I have a lot of paperwork that’s going to be running on my computer today, which means if I run too many other programs it will take forever, and as result I’m going to have a lot of down time today, so I will post. Evidently, I am not posting frequently enough because Craig has been pointing out to me when it’s time for an update.
My new favorite quote of all time:
Me (to the 4 and 5 year olds I taught last night): Knock knock?
Them: Who’s there?
Me: Banana.
Them: Banana who?
Me: Knock knock?
Them: Who’s there?
Me: Orange.
Them: Orange who?
Me: Orange you glad I didn’t say banana again?
But now time for the part I really like:
4-year-old Jack: Miss. Courtney! Knock knock?
Me: Who’s there?
Jack: Banana.
Me. Banana who?
Jack: Banana I’m gonna eat you!!
4-year-old Spencer chimes in: YOU’RE FIRED Miss Courtney!!!
And then they all proceeded to inform me that I was fired for the next five minutes until I chimed in with “Your Mom’s fired” to which they replied, “YOUR Mom’s fired.” And on and on with a vicious cycle that was only interrupted when I offered to read a story to them.
When I was about ten I spent my first week at Spring Mill Bible Camp in good old Mitchell, IN. I have so many fond memories of camp, probably the most fond being meeting the man I will someday assume the role of help meet for, but of course there’s those other things like midnight raids of the forbidden “boy’s side”, winning at knock out for the first time, and of course, all those spiritually renewing events that go along with a week spent at Bible camp.
But it was also on that first week almost 13 years ago that I would be introduced to a concept via the camp t-shirt that year that would become a huge part of who I am as a Christian. It was an ugly blue t-shirt with the silhouette of a young child and an adult that read, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
I don’t know what it was about that scripture, but I remember, even at the age of ten, thinking, “Huh, that sounds like a good plan.”
And so began my love for working with children, particularly in the church community.
The Bible mentions children pretty frequently. Christ lets the little one come to Him in the gospels, even though others are trying to keep them away. James tells us that taking care of orphans (and widows) is true God-pleasing religion. And we’re told to “be like” children.
“Being like” children has several connotations in my mind. One is to be excited and uninhibited about life and love. Children haven’t yet faced some of the more harsh realities of living in the world, so they don’t walk around afraid to give and receive like many adults do.
Reverting back to an SMBC story, once a week, we take the kids over to the state park across the street and let them play. Some like to go to the pioneer village and play in the stream…but everyone knows the excitement of being 11 for the first time and being allowed to go to the cave! A couple of years ago two little girls named Lauren and Jenna were sitting next to the steam waiting to go to the pioneer village. Lauren and Jenna were a part of a close knit group of friends that came from the same church and were always in my cabin. We asked Lauren and Jenna why they weren’t going to the cave…it’s all they had talked about for the last three years. “Well, Edie and Savannah are still ten, so we’re going to wait one more year so we can all go together for the first time.”
These girls weren’t afraid of giving up something they really wanted for the betterment of the whole. They loved the other girls and they were willing to wait so that they could all experience it together. And let me point out the fact that one whole year of waiting is a long time for an eleven year old to wait.
One thing that really bothers me is when I hear other Christian’s say things like, “I hate children; they’re loud, they needy, etc.” I understand if your passion is not in working with children…that’s ok. I don’t like working with college age students, and probably never will. But disliking the “neediness” of a child is like refusing to take care of a widow. “Well, I know she’s 80 years old and has no husband, but can’t she just get a job like the rest of us?” Children are no different. They can’t help themselves; they need someone to provide for them, whether it is materially or spiritually. They also need a lot of love…even the brats.
How true this is for adults as well. Why can’t we be more like children and admit that we need each other? Why can’t we recognize when a brother or sister is being “bratty” that maybe they’re just starving for a little extra helping of love? I walk around like I’m infallible all the time, when really, I have wounds like anyone else. I need to be taken care of sometimes…and others, I need to be the one taking care of someone else.
I feel as though I’ve been talking about this a lot here recently, and I’m sorry if you’re bored with me. But I just don’t think it can be said enough….we are the Body, and we need to be acting that way. In a world where individualism is truth, where else but the Body of Christ can we turn to for healing and redemption? I’ll get up from my philosopher’s armchair now.
