Children – Growing Up in the Lord

The Untaken Picture

Angela — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 14:55:43 +0000

This summer, my congregation held a Bible Circus-themed Vacation Bible School. Lessons included Deborah, the Not Bearded Lady; Samson, the Strongest Man; and Daniel, the Lion Tamer. For many years, I’ve taught the memory verse and application session. This year, the two youngest groups were not only the largest classes, but the largest we’d ever had. Imagine teaching a dozen 4-5-year-olds a memory verse each day. Even though this group was a circus of its own, their joy and excitement outweighed the chaos.

In every class I teach, no matter how many students or their age, each person gets an opportunity to share. Even if I can’t understand them, I look them in the eye and listen as they speak. I use each person’s name and meet them where they are. No one leaves my class without being seen, heard, and loved.

A few days after VBS, my kids left for church camp, and I was alone much of the day. I spent my extra time helping children and teens create bulletin boards and door signs for the new Bible class year. I planned about four hours for the first group, but we finished in less than two—including taking down the old boards and cutting letters and large shapes. I expected the second group to take about two hours, but it took a little more than four.

The two groups differed greatly in personality, organization, and efficiency, but I enjoyed each person for all their individual talents and quirks.

I rarely remember to take before pictures. I occasionally remember to take pictures in the middle. I always remember to capture the finished bulletin boards.

Interestingly, the finished bulletin boards are visible reminders of something much greater.

It’s not about the “mess” of creating the bulletin boards. It’s about the conversations with the kids, the joking and laughter, and sometimes the quiet moments that remind me why being present matters. I’ve built this trust over years, simply by being present and listening. For some, that began when they were babbling toddlers and preschoolers.

Some moments are simply more important to experience than to photograph.

In both a room full of excited preschoolers during Vacation Bible School and an afternoon with a handful of older kids creating bulletin boards around a table, the lesson is the same.

God is often working in the unseen moments between life’s milestones. Those moments rarely make it into the photo album, yet they’re the ones that shape our hearts.

Teaching the Children: Friendship

Angela — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 15:26:59 +0000

No inhibitions. No prejudices. Nothing to prove. As I watched a group of 3–7-year-olds during Bible class, I witnessed the beauty of connection. Children of different backgrounds and skin tones sat shoulder to shoulder, holding hands during the puppet show. No one told them to do it. They simply did what felt natural. Throughout the forty-five-minute class, they experienced connection to the Bible lesson and to one another. Friendships at this age might only last the length of a class or a week of VBS, but sometimes, these humble and simple beginnings grow. What if we kept some of that openness with us throughout our lives? I’m not saying everyone you meet should be a close friend, but we have no reason to greet new people with animosity, distrust, or an agenda. Yet how often do we live that way as we grow into adulthood? Somewhere along the way, we lose the simplicity of asking, “Hi, want to play?” or “Let’s sit together.” Instead of enjoying the opportunity of the moment, we seek barriers to relationship. What if our adult relationships weren’t filtered through status, suspicion, or self-interest, but through the lens of shared presence and curiosity? Children aren’t perfect, but in moments like the one above, they remind us of something we often forget as adults: we were made for connection. Romans 12:10 says, “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” As we grow, experience teaches us to be more guarded. We learn to protect ourselves based on our experiences. We start to divide by differences and assume motives in everyone we meet. Jesus repeatedly drew His followers’ attention to children, even placing a child among them when they argued about who was greatest (Matthew 18:1–5). While we are also instructed to guard our hearts and minds, we don’t have to barricade ourselves against relationships. What if the secret to deep friendships is childlike openness? Imagine workplaces, communities, congregations, and even social media outlets where our first instinct was to hold hands, not build fences. What would change if we saw every new introduction as an opportunity to say, “Let’s be friends”? The next time you meet someone new, lead with curiosity, kindness, and a love that doesn’t need to be earned. Perhaps a simple “hello” can turn a stranger into a lifelong friend.

Who do you see?

Angela — Tue, 27 May 2025 02:53:43 +0000