What Kids Can Teach Us

All of my life, I have always loved being around children. I'm not sure what exactly it is, but I have always felt comfortable around them. I guess a lot of it has to do with my child-like nature. Sometimes I think I'm still 6 years old rather than soon-to-be 23 years old. I spent my days in middle school/high school babysitting. I served with M4 camp in high school during the summers. I volunteered at VBS. I did mission work with children at sports camps and in orphanages. I served with CentriKid Camps last summer and I'm planning on working again this summer. I teach 3 & 4 year olds at the dance studio after school and now I'm a 3rd grade substitute teacher.

This blog isn't about me and what I do though. Because lately I've been learning more and more that none of this life is about me. I've always known that, but as humans sometimes we tend to fall into the trap that we are important and we know it all and we have it all under control. And then it hits us square between the eyes, "No silly, YOU don't have it under control. It's not about YOU, it's about HIM."

So here I am writing about what I've been learning about God through the children that are in my life right now and the children who have been in my life in the past. It's incredible how God uses children to work in the lives of adults. He's showing me that I have to let go of things and allow Him to work in my life. He's showing me to laugh at things that aren't a big deal. He's showing me to completely trust in Him and in His timing. He's showing me how to truly love others and how to serve whole-heartedly. He's showing me how to be patient (and I'll admit, I struggle with it A LOT). He's molding me and I know that He will continue to mold me as the years go on. I just want to share what's on my heart as He does so.

Here's a list of a few scenarios/examples in my life of how God has used children to help me learn more about Him:

1. Faye: I believe I shared this in one of my posts while I was in the Philippines a few years back. Faye was one of the older girls in the orphanage. She did not speak a lot of English and she could be very shy at times. One day, as we were washing dishes, she said to me, "Every morning I pray that Jesus would come back that day." I probably looked shock to hear that come out of a 12 year old's mouth, but I asked her why. She told me, "Because I know how much He loves us and how much better it is in Heaven with Him." I can't remember exactly, but I'm pretty sure there were tears in my eyes.
Faye taught me that we should yearn for Jesus's return. 
Sometimes we don't want that because we want to be more successful, make more money, find "the person" to live with, etc, but if we all just yearned for Jesus more, how much more joy would we have?

2. 10-year-old CentriKid camper: This little girl was so into reading her Bible. She came to me and had every question you could think of about God's word. She wanted to know who wrote every book of the Bible and why. She was so interested in learning more about who God was. She wanted to know all of the stories and wanted to know what scriptures she should read about certain things. Anytime I saw her, she had a question for me to answer.
She taught me that I should desire to be close to God through His word.
There are times when I sit down to read my Bible and honestly have no idea where to turn to, so I literally open it up and just start reading. I'll be honest, I don't know every story by heart and there are some things that still confuse me, but I should desire to read and study God's word.

3. Sophia: I mean, I don't think I've ever seen a cuter group of little girls than all of my dance babies. One of the little girls in the two year old class I taught last semester, didn't talk a lot when she first started coming to dance. As the weeks progressed, she started mimicking things we would say to her and now she talks non-stop. One of things she would always repeat (in the cutest little voice I might add), is "That's silly!" and then she would burst out giggling.
Sophia taught me that sometimes we need to laugh and not worry about things because God has them under control. 
Although she is young, just the simple reminder that God tells us to cast all of our burdens on him because he cares for us is so true. We don't always have to laugh about things, but knowing that we don't have to have everything figured out is good for us to remember.

4. Bubba: He's my little cousin and he can talk your ears off sometimes, but when it comes to prayer, he's got it. I don't think I've ever seen a little boy who loves to pray more than he does. He offers to pray for meals and it's not just reciting the same prayer every time, but it is so heart-felt and genuine.
Bubba taught me that we should want to be in constant communication with the Lord.
It doesn't matter what our words sound like or if we pause in the middle of our prayer, He wants to hear us speak to Him. He wants to know what's on our heart and he desires us to talk to him.

5. Amelia: I used to babysit Amelia and two of her siblings during the week when I lived in Hattiesburg. She was a busy little kindergartener who loved to play outside. One day, she decided that she wanted to learn how to ride her bike without training wheels by herself. We got out in the yard, she hopped on her bike, and I held onto the handle bars for her to get steady. We went around the yard with me holding on, and I knew she was getting the hang of it. I told her she was doing great and could do it by herself and she said, "but are you sure Ms. Brittney?" I told her, "trust me, you've got this. I'll run beside you and I'll help you if you want help." I helped her get started and then she yelled, "Okay, let go!!" She rode her bike all around the yard all by herself while I ran next to her. When she stopped, her face was glowing.
Amelia taught me that God tells us to trust in Him and that He won't leave us or forsake us ever. 
He wants us to put our full trust in Him, and if we stumble, He will be there to pick us up. We have to have faith that he will do what he says he will do. Just like Amelia on the bike, sometimes we are afraid, but God's hand is always there, and He's always running beside us ready to hold on.

6. Braylee and Graci: This is another story about my dance babies. Braylee has a precious heart for a 4 year old. She loves all of the girls in her class and demonstrates it all of the time. One of her best friends in the class is Graci. Graci is one of my dance babies who has Down Syndrome. Sometimes for little kids, it's hard for them to befriend someone who looks and acts different than them. Graci is one of the sweetest and funniest little girls I have ever met. Her smile is infectious. The friendship and love that Braylee and Graci demonstrate is incredible. The fact that they are different does not matter to either of them. They are best friends and it shows.
Braylee and Graci taught me that God desires for us to love His people. 
It doesn't matter if it's difficult to do so. It doesn't matter if other people are or aren't loving people. He commands us to love people. He wants us to befriend them. He wants us to invest in them. He wants us to share the gospel with them.

Although these are only a few examples of how God uses children to teach us things, He uses kids and other people in our lives daily to teach us and remind us of things.
I'm thankful that God is a loving God who desires to be close to us.
I'm thankful for daily reminders of his goodness and his grace.
I'm thankful that I can talk to him and bring my biggest fears and worries to him.
I'm thankful that he hears me when I cry out to him.
I'm thankful that he places children in my life who help me grow closer to him.
Jesus sure does love the little children, and I do too.

-Brittney