Renee Ryan is another of the special ladies who write for Love Inspired. I was delighted when she agreed to guest blog today. When I read her posting, it made me think of 2 Corinthians 12 where Paul speaks about how God used weakness to make Paul stronger.

But here’s what Renee has to say!

“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5

When Lyn invited me to blog here today I started thinking about godly strength and what it means to be strong as Christ was strong. I started wondering (and worrying) if I’ve ever displayed the kind of strength he meant when he said, “Blessed are the meek.” I started digging deep into my past to see if I had ever been strong in a situation that could have easily turned ugly with a harsh word or inappropriate reaction.

And then I thought of my early days as a high school teacher. I had a female ninth grade student who decided on day one that she hated me. We’ll call this student, Hope. Now, when I say Hope hated me, I mean she really hated me. I had taken over for another teacher midyear, a teacher Hope had adored. In Hope’s mind, that made me the bad guy. I could do nothing right. She didn’t even like the way I buttoned my coat.

Like many teenage girls, Hope was brilliant at insulting me without actually insulting me. You know the kind. She was a master at the passive/aggressive barb. She pushed me to the very edge of my limit, yet she always stopped one step short of doing anything I could actually discipline her for. After all, if I wrote a referral for every teenage eye roll and dirty look my hand would have fallen off my first day on the job. Miss Hope was smart enough to know this.

No matter how many conversations I had with this girl, she refused to change her mind about me. The school year finally drew to a close and I thought I had seen the last of her. Then my principal handed me my roster for the next year. Guess what name I saw on the roll for my very first class of the day?

I couldn’t believe I was going to have to spend another year with Hope and her eye rolls and thinly veiled insults. I couldn’t do it. I just couldn’t do it. Unfortunately, I had no choice. I was the only teacher teaching that particular subject. I was stuck!

For weeks prior to school starting, I dreamed up all sorts of way to make this kid’s life as miserable as she’d made mine the year before. But I knew I wouldn’t follow through. I was the adult, she was the child. I finally decided to try Christ’s way. At this point, I had nothing to lose.

So there I was, standing outside my classroom, greeting my new students on the first day of school. Here comes Hope strolling down the hallway, staring right at me with a smirk on her face and an ugly gleam in her eye. It was a look that said, “Lady, here I come, your worst nightmare.”

But instead of sneering in return, which I really wanted to do, I smiled at her instead. And I mean, I gave her a genuine smile. No faking was allowed. She’d see through it anyway. Then I said, “Hope, I’m really glad to see you this morning. You of all people know that I’m still really new at this teaching thing. Would you sit in the front row so I’ll have at least one familiar face to look at today?” I meant every word. I just prayed she’d live up to my new expectations of her.

I guess my speech took her off guard. She stopped dead in her tracks, cocked her head and simply stared at me for a full minute. And then, something wonderful happened. She returned my smile and said, “Absolutely. You can count on me.”

From that day forward, Hope became one of my biggest fans. She is and will probably always be one of the best students I’ve ever had.

My heroine in THE MARSHAL TAKES A BRIDE, my current release, is a school teacher as well. Although the set-up is far different from mine, Katherine also deals with people who decide they hate her on sight. I can honestly say, when writing this particular heroine, I drew on my own experiences. J So tell me, do you have a similar story you’d like to share?

Thank you, Lyn, for having me here today. I consider it an honor to share my thoughts on “strong women, brave stories.”

Renee Ryan writes for the Steeple Hill line Love Inspired Historical line. Her fabulous editor is Melissa Endlich. Her first book in the Charity House series, The Marshall Takes a Bride is a February 2009 release. Her next book in the series, Hannah’s Beau hits the shelves July 2009. For further information check out www.reneeryan.com