What's Good About the "B"?

Tucked away in a rarely used file is a little stack of mementos from my childhood. Mom saved them for me, and I wouldn’t think of getting rid of them. You may have the same thing bundled up somewhere, but how long has it been since you actually looked at your old report cards? At the end of second grade my report card was quite impressive, especially compared to my older brother’s. I still remember spreading it out and counting all my A’s. They were sprinkled over both pages, like brightly sparkling diamonds in a jeweler’s showcase. I was so proud. If you had 41 A’s on your report card, wouldn’t you be proud? There were some B’s, but I tried to ignore them. What’s good about a B, anyways? Well, it didn’t take me long to learn about humility, as my report card never sparkled so brightly again. Still, through the years, I have had mixed emotions about that letter B. My maiden name started with a B, but I never cared for it. It was an unusual name which lent itself too easily to taunts from other children, and who wants to go through that? On the other hand, if your last name starts with a B, that puts you at the upper part of most lists, often making your wait-time shorter. And then there is my first name. Deborah is supposed to mean a “bee.” I’ve never really known what to make of that bit of information. That leaves me at one positive, one negative, and one ambiguous B fact. Always hoping for a positive perspective, my mind takes off, looking for a more uplifting frame of reference for the B. Once I got beyond my prejudice, some things were quite easy to identify. • “Bravery” is something I have great admiration for, because it is no respecter of persons. Heroes demonstrate bravery in extraordinary events, and are most worthy of praise. However, most of us have occasions in our own lives to act courageously. Facing challenging circumstances head-on, and coming through successfully, is positive and inspiring. • The “Bible” is precious to any Christian. God’s inspired Word, in my hands—such compassion from the Creator of all, demonstrated to me, unworthy as I am. • “Blessings” are like bonuses from God that sustain me as I schlep through a troubled life. Nowhere is it written that God owes me anything, but He continually gives me good things. Sometimes I even recognize and acknowledge them. • “Beatitudes”, affectionately known as the “Be” attitudes. Matthew, chapter 5 gives a concise guide to understanding how to live life, from the very lips of Christ. Do I want mercy shown to me? Then I must be merciful. Do I want to see God? Then I need to be pure in heart. Do I mourn? I can take heart, because I will be comforted. That’s a pretty good start for my list. My search has come to a happy conclusion: There are plenty of very good things about the B.