God's Light Doesn't Use Batteries

I have the incredible privilege of serving in the kids' ministry at Sojourn, though honestly, some Sunday mornings I need to remind myself that, yes it is indeed a privilege to serve.  More often than not God shows up in great big ways during our time with the kiddos and by the end of the morning I leave feeling rejuvenated and reminded of why I love working with children.  I've been teaching in the elementary class since January, and this has allowed me to get to know a lot of the kids and, to some degree, invest in their young lives.  There's seriously nothing better than a child experiencing God's love in powerful ways so their lives are forever changed.  I'm so blessed that I get to witness that!

This past week I was sitting with the elementary kids in the back of the room where we have all the classes gather for assembly time.  Each week one teacher presents the lesson, and we have a (rather exuberant) time of worship with the kids.  This week the lesson was about walking in God's light, and the teacher started out by walking around pointing a flashlight at himself.  The kids all started giggling, then he told them how he'd read in the Bible about walking in "the light."  Kids love any opportunity they have to correct a teacher so one little boy blurts out, "That light runs on batteries!  God's light doesn't use batteries!!"  It was at that point that I lost it.  Kids crack me up, and I absolutely love their straightforwardness, especially when it comes to what they're learning about in scripture.

Children have a way of seeing some things so clearly that adults see dimly.  It's as if their hearts are more permeable to God's truth and they can hear his voice more clearly since their senses haven't been dulled by years of jadedness that so often plagues the adult population.  There's a reason that Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven belongs to little children.  Every week I'm reminded that kids have so much to teach us about following and loving Jesus.  They ask good questions and don't follow blindly, but their faith is so strong in ways that allude me.  There is an innocence to their belief that I wish I had.  They just get it.  So let me just say that as much as I love teaching and encouraging the kiddos in my class, I feel like in many ways they are doing so much more for me!  And a little child will lead them indeed.