I’m Not a Kid Person
I’m not a kid person.
For those who know me, this is a statement that rolls off my tongue frequently. It’s often followed by, “Jodie, you love kids. You hang out with them all the time,” corrected by, “Wrong. I love kids once they hit that awkward 11 year old age because they make me feel better about my awkwardness that hasn’t left me in my 20’s.”
Teenagers steal my heart. Kids have never had a draw for me. They puke, poop, whine, and have snotty noses often. EWWW.Regardless, I’m just letting you know on the front end that I am a person who has always said although I do believe in the value of KIDS! at One Life, it would be the last place I would ever choose to serve. Just a couple months ago, I received an e-mail from my friend Randy Privette, who had asked me if I could help fill a small group Leader role in Henderson on Easter Sunday. Immediately my heart sank a little. Honestly, after giving myself a pep talk, I responded and agreed solely because I feel like as one of our staff, I want to help serve our teams in all capacities, not to mention his daughter is in my Student small group, and extra brownie points never hurt anyone.
So, I’m automatically thinking, “Great, I hope he sends out this curriculum soon because I’m sure it will take forever to prepare…These kids are going to be soooo ADD…It’s going to be the longest 75 minutes of my life…Oh wait, make that 95 minutes because I have to be there 30 minutes before the actual service starts.” Did I mention I really don’t enjoy kids? Especially when they come in masses…
Man, was I in for a surprise! Mid-week I received an e-mail from Randy with curriculum for Sunday morning. Within 10 minutes I had thoroughly read through the plan for small group leaders, and felt overly prepared for what I needed on Sunday. TEN minutes….That was it! When I showed up on Sunday morning Randy gathered all the kids leaders together for a few minutes, and it didn’t take long to see the value of ownership and teamwork among the group, not to mention it’s awesome to get to rub shoulders with some outstanding leaders in our church. A culture of belonging…who doesn’t want to be a part of that?
We broke from team huddle to get in place to greet our kids, and I began to prepare for the chaos. As parents walked their kids into the room, the excitement on their faces was obvious. Many of them had never seen me before, but they probably did a better job welcoming me into their circle than I did inviting them into mine. The activities were EASY, the hour flew by, and guess what? It was FUN! A lot of fun!A couple weeks later I got an e-mail from Randy asking if I could fill in as a small group leader a few times this summer for leaders who will be on vacation and such. Not only was I looking forward to it, but I felt honored to be asked. This past week in the 4th/5th grade group we had a young boy who came for the first time. As he walked in and saw all the super hero decorations, he looked around in awe and then looked at me as he set on the floor and exclaimed, “Wow, I’ve never seen a place appreciate kids this much!” That comment is one that will resinate with me forever. I left church that Sunday wondering how is it possible that at each of our campuses we still have a shortage on small group leaders?? How do we not have a waiting list of people who are throwing their arms up wanting to love the next generation in a very tangible way? It’s who we should naturally become as we experience Jesus.Here’s the deal: Our culture is constantly influencing the next generation. However, connecting them to a consistent leader who believes in God and believes in them is something our church can do that nothing else in the culture does. There is no better way to shape the the faith of the next generation then to connect them to caring adults who will be present in their life. If you’re reading this, you have something to offer that no one else can. The question is, will you step out and say YES to the next generation?