I remember when she was in 3rd grade. She was always up front, talking out when she was supposed to be listening. And if you gave her any space, she would create her own program and take over the service. Other kids looked to her. She was a natural born leader.
As a teacher, it would have been easy to label her as a trouble-maker or someone who couldn't sit quietly and listen. But the traits that some would consider misbehavior were actually just her trying to express the gifts God had placed inside her.
You see, a few years later, she's still in that class talking and leading...but from up front as the teacher. She's a teenager now and those gifts are shining bright as she impacts the lives of many kids each week. I was reminded of this last week when I watched her leading the program.
I'm so proud of the leader she is growing into. God has big plans for her and I'm thankful for the leaders who saw what she could become and invested in her when she was a child. This is a great reminder that when we look at the kids, we should view them as God does. We should see all the potential God has placed in them and see who they can become.
I'm reminded of the song "A Shepherd Boy." Remember the words? When others saw a shepherd boy, God saw a king. It's a reflection of the story of God choosing David to be king when he was still just a lowly shepherd boy.
I want to encourage you to see the kids in your ministry for who they can become. The little girl who won't stop talking...see her as a lady one day who will boldly share her faith at work. The little boy that is always climbing over the chairs in the room...see him as a missionary who will one day climb a mountain to tell an unreached people group about Jesus. The pre-teen boy that seems to always be the ringleader when the boys get into trouble...see him as a Christian leader who will rally others to make a huge impact for the kingdom.
There are pastors sitting in your classroom. There are business leaders in your nursery. There are missionaries jumping up and down in your preschool rooms. There are Christian doctors in your 3rd grade class. There are entrepreneurs dropping pennies in the preschool offering who will one day invest millions into God's work. There's a little girl singing who will one day be a great worship leader who leads thousands into the presence of God. Can you see them?
Remember in Judges 6, when God called Gideon. He called him a "mighty man of valor." At the time, Gideon certainly wasn't a mighty man of valor, was he? He told God he was the least of the least in his country. And from man's point of view, he was. But God saw what He could become and called him to step into that destiny. And that's exactly what God wants to use you to do for the kids sitting in your class.
When you begin seeing kids for who they can become with God, it will totally change the way you view the children in your ministry.
Seeing Who Kids Can Become
7:48 AM
Dale Hudson
