I LOVE MY JOB!

Recently I've been asked to help lead the profession of faith class for 4th and 5th graders at my church.  Teaching kids about God is one of my favorite things, so I jumped at the opportunity.

This past Sunday was our first class, and I was a bit apprehensive about the class, mentally going over what I was to cover and uncertain of how the kids would respond, especially knowing that 8 or the 9 kids were boys and that a few of those boys could be quite rowdy.

As the kids arrived, I made small talk with them, asking about the highlight of their week, what they did over the weekend, etc.  One little boy walked in and, over the other kids talking, declared that this weekend he had seen Sasquatch.  He then began to detail his big foot hunting adventures, and I began to doubt how seriously he would take the course and how ready he was for it.

And God humbled me through him and the rest of the boys in my small group.  I wasn't sure how these 4 boys would respond to the material, and God pleasantly surprised me.  As we talked about what they hoped to get out of the group, I was encouraged to hear how eager they were to learn more about God.

Wrapping up our time together, God humbled me further as I asked the boys for prayer requests.  I fully expected them to ask for prayers about their pets or a scraped knee or what have you.  No!  The first thing out of the Sasquatch boy's mouth?

"Sharon, can we pray for the people who can't do what we can do?"
"What do you mean, Alex?"
"You know: the people who can't think like us because their brains are broken, or the people, like, who can't walk right or are paralyzed or their legs just won't work."
"Yeah, of course we can pray for them!"
(Another boy in the group piped in) "And can we pray for the people who don't have money to buy, like food and stuff?  And for kids who don't have parents and are all alone?"
(My excitement's growing at this point) "Yeah!  Of course we can pray for those people too, Chase!  Those are really good things to pray for, boys!"
(Another boy) "And can we thank God for letting us have a party for my great-grandma's birthday?"
"Of course we can thank God for that, Evan!  What else can we thank God for?"

Wow!  I expected these boys to be egocentric and they blow me away by asking to pray for the disabled, homeless, poor, orphaned, and lonely, they ask if we can ask God for the blessings in their life.  Wow!  These young, rambunctious boys ask to pray for the things that God has commanded us to pray for.  And they didn't neglect to thank God for all that He's already provided them!

It definitely was a humbling experience.  Not only did I underestimate them, but it also convicted me of how often I forget to pray for the people who God cares so deeply about; I get so wrapped up in myself that I forget about the greater world around me.  Perhaps these young boys will teach me more that I'll teach them through this course.  =)

LORD, thank You for humbling me.  Thank You for opening my eyes to Your truth and Your heart. Thank You for the hearts that You've already given these boys for you and for other people.  LORD, please lead and guide me as I lead and guide them.

As you think of it, please pray for me as I lead this small group of boys (and as my supervisor leads her group).   Pray that they will grow in wisdom and stature as they draw near to God.  Pray that God will use me as a vessel to reveal Himself.  And pray that throughout all of this we will be filled with the love, truth, and justice of God.  Thanks!