Ability vs Opportunity

One message I communicate with my students is that ability and opportunity are not the same thing. They may not have had the opportunity to go to school and learn before. They may not have had the opportunity to learn English before. But that does not mean they do not have the ability.

The moms in my classes come from a variety of educational backgrounds. Some were in refugee camps. Often they do not know which country they will go to until a few days before they leave the camp. Even if there was a school to learn a language, which there isn’t, they would not know which language to study until a few days before leaving the camp. Some come from places where little girls do not go to school. Some went to school but only until the 6th grade.

I share with them that they will discover abilities they did not know they have because they did not have the opportunity before.

Yesterday we checked out Chromebooks for the moms to use. One mom had never touched a computer ever in her life. I sat next to her and showed her how to log in. Then I turned it off and showed her what to do as she turned it on and logged in. We also sent her first email. Then I told her she will learn about using the Chromebook step by step.

Seeing them explore and develop new abilities is a blessing. It also makes me think about Jesus and us. Jesus does not call the qualified to do things. He qualifies those he calls to do things. He empowers those he calls and equips them.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.