"Why do you waste time serving children, dude? It's not like their lives are all messed up or that they will even understand Jesus." This is the question I was asked from someone at McDonalds after I spent an entire week serving at VBS and countless hours preparing to give children the best week of their lives.
That hit me straight in the heart. Until that moment I had never thought that people saw my time spent in Children's Ministry as a waste of time. I had never thought that I was seen as a space filler and babysitter. I had never thought that people saw what I did as useless.
I told him I serve because that is where God called me to go. It does not matter how old you are, God can move mountains in your soul. There is no age requirement to understand the love of Jesus. There is no set age at which your life can finally be in shambles. There is no cut off age for hurt. There isn't a single moment that I have spent in ministry that was wasted.
I serve children because to me there is no greater joy than seeing a child's smile. There is nothing better than seeing their hearts healed, seeing their lives filled with purpose, hearing their voices praise God. I'm not an over glorified babysitter with a fancy title. I'm planting the seeds of the gospel so that when the time comes God will open their hearts to his glory. I don't serve so that you can have a few hours away from your children. I don't serve because it makes me look better. I don't serve because it's fun. I don't serve because there is always a need for me. I serve because this is where God wants me. I serve because this is the place where disciples are made. I serve because this the place where hearts first find Jesus. I serve because this is where an unconditional love for God is found. I serve because this is where wonder and amazement have no bounds. I serve because this is where the most faithful believers can be found. I serve because this is where I found God.
I serve because these children are our future. I serve because they deserve to have someone fighting for them. I serve because they deserve to have all the tools to find their savior. I serve because their hearts are misunderstood, looked over, and forgotten. I serve because in churches where immediate results are so heavily sought after, they are left behind in the dust. I serve because I don't need to see someone saved after every lesson because I know their hearts move slower. I serve because I don't know what God is doing but I know His mighty power is working wonders. I serve because in the end everyone needs to hear God's word, and I want to make sure children know his love.
