Throughout my time in the church, I spent most of my service in children's ministries. I cuddled the babies, sang to 3-year-olds, and taught Bible lessons in Sunday school and children's church. I remember teaching the words and movements to "Deep and wide" and "Zaccheus was a wee little man". I can recall the stories that I told to the kids using flannel boards with little flannel-backed figures. I remember the giggles that I got as I passed out treats, and I can still see little heads bowed as we prayed. Sometimes, I felt well prepared with visuals to display the great stories of David and Goliath or Jonah and the great fish, but sometimes, I had barely made it to church with my own car full of kids. I'm sure that my harried appearance was apparent even to the youngest of them.
Very seldom did I ever know what lasting effect my teaching might have had, and sometimes, I was discouraged about it. But God assures us that He still has a plan, so I kept on. I remember reading the story of a missionary family who went for years without a single convert, but at great price to themselves, they continued through their trials. They claimed God's promise:
Isaiah 55:11 – So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (NIV)
As I checked out Facebook one morning, I noticed that I had a friend request. Since I can use all the friends I can get, I clicked and found that a woman named Susan wanted to be my friend. I remembered her as a shy little girl from a great family of the church. She was very well behaved and much quieter than her fellow students. The next day, I was delighted to get the sweetest message from her. She caught me up on her parents and a bit of her own life, but then, she told me something that blesses me even now as I write this. She said that she accepted the Lord as her Saviour one Sunday morning in my Sunday school class, as I asked the children to bow their heads and pray. I wondered briefly if it was one of my organized days or one of my disheveled days. But right out of the silence, I faintly heard the applause of angels — not for me — but for this one who came to the Lord. On that morning, I knew that God's Word never comes back without doing what it was sent to do. It was definitely worth those harried days, with those rowdy kids hiding under the table as I gave my lesson!
Just remember the Lord's promise when you feel discouraged about serving Him.
Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for the blessing of serving, and thank You for sending ones to share Your impact in their lives at just the right time. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.