Ellis Fowler is an aging, mild-mannered professor at a prestigious university for men. He has been a fixture in its classrooms, hallways, and faculty offices for 25 years. At the end of a fall semester, the school’s headmaster informs Fowler it won’t renew his contract. The school desires a younger core of instructors, and he’s forced into early retirement.
Once again, I venture into the land of television and the classic anthology series “The Twilight Zone”. This time, I study a stand-out episode from its fifth season, “Changing of the Guard”. At the shock of such an abrupt end to a multi-decade academic career, Fowler thinks of the vast number of students under his watch throughout the years and if any will remember him.
Later that evening in his living room, he peruses through old yearbooks. He is overcome with feelings of uselessness. He grabs a gun he keeps in a desk drawer and makes his way to the school’s courtyard to commit suicide. A side note to anyone battling suicidal thoughts: I invite you to read this entire post, reach out to a trusted family member, friend, pastor, trained counselor, or contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.
Generally speaking, we wouldn’t resort to something as drastic in response to disappointment, and yet we’ve all had seasons of life where we can identify with Mr. Fowler’s state of mind. We wonder if we’re “spinning the wheel” as the saying goes. To put it another way, we doubt if our lives make a lasting impression for the good.
A biblical figure who could sympathize is the prophet Jeremiah, affectionately known as “The Weeping Prophet”. Why? Because during his tenure in ministry not a single person heeded his message of repentance. Understandably, he grew disillusioned. Hence, he confronted God in Jeremiah 20:7-8, “O Lord, You misled me, and I allowed myself to be misled. You are stronger than I am, and You overpowered me. Now I am mocked every day; everyone laughs at me. When I speak, the words burst out. ‘Violence and destruction!’ I shout. So these messages from the Lord have made me a household joke.” “What’s the use?” we’d say if in the minister’s predicament.
Similarly, this is what Ellis Fowler realizes now with his gun in hand — standing in front of a looming statue of the instructor, Horace Mann, the first American proponent of public education. He utters he has won no victory for humanity, a rebuttal to Mann’s famous quote, “Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.”
Given that he believes he’s at the point of no return, Fowler raises the weapon to his temple to fire, but he is interrupted at the sound of class bells ringing. He walks into the school to investigate and then goes into his empty classroom.
While seated in his familiar chair and trying to make sense of what happened, ghostly apparitions of his former students suddenly appear in the classroom desk chairs. One by one, they tell him how his lessons motivated them to be upstanding citizens when they were alive.
One student said a poem by Howard Arnold Walter which Fowler recited often affected him for the rest of his life:
I would be true, for there are those who trust me
I would be pure, for there are those who care
I would be strong, for there is much to suffer
I would be brave, for there is much to dare
I would be friend of all-the foe, the friendless
I would be giving and forget the gift
I would be humble, for I know my weakness
I would look up-and laugh-and love-and lift
Their stories move Fowler to tears. He taught them about patriotism, loyalty, courage, ethics, and honesty. Afterwards, the students return to their seats and vanish. With his spirit lifted, he leaves with renewed optimism at the prospect of retirement knowing his role in shaping the futures of his pupils.
Whereas Ellis Fowler’s time as a teacher came to a close, God constantly opens doors so that we use the gifts He blessed us with. 1 Peter 4:10-11 says, “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.”’
Whether we are spouses, parents, family members, or friends, God assures the positive investments we make in the lives of others aren’t in vain. As a father, what especially strengthens my resilience in child-rearing is His promise from Proverbs 22:6, “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.”
To us all, God led the apostle Paul to write in Galatians 6:9-10, “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.”
I pray we can cultivate the type of resolve Jeremiah gained at the end of his meeting with God. Coming to terms with the significance of his assignment, he exclaimed, “But if I say I’ll never mention the Lord or speak in His name, His word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can’t do it! (Jeremiah 20:9).”
Who knows? Today could be the day you’ll see the fruit of your labor. Nevertheless, don’t give up. Keep on planting the seeds of love, hope, and truth. Keep up the good work.
Sources:
All Bible verses are taken from the New Living Translation
Website: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Website: New Life Ministries
Biography: Horace Mann
