reflections on this week
Many things have happened in my life this past week. For starters, I began my job at Office Depot in Lee's Summit. I don't have a lot to say about that. It seems to be a good job, although I haven't seen anything yet that would lead me to call it a great job.
We did a Vacation Bible School in my church, which was lots of fun. I was in charge of the music and the games. We really had all kinds of kids who came out to learn about Jesus. My pastor's wife wrote the curriculum this year, and it was an absolutely fantastic curriculum. We (the church) are all encouraging her to sell it publicly on her husband's website.
On the last evening of VBS, during the last prayer, all the students and teachers stood in a circle and held hands. As we did that, I thought of the ironies of the students on each side of me...
Holdng my right hand was Daisy*. Daisy is three, almost four, years old, and really quite mature for her age. She's very outgoing and will get along with almost anyone. She finds abundant joy in the tiniest things and will befriend almost anyone. She is very teachable and very eager to learn. In spite of being the youngest student in her VBS class, she's usually the first one to answer a question. She's an ideal student.
Holding my left hand was Linda*. Linda is ten years old and in fourth grade. She has ADHD and cannot hold still for anything. She will commonly interrupt the teacher while the teacher is teaching a lesson. If she is given a challenge at which she might not succeed, she will cry. Even when we are praying, she is still jumping up and down, looking at the other people in the room, and perhaps trying to whisper to others in the room. She will often distract other students - during songs, during lessons, during crafts, whenever. If she doesn't get her way, she will cry. If she feels that he has been treated unfairly, she will cry. If she doesn't want to do something, she cries. If she wants attention, she cries. She is, to say the least, a difficult student.
And as I pondered this, I thought, you know, God loves both these kids equally. God loves Daisy because she is His little girl, with the sweet smile, and so God has blessed her with the gift of befriending other people (even complete strangers!), even as a three year old! And God loves Linda because Linda is also His little girl, with an abounding energy. Even if some things are difficult for her, God still has a really awesome plan for Linda. And the amazing thing is, God loves Daisy and Linda exactly the same. As a teacher, it's easy for me to prefer Daisy, because she is obviously easier to teach! Or, perhaps, it would be easy to prefer Linda, because she always has lots of energy. But God doesn't prefer either of them. He doesn't love either of them more than the other.
Kinda boggles my mind when I think about it relative to myself. There is nothing I can say or do to make God love me any more or less. I could be like Mother Teresa, having done lots of great things for God's kingdom, and that wouldn't make God love me any more. Or I could be like Osama Bin Laden, having committed so many sins against God, and he wouldn't love me any less. Obviously those are extreme examples, but it's still amazing - nothing I ever say or do will change God's love for me. How awesome!
*Names have been changed.
We did a Vacation Bible School in my church, which was lots of fun. I was in charge of the music and the games. We really had all kinds of kids who came out to learn about Jesus. My pastor's wife wrote the curriculum this year, and it was an absolutely fantastic curriculum. We (the church) are all encouraging her to sell it publicly on her husband's website.
On the last evening of VBS, during the last prayer, all the students and teachers stood in a circle and held hands. As we did that, I thought of the ironies of the students on each side of me...
Holdng my right hand was Daisy*. Daisy is three, almost four, years old, and really quite mature for her age. She's very outgoing and will get along with almost anyone. She finds abundant joy in the tiniest things and will befriend almost anyone. She is very teachable and very eager to learn. In spite of being the youngest student in her VBS class, she's usually the first one to answer a question. She's an ideal student.
Holding my left hand was Linda*. Linda is ten years old and in fourth grade. She has ADHD and cannot hold still for anything. She will commonly interrupt the teacher while the teacher is teaching a lesson. If she is given a challenge at which she might not succeed, she will cry. Even when we are praying, she is still jumping up and down, looking at the other people in the room, and perhaps trying to whisper to others in the room. She will often distract other students - during songs, during lessons, during crafts, whenever. If she doesn't get her way, she will cry. If she feels that he has been treated unfairly, she will cry. If she doesn't want to do something, she cries. If she wants attention, she cries. She is, to say the least, a difficult student.
And as I pondered this, I thought, you know, God loves both these kids equally. God loves Daisy because she is His little girl, with the sweet smile, and so God has blessed her with the gift of befriending other people (even complete strangers!), even as a three year old! And God loves Linda because Linda is also His little girl, with an abounding energy. Even if some things are difficult for her, God still has a really awesome plan for Linda. And the amazing thing is, God loves Daisy and Linda exactly the same. As a teacher, it's easy for me to prefer Daisy, because she is obviously easier to teach! Or, perhaps, it would be easy to prefer Linda, because she always has lots of energy. But God doesn't prefer either of them. He doesn't love either of them more than the other.
Kinda boggles my mind when I think about it relative to myself. There is nothing I can say or do to make God love me any more or less. I could be like Mother Teresa, having done lots of great things for God's kingdom, and that wouldn't make God love me any more. Or I could be like Osama Bin Laden, having committed so many sins against God, and he wouldn't love me any less. Obviously those are extreme examples, but it's still amazing - nothing I ever say or do will change God's love for me. How awesome!
*Names have been changed.
posted by Tidy Bowl at
8:57 PM
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