NO, I WILL NOT GROW UP

Throughout my life I have been told these words off and on…”Steve, you need to grow up and act like an adult.” I get it, I am an adult. I have a wonderful wife, two great sons, a large ministry with many responsibilities and they are all counting on me. Yes, I get it. There comes a time, as the apostle Paul said, to “put away childish things.” BUT, that does not mean I have to “grow up.”

Recently, I feel like there has been a traffic jam in my head. Too many things going on at once, too many people around me with incredible pain in their life, to many projects that need more of my time, too many things are falling short of its potential, too many fantastic opportunities and choices. There just seems to be no end.

But this is actually an answer to my prayer. You see, I told God I wanted to make a difference in this world. I did not want to just sit on the sidelines and spend my energy on self preservation. I wanted to make a difference in whatever form God choose and in whatever capacity I am capable. So here I am today with this traffic jam in my head. Ideas are stifled, thinking processes that typically require an hour are taking days, frustration is building rapidly.

As I was praying today and sharing these thoughts with the Lord, God took me back to a question. “Why do you do what you do?” Why did I give my life to this ministry? That question took me back to the beginning of my ministry journey. And it is easy to see how being a “grown up” has created some limitations.

If you have been in ministry for a short time this may not resonate with you, but for those who have been in the game for a while you will fully understand this…the longer you are in ministry the easier it is to forget why you are in Children’s Ministry to begin with. Let me ask you that question. Why do you do what you do? Why are you in Children’s Ministry? Is it for the budget spreadsheets? I doubt it. Or is it because of the high pay? LOL  Maybe it is because of all the planning, recruiting, training and the opportunity to talk with difficult parents who are unhappy with your ministry all because their child should have received two Nilla wafers instead of one? Give me a break.

You are in Children’s Ministry because at some point in your life God called you to make a difference in this world by reaching and teaching kids with the gospel of Christ. It is because you want the kids in your church and community to know that God loves them even when the kid in the back of the school bus makes them feel like an idiot. It is because you want these kids to know that God has a plan for their life, not plans to harm them, but plans to bless them. It is because you want these kids to be better equipped to serve Christ in a dark world where sin and temptation are constantly bombarding them. It is because you want to make a difference.

It is so easy to get caught up in being “grown ups” that we lose sight of the fun, the joy and the excitement of Children’s Ministry. For just a few moments today, take a little time and think back to that child like joy and wonderment that consumed you early in your ministry and take it back!

No, I am not going to be a grown up today. I need to recapture the child like anticipation of the cool things God wants to do next and be thankful that He allowed me to be a part of it. I am SO thankful for the opportunities God has in front of me. I am not going to allow the enemy to rob me of the fun.

And you know what, I probably will not act like a grown up tomorrow either. So there! haha