Wednesday, 11^th January, 2023

Bible Reading: Colossians 4: 7-13

Memory Verse: These are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision (Jewish Christians), and they have proved to be an encouragement and a comfort to me. Colossians 4:11b (AMP)

Many times we celebrate the hero but forget to celebrate her coach. Many times, we celebrate the main actor, but fail to celebrate the director of the movie. Anne Sullivan is one of such coach and director to Helen Keller. 

1. Anne Sullivan is one of Perkins School for the Blind best-known students. After graduating from Perkins in 1886, she traveled to Alabama to educate Helen Keller, and remained Keller’s instructor, interpreter and friend for 49 years until her death in 1936.

2. Sullivan had a childhood of Dickensian squalor. Her parents were impoverished immigrants who fled the Great Famine in Ireland. She became almost blind from a bacterial eye disease when she was 5. Her mother died when she was 8, and her father abandoned her and her brother. They were sent to the Tewksbury Almshouse – an overcrowded home for the destitute – where her brother died a few months later. The experience roused in her. She wrote later, “not only compassion but a fierce indignation” for the plight of poor and marginalized people.

3. She got an education because of her spunk. In 1880, Massachusetts launched an investigation into the Tewksbury Almshouse after reports of abuse, cruelty, and even cannibalism. When the State Board of Charities sent official Frank B. Sanborn to inspect the school, Sullivan jumped in front of him, saying, “Mr. Sanborn, I want to go to school!” She was sent to Perkins School for the Blind.

4. Sullivan’s fierce determination helped her succeed academically, but her quick temper and willingness to break rules almost got her expelled several times. But she persevered, and graduated as class valedictorian.

5. She remained embarrassed about her poor and unsophisticated upbringing throughout her life. She was extremely conscious of her crudeness, and because she felt inferior, she carried a chip on her shoulder.

6. Sullivan learned finger-spelling from Laura Bridgman. A graduate of Perkins, Bridgman was the first person with deaf blindness to get a formal education. 

7. Mark Twain was the first person to call Sullivan a “miracle-worker.” The famous author was annoyed that people wanted to meet Keller but ignored her extraordinary teacher. That inspired the name of the iconic movie about Sullivan and Keller, “The Miracle Worker.”

8. Sullivan married John Macy in May 1905 but not until after she had turned down his proposals multiple times. The two separated in 1914, but she retained her married name, Anne Sullivan Macy.

9. Sullivan has been portrayed by more than 20 actresses in movies and TV shows. The most memorable performances include Anne Bancroft in “The Miracle Worker” (1962).

Moral Lesson: Never forget to appreciate and celebrate all those who were part of your success. Be grateful and thankful in cash and in kind of every help received.

Prophetic Decree: Receive a heart of gratitude, in Jesus mighty name.

Prayer Focus

1. Thank you Father for today’s devotional.

2. I bind and cast out every spirit of ingratitude, in Jesus’ name.

3. I receive a heart of gratitude, in Jesus’ name.

4. I reject and renounce over-sensitive spirit, in Jesus’ name.

5. My character shall not separate me from my destiny helpers, in Jesus’ name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Job 29-31