So, I coach 7 classrooms in the pre-school program at my church. This means helping all the parents get their kids checked in, making sure all the classes have the appropriate supplies, and essentially just making things run as smoothly as possible. This past Sunday we had our highest number of pre-schoolers at our service ever. Praise God that parents are getting a chance to hear the Word in big church, but man it created a rough Sunday for me.
The kids seemed to have eaten skittles for breakfast as they were bouncing off the walls and were particularly defiant. One 4-year-old was hitting another one and would not stop acting up, so his teacher had to take him into the hallway so that he would not distract the other kids. I tried to talk to him about loving his neighbor, but he stuck his fingers in his ears and mocked me the whole time. I was frusterated.
Afterwards, I was talking to a sweet friend about how frustrated I was with the complete defiance I saw and she was gracious enough to remind me that I am exactly the same. I am given the gospel over and over and yet most of the time I do not live in that truth. God does not cast me out as a lost cause but instead pursues me with divine patience. On those crazy days, it is easy to get wrapped up in the tasks and forget my purpose is to demonstrate Christ’s love to these kids.
Now, looking back, I am thankful for that interaction. How gracious God is to remind me of what he has done for me and I can't help myself but pray for that boy! And, for some reason, I can't wait to see him next week and welcome him back to class. I think God is going to do great things through him!
1 John 4:10-11, “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (ESV)
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