"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."
-- Proverbs 22.6
chris and i watched the kids at church again sunday night. confession: i was really excited about the new sermon series and was pretty bummed when i realized we had to miss the first week of it. i mean, let's be honest, of all the typical church staff positions, or of all the ways to volunteer in a church, probably last on my list would be the children's ministry. i've just never felt like i'm particularly great with kids, and i guess i would just rather hang out with people my age who speak decent english than try to decipher two-year-old quasi-english and figure out how to make babies stop crying.
but oh my goodness, these boys, y'all. we have about 11 kids at prov road -- all age 4 or under -- and 9 of them are boys!! they're seriously SO cute... like can't even handle it cute. they're like little sponges -- super eager to soak up anything you say -- which means they're way into story time. this week, our story was about the seeds and the sower in mark 4. we had an apple and cut it open to show the seeds, trying to teach them about seeds turning into fruit. then, the take-home craft was a little packet of sunflower seeds... somehow, i think they probably went home thinking their sunflower seeds might turn into apples. oops. but here's the deal -- they loved it. they ate it up -- the story, not the seeds -- that could've been dangerous.
i think we have a lot to learn from these little kiddos. i want to be like a sponge when it comes to the words of Jesus. i want to read scripture and be so in awe of it, so eager to soak it up. don't get me wrong -- those little toddlers certainly ask "why?!" a million times... but, unlike me, i think when they ask, they're asking out of curiosity, not doubt. i long for that child-like faith.
"Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."
-- Jesus, Mark 10.13-15
2 comments:
You and Chris are SO good with the kiddos. They just love you all. Thank you for serving our families in this way. You don't know how huge it is.
I remember volunteering in our church nursery in high school and college. There was this adorable little curly-haired toddler I loved to cuddle. I believe her name was Cara Jane something or other... ;) So cool to see the fruit God is producing in her life!
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