As SGLs of preschoolers and kids, how we love our kids NOW is going to play a major role in the adults they become.
When I read this and thought of the fact that we only have about 40 hours a YEAR with our kids, it really made me think about what we are doing with that hour! How are you showing your kids love and making them believe that love?
I’m always telling my small group leaders leaders that their most important job is to just LOVE on those babies and kids! But, let’s be real, what’s not to love about a 3-month-old baby or a smiling first grader? That’s easy to do!
The job gets tougher when it’s a stampede of third graders with the wit of an eight year old but the attitude of an eighteen year old. And they’re running at you at break-neck speed because they think it’s a funny when their combined weight manages to dog pile you to the ground.
~Comment on their “cute bow” or “cool shoes” or “awesome new glasses”. When you do this I promise their little faces will light up!
Is teaching them the Bible story, helping them memorize a verse, dancing with them to the virtue song or worship music, and crafting with them important? YES! However, these will all become easier when a child knows that you love them and trusts you. When you show a child that you love them Sunday after Sunday, week after week, it proves to them their worth! That’s what love over time looks like. That’s where ministry happens.