Another Sabbath is over and a new week awaits me. Today I had the privilege of experiencing dealing with kids, not that I haven’t dealt with them before but today really tested my patience! There are 3 families that make up our missionary team, plus us two student missionaries. So after eating Sabbath lunch I kinda helped keep 3 of the kids occupied. 3 kids, aged 7, 6, and 4. What an afternoon! We started with a bible game, then did some bible questions and then a puzzle of Noah’s ark. After having worship to end the Sabbath, I read two stories to them and then let them color. During those few activities which spanned maybe 4 hours, I can’t count how many times I had to ask them to talk quieter, stop aggravating each other, wait to answer until I call on the, stop talking while I’m reading, share, stop arguing and trying to tell each other what to do! Individually they’re really good kids, but put the 3 together and its a recipe for disaster. They always want to out-do each other and get the other in trouble. At any given moment one of them is saying, “Aunty Alexandria she did this or he did that or he’s not listening, etc etc etc!” By the end of the evening my patience was waning and all I wanted to do was make them sit in separate corners and stare at the wall so they couldn’t disrupt each other. In the end kids will be kids. Apparently they’re gonna try their best to bother each other and prove themselves as the best and get each other in trouble and boss each other around. They’re kids and they’re learning and its the responsibility of parents, aunts, uncles, older people to teach, guide, and show them the proper way to behave even if they’re getting on our last nerve and we want to just end it all and punish them.
In this I see how God is with us, His children. It’s different, yet so similar. I’m sure that if we were to look through God’s eyes we would see how silly, annoying, obnoxious, and childish we act. Always try to blame someone else for our actions, wanting to prove ourselves to be better people or Christians that the person sitting on the pew in front of us. We’re very effective at knowing how to grate on each others nerves and boss each other around, just because we think we’re more righteous or holy or sanctified that the next person. But unlike us humans God’s patience is lasting and doesn’t get tried as easy. I’m sure God sits and looks at us and wonders if we’ll ever learn to stop acting so childish and silly. Instead of getting aggravated and just giving up, God looks at us with the tender compassionate eyes of a Father and gently corrects us and tries to guide us in the correct way. Like a loving parent who only wants the best for their child and doesn’t want them to go through life fighting over silly stuff with the people they interact with….God wants what is best for us and wants us to learn how to act as Christians, and more importantly as His children. Children are a reflection of their parents and God corrects and reproves us so that daily our we will be changed to look and act more and more like Him until we reflect His character perfectly, by the grace of God.
So I thank God for being patient, loving, and extremely slow to anger and aggravate when I get to acting like the kids were this evening. What a patient God, and for this I am ever grateful because I know at times I can act really childish and want to try to prove myself better than the next person instead of helping that person. God help me day by day to be less like child like and reflect His character more.
And a big shout-out to all you parents and teachers out there, especially my parents! I’m sure dealing with your kids, especially if you had more than one was no walk in the park. Being a parent is not easy and its a huge responsibility. Patience is truly a virtue that one learns when dealing with kids!
~Alex
Thanks for all your prayers! Please continue to pray for the work here among the people of Guinea. Changes are taking place in the church and its good! Pray for the country of Guinea. Also pray for me as I go to the hospital to shadow during the week, that I’ll be a light to the people I come in contact with and that when and if I’m asked questions about Christianity or my beliefs I’ll have the words to say…in French :)
No comments:
Post a Comment