Today was a real reminder of what being a children's pastor sometimes means. My wife and I spent the better part of the day (7:00 AM - 4:00 PM) in the family waiting room with a newer family from our church as thier newborn was having open heart surgery. We had coffee with them; shared stories that were funny, interesting, strange and touching with them; played Monopoly with them; had lunch with them and prayed with them until word came to us that all had gone well with the surgery.
We were tired at the end of the day, today. But, knowing that we had made a difference in just being there to help build thier confidence and faith and to keep them company will see fruit later.
You have got to keep in perspective that a large portion of your ministry must happen in other places other then the classroom or the auditorium. It will happen with people other then just the kids. Today, we not only ministered to a newborn... but, also a mother, father, two grandmothers, an aunt and a few days ago before the surgery we also made an impact on a grandfather and some friends of the family and we have been watching the family's 2 year old at our house during the day for the last few days. What i want you to see is that, we had a newborn, a toddler and a bunch of adults who needed our prayers and hugs more than an object lesson or funny skit.
Don't get me wrong - I won't stop ministering to large groups of kids, doing the fun stuff... I love that, it's my favorite. I am just saying, that you not only have to be able to relate to children, but also the people that drive them to church each week.
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