Being Led...

As we are finishing up a missions conference today, I was asked to teach the 5th and 6th grade Sunday School class. I was thrilled to do it, because hey... it is better than the pre school class!! Anyone who knows me knows I barely liked my own children before they were 6.... anyhow!

I got to the class wondering how many would be there with the time change and all. Spring Forward= lose 1 hour of sleep! I went to bed early just to make sure I would be alert. (also anyone who knows me knows that me + mornings = conflict!)

We met in the back corner of the old sanctuary... along with the duct work of the AC unit. It was scary cozy. I really gave any kid props that would come week after week there! No really, it was not bad at all. But we were wall to wall with only 6 people!

I wondered what pearls of wisdom I could expound to these young leaders of tomorrow, and I began to try to remember what and where I was at that age. About 10, 11 years old. Gangly. Unsure. Stringy hair. OK, this is 35 years (!!!) later- surely the kids are different now.

Nope.

Anyhow, back to today... I had a nice lesson planned in my head. Talk about Zambia, show some Zambian stuff- money, grass bowl, carved pen, and then teach a little bit out of the Bible. I picked a small topic. How to know the Will of God for your life. You know, light kid stuff.

As I finished the Africa segment, I was led to Psalms 62... how our expectation is from God, and not people. That was a life changer for me when I really grasped that, and if these kids can get it now... they're way ahead of the game, let me tell you!

Then I went into 4 ways to know how to make a decision and know it is the will of God. This is NOT an original thought for me. Totally pirated from a message preached by one of my faves, Dr. David Gibbs Jr.

After I divulged all the wisdom I could, 9about 3 minutes...!) the Lord led me straight down the path to talk about when one is unwillingly subjected to another's will, and it clearly violates the Lord's will, as in an abusing situation.

Been there before, but how much to tell? Certainly not too much in mixed company, but why did the Lord lead me to open this up in the first place!!?! Believe me when I tell you though this is something I have shared before, it is usually one on one, and certainly not with a room of strangers. Well, I didn't go into any personal details, but suffice it to say there was a young girl who clearly was able to fill in with personal experience. She squirmed, intermittently covered her eyes, and was clearly having a moment right there in the middle of the cozy classroom with the duct work and dust balls.

Wow. We all know or have heard statistics that break our heart and blow our mind, but do I realize every day I meet people who are struggling with abuse on the levels of criminal?

It is something that I know the Lord can bring a person through, and on the other side one can be whole. Really WHoLe... and not faking it or coping.

But in the midst of it... whew.

Pray for "K" with me. She is a fellow bus kid... just like I was. Maybe that is why I am so burdened. I don't know, but today I can't get her off my head and heart.

I really enjoyed teaching, and I pray the Lord was glorified. Today I handed our some spiritual tools, and I hope they will be used by those kids. Especially "K".