed into a small room with a small table. The room had two doors opposite each other, neither of which had doorknobs.

What was she thinking? Why did she think her student would want to see her, especially here? She was probably the last person Braden wanted to see. It would be very embarrassing for the officer to inform her that her incarcerated student refused to see her. Why did she do stupid things like this, thinking she could help? She began looking around the room for a phone or intercom, some way to communicate that she had changed her mind about the visit.

Most of the meaningful communication between her and Braden had been conducted on his written assignments. He had shared some horrific, true stories and reflections in his writing, and she had struggled with what to write in response. He often came to her room just to read or work, but they had never engaged in deep, meaningful conversation.

Suddenly, she heard the beeping of a touchpad and the door she faced opened. Braden entered the room and the guard announced that he would return for Braden in 30 minutes. Her heart broke as she saw the embarrassment on her student’s face; he looked at the floor and took his place at the table.

The first words of her practiced conversation did not tumble out as easily as they had in her head. Before she could make sense of what she was trying to say, Braden offered that he was finishing the novel assigned in class. He had found the book in the detention center’s library. What followed was a conversation she had never imagined. Braden began talking about the protagonist, the antagonist, the role of the motif, and the symbolism of the book. She was not prepared for such an academic discussion in this setting, but thoroughly enjoyed the topic, nonetheless.

Braden said he planned to read to pass the time; he figured that would be the best way to avoid getting into trouble and the fastest way to be promoted to the facility across the street that offered more freedom.

The teacher looked at the young man and said, “I’m so proud of you, Braden.”

Braden looked incredulously at this woman. Why would she say something like that? A torrent of words then poured from the sophomore student as he confessed to his actions leading to his arrest, admitting how wrong it was, and at the same time confessing that it had felt like instinct. His dad had taught him to commit crimes – not just taught him but had spent hours training him. As Braden continued pouring out the activities at his dad’s house these past few months, the hurt and anger settled deep in the teacher’s heart. The father should be behind bars, not the son.

At an inopportune moment, the door opened, and the guard announced time was up. Braden stood up and thanked his visitor for coming. He didn’t look back as the guard led him away.

The teacher followed another officer towards the exit sign, battling a mixture of heartache and a guilty sigh of relief that she had made her visit; she had fulfilled the demands of a constant nudging that had dominated her life since the moment she had been told of Braden’s arrest. However, her weekly visits continued for four months until Braden’s court date and transfer to another facility.

I would like to tell you that when Braden was released from prison, he became wildly successful and stayed in touch with his teacher, but I honestly don’t know what happened to Braden. The unknown ending of this story is the point of this story.

We all have been frustrated waiting for the result of our efforts, but time goes on only giving us the *unknowledge of the outcome. Unknowledge does not equal *unresults. Have faith!

*Yes, sometimes I think I’m Shakespeare making up words and yes, I know that un- is used with adjectives and verbs, but I put it in front of a noun. Please just go with it!

It may take a couple of lifetimes before God is done using one act of kindness. Be a Maurice de Sully.