This month has definitely been a month of learning. Good thing I’m the one teaching English, right?! I have the opportunity to teach English to probably around 30 students each day. Now I don’t really have any background whatsoever in being properly trained as a teacher. But somehow, my teammate Megan and I managed to squeak out some lesson plans for what we wanted to teach the kids each week. And not just what we wanted to teach them in English, but what we wanted to teach them about the Lord. And in our eyes, that was much more important. Bonus if they somehow learn a little bit of English too.
Well, the first week, we wanted to teach them about parts of a family and being a part of a bigger family. It began with teaching them the different relationships and members of a family. I was able to share with them my family tree because my family has quite the examples of the different connections and relationships within a family. Megan has quite a bit different looking family tree. So we got to share with them that families look different and that’s okay.
And that’s when my heart got it’s first crack in it this month. As we were talking about families, we realized more than half of our class was either living in the orphanage nearby or didn’t really have much in their families. Most have at least one parent not living with them and taking care of them.
But that made me realize how much more important it was to teach them about what the Bible says about their family. So we taught them the song “No Longer Slaves” by Bethel, which in the chorus shares the important message of being a child of God. And that is what matters most. And the best part is that seemed to be the part of the song that they understood and ended up singing the loudest each time we played it and sang along.
Family on earth is only temporary. But being a child of God is eternal. And there are so many perks and benefits that come with it. Megan shared in her message last Sunday at church Psalm 103. I listened as she read along, but it didn’t really click and become applicable until I read it again later that day. And here’s where I became the student.
Do you realize what kind of perks there are in being a child of God?! I mean He is the King of Kings. We are a part of the most royal family in the history of all history. The benefits are worth bragging about. Go and pick up a Bible and read Psalm 103 to check them out. The packaged benefits in being a child of God include:
- He forgives all our sins.
- He heals all our diseases.
- He redeems me.
- He crowns me with steadfast love and mercy.
- He satisfies me with all that is good.
Those aren’t things to just pass by. He forgives ALL my sins. Not one is forgotten or left behind. He heals me. He redeems me, by sending HIs Son to pay the price for my sin. He constantly covers me with love and mercy. And He is what satisfies.
But wait, there’s more. Then it goes on to share who our Father is. The one who gives us the package deal.
- He is merciful and gracious. [even though we don’t deserve it at all]
- He is slow to anger. [He counts way past ten]
- He is abounding in steadfast love [constant and unfailing]
- His anger doesn’t last forever.
- He doesn’t deal with us for our sins or repay us for them. [no revenge from him]
- So much steadfast love. [it’s worth repeating again]
- He removes my sin from me so far that I can’t ever see it again.
- He is so full of compassion.
I know there are a lot of great fathers out there. In fact we will get to celebrate them tomorrow. And that’s awesome. But tell me. Is there a father on earth that possesses every single one of those qualities? I’ve got some great fathers and a good grandfather, but even they fall short of those qualities even on their best days.
But that’s okay. Because I have an even greater Father who won’t fail in any of those things. In fact He is the perfect example of what a father should be.
So I rejoice. I rejoice as I see the lightbulbs start to turn on and the kids eyes light up as they start to see this and understand what it means. And I thank the Lord that He chooses them to be a part of His family with me. Because those kids deserve to have a Father who is the best Father and will always care for them, especially when their earthly fathers may fail. It just makes me so pumped. That even though our earthly family trees may look different, it’s pretty awesome that are get to be in the same one in our Father’s Kingdom.
