Love and Other Musings

I got a text at about 8:45 this morning informing me that a few of our Sunday school teachers weren't going to be able to make it due to the ice.  This meant that 1st-12th grades were going to be without Sunday school.  I didn't actually see the text until about 9:15 or so because I didn't have my phone on me.  This meant that I had approximately 30 minutes to get a shower and get over there to look at lesson plans.  Yes, I could have cancelled SS for the teachers, but not only would that have been unfair to the parents, but SS is vital for our kids.  I also couldn't fathom trying to find someone else so last minute... my first response was, "ok, let's do this."

Can I be honest about something?  I do NOT enjoy teaching kids under the age of 12.  Yes, I can do it.  Yes, I've done it plenty of times before.  No, I don't like it.  It's not my forte.  The busyness of that age group stresses me out and the inattention is beyond annoying to me.  This doesn't mean that I think their love for the Lord and their education is unimportant.  There will never be a time when I dismiss a group just because I'm not great with them.  That's just not how Jesus responds to people.  He doesn't dismiss me because I'm obnoxious and high-strung, therefore I won't dismiss children.

I got into the elementary classroom, found the lesson, and prepared to teach.  Since the high school teacher wasn't able to come, I was trying to figure out a way to make the kids' lesson relevant to the older kids as well.  I only had a few older kids come and they were very gracious as I mainly focused on the younger ones.  All in all, I felt like the lesson went pretty well.  We finished a little faster than I wanted to... mostly because I'm not great at drawing out such simplistic lessons.  I generally think and plan for a much different  level of logic and reasoning.  So as we finished, the older ones went to find food and the younger ones just started getting into EVERYTHING.  Ugh.  After a few minutes of free play, I decided I needed to take control of the room again.  I set up a game that we play at youth group sometimes and we played that for the last 10 minutes or so.  

By the end of my time with them, I couldn't stop smiling.  The stress was gone and the atmosphere in the room was very light-hearted.  They really enjoyed the game.  More than that, I think they felt so cool and important because the youth pastor, who only hangs out with the big kids, was spending time with them.  I entered the room so worried about connecting with kids that I don't spend any time with and trying to think of ways to relate to them, and left the room beyond encouraged.  I know it's common to their age group to kind of just go with the flow, but I was amazed at how they just welcomed me into their classroom.  They weren't bothered or thrown off by such a change.  They just went with it.  I'd do it again, if it was absolutely necessary.  I'm definitely not gifted in working with kids younger than 12 years old and it's still not something I love, but I sure did love my time with them today.  I love their innocence.  I also love that they think they are sneaky and can get away with things... not on my watch, kids.  I taught in an elementary classroom for a couple of years... I know all their tricks.

By the time youth group rolled around tonight, I felt relieved to be back in my element.  Such a sweet affirmation.  Senior high in particular was a sweet time for me tonight.  I felt like they really understood the lesson and took it to heart.  This coming weekend we're heading off on our winter retreat and I'm excited to get some renewed momentum for my program.  Prayers are much appreciated!

Aside from my adventures with the kids today, this weekend has pretty much gone as I expected it would.  The Yield service on Saturday was a huge blessing to me.  Every single week, it's what I most look forward to because I love seeing God take over and move... in spite of me!  My abilities are minimal, but His are huge.  I spent a great deal of time (unnecessarily) stressing out about my sermon this week.  The silly thing is that I knew just what God wanted to get across because He gave it to me, but I was scared of messing it up.  What a ridiculous amount of credit I give myself.  As if I could stand in His way!  As the service started and the Spirit took over, everything was lovely.  We always pray a few times before the service starts and no matter how common the prayer becomes, it always centers everything on Christ.  I'm so thankful for my ministry partner who is ever encouraging and gracious... even when my high-anxiety, craziness takes over.  What an amazing blessing to serve with him.

Just this afternoon I was thinking about how changed I am as a result of those around me.  They always tell me how much I've affected their lives and that the impact I've had is huge, but I don't think they realize just how much they've done for me.  I've never been more challenged, yet more encouraged than I have in the last two years.  I've been pushed, yet there are times I've been carried.  I've also done the pushing the carrying.  I am forever changed.  God has truly ordained a special team and I LOVE being a part of it.  

On a totally different note, Friday, before going out and even on my way home, I was thinking about real, true, and unconditional love.  Not the cheesy, Hallmark-induced love, though.  As we were out, I observed lots of different displays of love.  It got me thinking about people who don't know the love of Christ.  It really and truly baffles me how people live without knowing His love.  Without Christ, is love ever really unconditional?  How can it be?  No one can be that completely selfless without Jesus, can they?  How beautiful is His love?  How complete and perfect?  I guess I'm naive, but I really don't understand how marriages that aren't centered on Christ work out.  Please understand that I'm not judging those of you who don't claim to know Christ... I'm truly curious.  

I've somehow been stuck on 1 John 4:7-21 for a few months now.  I guess I'll keep exploring this passage as I rest in God's love and continue to learn how to love others with love that's been perfected in Him.  Here it is...

"7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.

13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. 16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.

God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other because he loved us first.

20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? 21 And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters."