What in the world are you doing in children’s ministry ?
Have you ever gone through your old stuff so that you could throw away what you needed and keep some memories too? This past week I was going through my most treasured memories both on physical and hard copy and a nostalgic feeling gave me some chills and a sense of hope. Every time we look at memories, we journey through the paths of our lives that really have made us who we are.
My biggest memory was how I got into this life called ministry. Growing up as pastor’s kid, church was the last place in my list of things I wanted to be. I wanted to be a pilot, fly planes, travel around the world, own a huge house overlooking the beach with a cigar in my hands but God had a different plan. After being a consistent volunteer at my then church for a long time, some of my mentors and friends suggested that working in church was something that I would be interested in. For months, I played Jonah with God with the whole idea of working in church until one day one of the staff at the church dared me to try their internship program for at least six months.
Months turned into a year and before I could realize it, I was already on the staff team serving in the children ministry. There is something about working in children ministry that no class, training, book or six steps will prepare you for that you will learn but simply interacting with the kids. Kids are just so honest with how the feel, so free to say what is on their mind, so curious that they see the world different yet so adorable you forgive them all the time. In my next chapter, I will be sharing more on how my children ministry experience shaped the person I have become today.
In June of 2013, a colleague of mine and I were invited for a kid’s summer camp at our partner church in the United States, this is the year my children ministry experience moved into being missional. From this experience, God began opening doors for me to explore Asia, Europe and America while still serving him and being shaped into the person He wanted me to be come at the time.
Looking back at this simple journey that I have summarized most of, I began shedding tears realizing how God was with me in each step of the way. I remember the nights I got so tired after doing kids club, serving kids on a Sunday, I remembered the many times I burned out because I was so drowned in ministry I never paced myself (I will be writing a chapter on burning out).I remember the times my friends and I spend nights writing curriculum (story for another day), I remember preparing bins for volunteers to a time I would be left alone in the entire organization. I remembered the times I went to bed crying for God to show me what he was doing in my life. My friends were already in college pursuing the so-called careers in life when I was busy with Children, so they said. I remember crying after a friend asked me what was wrong with my life and what I was doing working in children ministry.
The truth is, we all don’t know how life will turn out for us. We are all in pursuit of purpose and every day we rely on God to reveal to us how He really wired us. Someday, you will look back and wink at God and say “I see what you did there, thank you” when you realize that He was with you. See God made us and has always wanted a relationship with us, the sad thing is that, we human have always tried to run away from Him, but He has been there with us and has never left us. Whatever you are going through today, begin changing your perspective to see what God is doing in you and through you. You may not understand it now but someday you will see that the journey was to prepare your God given purpose. Learn to look back so that you can appreciate tomorrows struggles. God loves you so much and wants to do great things in you and through your life.
I clearly do remember the refining process that has made you gold