It's nearly midnight on Thursday, and I should be asleep, but I'm not. Tomorrow is my last day as a crew leader for Vacation Bible School at Nativity. I have a very sweet crew-ages 5 to 9, girls and boys, with a personality range as long as the horizon. They have been having fun, and so have I. I am very tired (exhausted might be a better word) but it has been good for me in so many ways.
I think one of the reasons I love little kids so much is that they give me permission to be kid-like. Without that permission, I know I wouldn't do things like dance. I don't dance at all under normal adult conditions. I also colored today for the first time in a long time. The only part of my experience that is not kid-like right now is my right hip. You try sitting "criss-cross applesauce" all day long when you are used to a desk and a padded chair.
I believe that ministers who are really growing as true servants of God would always admit that they get more out of serving than they give. In fact, I wonder if that ought not be the litmus test for service-are you getting more than your giving? If you aren't changed for the better by the experience, are you really the minister that you should be?
Tomorrow I say goodbye to my crew and the ache in my hip. But if you've ever seen a child really rejoice in God's love, then you know that I hope I don't say goodbye to those wonderful, childish qualities that children can instill in us, if we only let them.
It's taken me nearly a month to read this entry (sorry Kathleen), but I want you to know how much this resonates with me. It reminds me of Mark 10:15: "Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all." God - and kids - give us permission to be kid-like and uninhibited, especially in terms of our faith. Once we let go of our fears, anger, guilt, and things that seemingly don't make sense - and we allow the Holy Spirit to fill that empty space - we are able to experience faith like a child. A m a z i n g!
ReplyDeleteCool thinking about the litmus test, too... You are absolutely right!