I'm a P.E. assistant at an elementary school. With the exception of occasional/repetitive stressful challenges, I pretty much really like my job 😀 Kids are fun and hilarious! Laughing is a guarantee in the field of elementary edu. As a result, the Lord is constantly talking to me through the school environment/community.
He is showing and telling me (through these kiddos) how He smiles and takes an immense joy in the diversity of our world. Everyday when I supervise/teach/discipline, play activities and talk/hang out with the kids in the gym and at lunch, the Holy Spirit opens my eyes to the beauty in the variety of students I work with.
There are the kids who are giggling, screaming, sprinting, dancing, twirling, wiggling. Constantly bouncing around and crawling out of their seats or squad spots without permission, asking a million questions. And then, there are the kids who are the quiet wallflowers sitting perfectly crisscross applesause, silently observing.
There are the rambunctious, sassy 4th graders to talkative yet behaving 3rd graders to the goofy and fun 2nd graders, the baby and cutie 1st graders who don't know how to tie their shoes and lastly the rascally, 1st-time in school kindergarteners.
(nope, the kiddos above are not my students, they're Google's plus my job wouldn't be cool w/ that)
There are the ninas and ninos with different hair types/colors: curly, straight, coily, frizzy, wavy, braids, beads, dreadlocks, red, blonde, black, brown. The different races of African American, Hispanic, Causasian, Asian and multiracial. Lemme not forget all the identical and fraternal twins throughout my school, remembering their names and telling them apart (from their shoes, freckles or height difference) and a Phil and Lil! Rugrats was a great cartoon growing up to 🙂 Anyway…
These are not my kids, and I enjoy working with each of them even with the annoyances and their on and off disobedience. If this is how I feel about children who are not my own, how much MORE does God love us and take joy in us? With all our shortcomings, complexities, weirdness and weaknesses?
His Glory is brillantly shown through all of it.
He's been downloading all these things to me for the last couple weeks. Even when I'm having a bad, exhuasting day, I can't stop myself from laughing and smiling when my students want to play spelling games at lunch, surprisingly compliment me (you really like my hair and glasses? Thanks!) or simply want to tell me a joke. It's like God, through them, is showing His fun-loving, thoughtful, goofy side. Complete shared joy in these moments.
With the diversity in behaviors, appearances, personalities, and talents I appreciate in my students, God loves and embraces who we are and how we are different from others as we should also embrace each other and our differences. God is joyful when we enjoy life with carefree kid-mentality, trusting in Him.
I think that's pretty awesome 🙂
Let today be the start of you being less rigid/serious and letting your inner kid run free! Go bounce and twirl somewhere, giggle at everything and blow bubbles with your cousins, kids, nieces, nephews, friends, anyone.
*In Matthew 18.2-6, Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them (the disciples). Then he said, "I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Any anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me."
