This is my favorite question to be asked at ministry.. not.
Little backstory- I hate being tickled. It makes me want to cry, a true hatred.
So fast forward to a couple of days ago. I’m hanging out with my fourth grade homies. They’re making fun of my Spanish, beating me in soccer and occasionally poking my stomach and running away. I guess my reaction to this wasn’t very subtle. Oh no.
The leader of the pack, an outspoken little cutie Fabion walks up to me smirking, “Brock (thats my name here lol) are you ticklish??” and before I even have time to answer he attacks me. In the blink of an eye there’s eight kiddos tickling me. I’m backed into a corner in a fit of giggles and tears, sliding down the wall. I couldn’t just sit there helpless, these sweet little monsters are RELENTLESS.
So I strike back.
Here’s a secret, when you tickle one kid you better tickle them all or they feel left out.
So before I know it we’re running around the courtyard in a full on tickle fight. I swear these kids never get tired so it lasts for about 20 minutes and I am OUT of breath.
The bell rings to signal the end of recess and all of the kids run up to me, grab my hands and calmly walk back into the classroom with me.
Maybe it was the sweet echoes of their laughs (I can still hear the pure joy) or maybe it was the simplicity of the moment, but I will cherish it forever.
The Lord used something so silly to remind me how loved I am. In that 20 minutes, we didn’t speak a different language, we weren’t from different cultures, they weren’t just my students, they were a glimpse of Jesus.
