Love the Littles
When I left Germany, I was incredibly sad, angry, and overall not happy! You guys know how much I love Germany (I talk about it a lot), and I still miss it just as much as I did the day I left. I don’t know if the longing to be there will fully go away any time soon. But, the initial leaving was rough. Really rough. (Lots and lots of tears) Yes, I still have my moments, but throughout this whole thing I learned that a lot of the reason that this move was so hard was because of the way I was looking at everything.
I was so angry at God, I was frustrated with my dad’s job, and I’m not normally an easily frustrated person. It was really messing with my heart, and the worst part was that I didn’t even recognize it. I remember telling God, “why on earth would you bring me here?! You know how much I was doing for you in Germany? And I going to be able to do the same things for you in the states? There’s no way!”
It took a moment of God speaking to my heart for me to be able to let go of all the frustration I had built up, and little did I know that not even three months later I was going to start leading worship again!
Guys, the moment that I let go of my anger, frustration, and started to give my sadness to God was the moment that he started opening new doors for me and family!
This month in the ZONE, at my church, we’re doing a sermon series called “Emote” and emojis are used as a visual. We’re teaching the kids all about Matthew 5 and the Beatitudes that it tell us about. We’re talking about how our emotions are real, and that it’s ok for us to be angry, or sad, or confused, but that when we give those emotions to God he can use them and us to do mighty things.
Here's a link to watch our Ztv sermons that we watch every week , they're pretty great!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPCGBi0yqc9uWUJD1bHsMLA
The reason that this blog post is called “Love the littles”, is because I’ve realized that sometimes I learn so much more from listening to my little second graders (that's the group that I teach during small group) then I learn when I sit in the sermon with the adults.
There’s a few students in particular that I’ve learned from the most (For safety reasons, I’m not going to share their names):
One girl started coming to our church about three months ago, right after I started as a leader. Her family is from Brazil, and when she started coming she barley spoke any English. Her dad had to sit with her during the entire service because she was so scared But she’s taught me to have an attitude of Joy, and to be ready to learn no matter what I face. This morning the same little girl who wouldn’t talk or participate in small group is singing louder then any of the other kids around her. She answered every question with a huge smile on her face, and even got frustrated when I had to give another kid a chance to talk! She’s a completely new kid. And she’s such a joy to have around.
One second grade boy who I love to hang out with, is very shy. He isn’t as outgoing as most of the second grade boys, but he’s always the most eager to learn. Every week he brings his bible and during small group asks me to find the reference for him. When was the last time that you picked up the Bible and looked at it as an adventure story? As the most exciting book you’ve ever gotten off the shelf? This is the kind of excitement I see in him every week!
Another little girl who I spend a lot of time with wrote me a bunch of notes before service started. Every single one of them said, “Love you!” Every week she asks me if I’m going to be her small group leader, or if she can help me at the welcoming table outside the ZONE! She bring a smile to my face every time I see her, and she’s is such a bright light to everyone around her. And even when she has to sit through both services she acts as though it’s a holiday to be able to be with her friends in the ZONE!!
Guys, I feel like a lot of time when we get older we lose a bit of the excitement bout Jesus and going to church. I’m 100% guilty of this! But when was it that we decided that it’s not cool to be excited about reading our bible or going to church? I think that sometimes we need to take a second and put ourselves in the mindset of a child. Humbling ourselves, and realizing that God is so big, so exciting, and never failing. I want to encourage you guys today! Take a moment today to recognize the sheer amazement of Christ. And maybe pray about where you can be a light and a blessing to some of the kids around you.
Think of a few of the people that influenced you the most in elementary and middle school! Pray about how you can be as much of a blessing to others as they we’re to you!
Thank you guys to much for reading this long post! :) I guess I had a lot on my mind!
I’m so thankful for you guys, and I’m praying for you!
Your friend,
Savannah
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