Let me first preface this post by saying that there is a wonderful KidMin by the name of Tina Houser. This title and lots of what I am going to say has come from her. I felt it was so very pertinent for us today...and for the New Year. Do yourself a favor and look her up...she is amazing! :D
Just Add Water...to what? For what? How does this apply to Children's Ministry? Allow me to explain...
Have you ever heard of Gel Beadz or Water Seeds? They come in many different names. They are a tiny little seed like thing that is very hard to the touch.
People use them for decoration, in flower jars, for sensory areas in their kid's zone, etc. They are really a lot of fun!
Now, if I want this tiny little Bead to change its form, I could talk to it, I could explain what I want, I could stare at it....for as long as I want to, but NOTHING is going to happen. Nothing will change this little, hard Bead, unless I "Just Add Water".
Our children are a little bit like these Beads. Sometimes we get the wrong idea. We think that in order to get our children to decide to follow Jesus and the Plan of Salvation, we can just KEEP TALKING, or we can try to MAKE them change. But that's just NOT the case!
We also get the wrong idea that by thinking, planning preparing, and constantly working on our class elements, we will get them to make a decision to follow Jesus...but that's not the truth either.
>>> ONLY JESUS can make the change in our children! <<<
Envision this: Each of our children are like one of these tiny, little Beads, but God has planned for them to be a beautiful, finished product. We can't see the end result, can we? Only God can! He has a plan for each and every one of those tiny little "humans".
However...we DO have a responsibility! We must "Just Add Water"!
OK, so what does THAT mean, right?! LOL
The "water" I'm talking about is the Environment with which we surround our children. The Environment that takes them from a tiny, little Bead to a beautiful, finished product. An Environment where they can flourish, grow, and feel God's presence!
Yes, we talk about the room, the decor, the activities, the lesson planning...but it is so much more than that! I am talking about creating a place where children can meet Jesus, sit at His feet, ask questions about Him, and get to know Him for themselves!
Create an Environment where God is allowed to enter the room and has the opportunity to change their lives.
I believe the MOST important part of this "Water" or Environment is the PEOPLE that surround the children.
How do the people in the classroom make the children FEEL ABOUT GOD? How do they help the children EXPERIENCE GOD?
Children always ask questions. Sometimes they even ask questions without voicing them. Here are just a few...
* Can I trust them?
* Do they believe what they are teaching?
* Do they live out what they are teaching?
* Are they excited about serving God?
* Do they truly care about me?
* Do they REALLY know me?
Hopefully, you can answer "Yes" to these questions because that is when we provide the right environment that will help our kids reach Jesus!
Psalms 25:1-2 says: "As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, O God. I thirst for God, the Living God."
We MUST "Just Add Water" in our classrooms and services...or in other words..."Just Add Jesus"! But remember....we are NOT responsible for the Change we want to see in the children. If we are doing our part, it is up to Jesus to do His part...and He will, in His time!
And that's one more thing I want to point out....we may not see the change actually happening. Or, it may look quite "foggy" at some point, like these water Beads. This picture is NOT out of focus. That is what the Beads actually look like, when they are in the process of changing. Things might not seem like they are working correctly; we may get frustrated and even feel we haven't done our job correctly.
BUT...if we "Just Add Water (Jesus)", He is everything that is needed. Don't stress! Let Him do His best work in your children.
Remember: planning, early preparation, variety, excitement, activities, object lessons...these are all part of the process..... But JESUS, along with the PEOPLE in the classroom is what will make your Environment the best suitable place for children to change into what the Lord has planned for them. And His plan is ALWAYS the perfect one! :D
Fill yourself daily with the water of God's Word, because the best place for us to minister is to minister from OUR OVERFLOW! You can't create a Jesus-filled environment, if you aren't Jesus-filled yourself.
One suggestion I have that I am promoting in my KidMin Staff for 2021...
Get yourself a wide margin Bible. And every day, write notes that the Lord speaks to you through His Word. Thoughts of application for you, application and lesson ideas for your kids....fill the margins with ideas for future use. There will be times you can go to your Bible margins and pull out a new lesson the Lord wants you to share with your children. Then one day, you'll be able to pass this Bible along to someone you are mentoring in KidMin, and it will be a huge blessing to them!
Here is a link for the Bibles I got for all my teaching staff for Christmas...shhh!...they don't get them til our kickoff meeting on Monday! :-P
Ladies' Bible CLICK HERE!
Men's Bible CLICK HERE!
>>> Don't Forget! "Just Add Water"! <<<
That's all for now....
I pray you all have a safe and blessed New Year!
Go ahead and subscribe to my site, so you never miss an update...AND receive a FREE GIFT! :D
Oh, Oh, Ohhh!!!!! I almost forgot....I have a surprise that is just about complete! :D It is specific to Children's Ministers, Sunday School Teachers, anyone that works with kids.
And will help you with planning and accomplishing things in 2021. Any ideas? :D
Stay tuned!
God Bless,
Sara Vojtasek & Joel's Vision Ministries