My community showed up for us and served without question.

Usually, I am among the first to notice a need and act. That has been part of how God has shaped me for years. Right now, God has placed me in a different season. I am resting more. I am doing less. I am learning to pay closer attention to what truly belongs to me and what does not.

While my physical sight was diminished, my vision gained clarity and focus.

When we see a need and can meet it, responsibility follows. Sometimes we wait for someone else to do what God has placed directly in front of us.

An Acappella song has played repeatedly in my mind during long, wakeful nights as I wait for healing and allow God to refine my purpose. Everybody Said delivers its message with humor, but also with conviction. Everybody assumes somebody else will do the work. Anybody is capable. Too often, nobody acts.

Scripture names that tension clearly.

“If anyone, then, knows the good he ought to do and does not do it, he sins.” (James 4:17)

James is not describing ignorance. He is describing awareness without action. Knowing creates responsibility. Clarity calls for a response.

Seeing a need is not an accident. God often allows us to notice because He has already equipped us to respond. Scripture reminds us of this truth:

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.” (Ephesians 2:10, BSB)

Obedience does not require attention or applause. Faithful action often happens quietly, in ordinary moments, by people who choose not to look away.

Do not wait for somebody else to take action.
Everybody needs to be somebody.

Since the funerals of my grandparents, I haven’t pushed the kids to attend every service. However, there are a few I deem as “important,” not for the sake of how well we knew the individual, but for the sake of showing love to those left behind.

These lessons are not simple but necessary for navigating life. As the adage goes, “No one gets out of this life alive.” No matter the age of your children, be clear when talking about death. Saying “they passed away” or “they didn’t make it” is vague and confusing.

As a Christian, I do not believe that death is the end of the story. However, there is still finality. For our time on this side of eternity, death is permanent. We can no longer see, hear, talk with, or hug the one who has died. Yet we have hope. We can be sad that our loved one is gone, relieved that their suffering is over, and joyful that the story isn’t over. Each of the emotions we experience is okay. It is important to teach your children that they are allowed to feel all the things.

Some services are more difficult than others, just as some losses are more complicated than others. Know yourself and your child(ren) well enough to pick up on cues. Some children are tender-hearted and tearful, some become overwhelmed by the emotions and people in the room, and some may seem stoic and unmoved. Meet them where they are, talk openly and honestly, and give them the kind of space they need. As long as they are safe, I allow my children to go to a different room if necessary.

The last lesson is minding what you say to the grieving. It is enough to say, “I’m sorry for your loss.” You don’t have to say anything else. Remember that Job’s friends were a great comfort to him until they spoke. Do share your memories of the person and how much you will miss them. Avoid asking questions that require the grieving person to make a decision. “Let me know if you need anything” is a nice sentiment, but in grief, a person may not know what they need. Offer something instead. “I’m going to bring a meal over on such and such a date, if that works for you.” You remove a burden but also leave it open.

After my friend’s mom died, we only had a week until ballet performance. I told her I would take care of the meal plan that week since we would be together anyway. She didn’t have to make any decisions; she only had to show up on time—a big enough challenge during grief!

Funerals are not fun, but you can experience joy even in sorrow. Grief is a process. Grief looks different from day to day. Grief comes in waves, some small and others like a tsunami. Some you wade through, some bury you, but eventually, you learn to surf.

Our congregation is small. Most of the time, I have one student. A class with one student is still a class worth teaching. In fact, one-on-one teaching provides opportunities that are much harder to find in a larger group. I can listen to every question, follow his interests, recognize when something isn’t connecting, and adjust the lesson to what he needs that day. The goal isn’t to get through the material. The goal is to teach the child in front of me.

The first and most important “rule” in teaching, no matter the age or size of your audience, is your willingness to listen. The second is cultivating critical thinking and teaching how to find Biblical answers to any question.

At least five times during the class, a child will ask, “Can I tell you something?” I always stop, make eye contact, and say, “Yes.” While he tells me whatever is on his mind, I listen and respond. Because he is typically the only student in the class, there have been times when the lesson is disregarded because what he needs is to cry and be held. There have been days when the lesson is shorter, and he shows me how fast he can run around the table. When we teach children, we must be in tune with their needs. I still talk to him or sing as he snuggles or runs around the room. He knows he is safe and loved when he is with me, even when I set boundaries. Listening does not mean abandoning the lesson. Listening helps us know how to connect what we are teaching to the child in front of us.

No matter what age I teach, I often feel like I gain more than the students. I learn more as I study and adapt to the ages and stages of the children. When I teach, I also learn from them. The observations children make reflect their understanding and experience. Their questions provide opportunities, even for the teacher, to learn and grow.

Teaching children to love Jesus and follow God’s Will is about much more than the rules or a collection of stories and memory verses. Share what the love of Jesus means to you. Share how following God has challenged you and helped you in your life—yes, even with 3–4-year-olds! Help them write God’s Word on their hearts so that as they grow, they understand and apply the rules and stories in their own lives.

Children need more than opportunities to hear us talk about following Jesus. They need to see us follow Him, and they need opportunities to follow Him beside us.

When it comes to serving, I do not tell children they are too young or too little. In my family, my children are included in everything I do. I grew up with this example, so it was natural for me. I enjoy making meals for new moms, someone who’s recently had surgery, or those who’ve lost loved ones. My kids work alongside me, and we often make the deliveries together.

In the Old Testament, we are instructed to teach our children “as we go.” Hundreds of years later, Jesus tells us to “go” and share the Gospel. Go does not always mean leaving one place to do something in another. Go often means taking action right where you are.

My job as a mom is to prepare my children to go into the world. When they are little, you teach them to look (“Watch where you are going!”) and listen (“Follow directions!”). These same lessons hold great value as we grow up and go about in the world. Look for ways to serve, listen to the needs of others, and take action.

Teach them about Jesus as you go. Better yet, take them with you.

As God’s fellow workers, then, we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For He says: “In the time of favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation!

2 Corinthians 6:1–2

“My” Tom Jones was also a singer, though not famous to anyone other than our church family. He jumped into leading singing. One week, he approached my mom and asked if she knew a particular song. When she said she did not know it, he declared, “We’re going to learn it!” So they did. Every time I hear or sing the song, I think of him. Sometimes, we get so used to what we’re singing that we don’t pay attention to the words. When I read the words of this song, it’s a promise and a way of life. The song is “I Love the Lord.”

Tom Jones was diabetic and legally blind, yet he did not make excuses to avoid serving. In spite of his limitations, he created beautiful things through carpentry. Because he was legally blind, he worked from a pattern in his mind. He and my dad made an amazing cabinet (it’s called the Tom Jones cabinet) that now sits in my schoolroom. It’s held everything from toys and stuffed animals to school and craft supplies, batteries, and extension cords and even served as a pantry and bookshelf. It’s been in three states, eight houses, and two storage facilities. He also made my cradle, which is now overflowing with my daughter’s stuffed animals.

He didn’t let what he couldn’t do get in his way. You can wait forever for the perfect time, or you can take action.