Several people, including Christians, have asked me before why I would waste my time and talents on kids instead of working with adults. At first glance one might take offense at this… but I guess it just gives me a chance to remind them about the heart of God. Jesus said,
“Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.’ And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them”. Mark 10:13-16
I guess when I look back on my life thus far I really have ‘wasted’ my life on kids. From the time I was a child myself I was helping with the kids ministry. At age 12 I was helping teach Sunday School…by age 17 I was directing our church’s kids choir. I studied Children’s ministry for 4 years and then went on to do outreach with kids in Philadelphia for 3 years. I taught in several Christian schools, counseled at countless kids camps, worked as a kindergarten teacher and a nanny, and then went on to be a children’s pastor for the last 4 years.
I realize now that when I signed up for the World Race I signed up for even more kids ministry…just on an international level!
In India I worked with children with severe mental and physical disabilities; in Nepal I worked with kids whose mothers had been sold into sex slavery; in Romania I worked with orphans and gypsy kids; in Moldova I worked with neighborhood kids who had no hope; in Swaziland I worked with children who had lost their parents to AIDS; in Mozambique I worked with kids suffering in poverty; in South Africa I’ve worked with abused and neglected kids living in Housing Projects; and next month in Thailand I’ll be working with street kids and girls who have been rescued from prostitution.
When you think about it, children’s ministry is just like good preventative health care. Think about it…most of our issues as adults stem from things that happened to us as children or our experiences in adolescence. The majority of people that come to know the Lord will do so before the age of 12.
And besides that, KIDS ARE AWESOME!!
Here is a quirky missional video that explains it better than I could: Enjoy!
