I could tell when he walked in that he was going to be a handful.
"Defiant" is a nice way to say he didn't want to listen to what I or any of our volunteers had to say.
He got into trouble several times during his first visit.
He was very insecure and went to desperate measures to get our attention and feel important.
He called several kids names and even uttered several "curse" words.
This past week, I had several parents complain to me about him. Their kids were the ones he had called mean names. I understand where they are coming from. I can't allow kids to bully or call other kids names. Of course, I agree with them. It will not be tolerated.
Some kids are simply not easy to deal with.
I get it.
But....there is something else at play in this situation. Something that trumps my tolerance level. Something that trumps banning the child from coming back.
It's the fact that Jesus loves this kid.
It's the fact that God calls us to love the unlovable.
It's the fact that God wants us to be a place where kids who are broken can come and receive the love that comes from our Heavenly Father.
It's the fact that every kid matters...including the ones that don't fit into our little box of correct behavior.
I spoke with the child's father this week. He shared with me that they have tried church after church after church...looking for a place where he would be loved and accepted. They haven't found that church yet.
I want to be that church for them. I want to be the children's ministry that every child can come to and know they are loved and accepted. I want to be the children's ministry that cares for children...even the ones who are hard to "manage."
I am reminded of the one lost sheep found in Luke 15.
Ever thought about it like this. The sheep that got lost had wandered away from the rest of the sheep. It was the sheep that was a troublemaker. It was the sheep that couldn't seem to follow rules like the rest of the group. It was the sheep that gave the shepherd anxiety.
But the shepherd didn't give up on this sheep. He went out and found Him. He spent whatever time it took to find the sheep. He went to where the sheep was. Yes...it cost the shepherd some extra hours. It was inconvenient to go and find the sheep. The sheep had to have individual attention. The sheep was frustrating at times. The sheep caused the shepherd to lose sleep.
Why couldn't the sheep be like the other sheep? Why couldn't he follow the rules and stay in the pen with the other sheep?
This causes me to think about my commitment to reaching the one child who is like that sheep.
Am I willing to go outside of my comfort zone to help this child?
Am I willing to invest my time to help this child?
Am I willing to do whatever it takes to rescue this child?
Am I willing to travel down the second mile to reach this child?
Back to the phone call with the father.
I shared with him that we loved his son and would be there to help them. We want his son to be part of our children's ministry. He will only be able to attend every other week due to shared custody.
I look into the future and see this kid accepting Jesus into his life one day. I look into the future and see this kid as a committed follower of Jesus one day. I believe God has plans for this kid. I don't know yet what that plan will be, but I will be there to help him find God's plans for his life.
I have a feeling that as you have been reading this, a child's name and face came into view. You have a child like this in your ministry. Yes...he or she has to have extra attention. Yes...he or she gives you anxiety at times. Yes...he or she disrupts the class on a regular basis.
Don't give up on that child. God wants to use you to change the course of that child's life. Get a vision for what that child can be one day through God's grace.
The kid that no church wants to deal with...be the church that opens your arms wide to embrace this child. One day soon the child will be grown and will share how God used your love and acceptance to make the difference in their life.
