What’s that? I look weary this evening? Why yes, yes I am. Today was Bible study, and I helped out in one of the children’s classrooms. I don’t know about you, but few things make me wearier than working with children. I enjoy it; don’t get me wrong. But it’s work. You have to be on the whole time, engaging with them, encouraging them, watching them. It’s rewarding, but you know you’re serving God, that’s for sure.
At least that’s how it is for me. Maybe working with children is totally your thing, and it excites and exhilarates you. If so, rock on.
I got a definite reminder today of what I was doing up in that classroom. One of those times when you practically look up and say, “I hear Ya loud and clear, Lord.”
It was after snacktime. Goldfish and water. Am I the only one who thinks Pepperidge Farm is sprinkling more salt on those lil critters than they used to? I had a handful that just seemed so salty! And I love me some salt, so it’s not that I have a sensitivity to it.
Just wondering.
Anyhow, after snack, we were pretty much done, so the kids were amusing themselves a bit with one of the teachers, while I started cleaning up the classroom ~ stacking the chairs, putting the tables back where we found them, and of course, cleaning up goldfish crumbs. They had one of those miniature broom-and-dustpan sets, so I took care of the crumbs on the chairs, and then started on the floors.
But it was tricky, sweeping the floors. I was in fairly nice black pants, so I was trying to sort of bend, and squat to avoid getting crumbs ~ and maybe dust ~ on my pants. So I swept a little here, and then reached over there, and then stood up and walked over there and did it again. But it was hard to reach everything from a squatting position. I found myself doing a little froggy-style walk cuz I was too lazy to stand up, take one step and squat down again.
And then I realized that there was no way around it ~ I needed to be on my knees to do the job right. I laughed a little to myself as I came to that conclusion. Serving others often means getting dirty, and it can only be done by being on our knees… sometimes literally.
Light Expectations 