Moments in Leadership - God's Hands

God's Hands

     Something happened at one of our recent club nights that really stood out to me, and so I have to share it with you.  

     It was club night as usual, nothing out of the ordinary until I was approached by one of my Sparks parents.  I knew this parent well, and her child had been in our AWANA club for at least two years, so I was very familiar with the family. I was a little caught off guard, however, when this mother told me that her daughter had recently approached her with concerns that she wasn't good enough for God. Apparently this poor little girl had been struggling with some guilt because she wasn't clear on what God's grace and mercy really meant. She thought she had to be perfect before God would accept her. Apparently, this had become such an overwhelming issue for this little girl that she didn't want to go to AWANA club anymore and seemed a little depressed about it.

     I think this is something that a lot kids struggle with today.  Think about it, in our society we are constantly sending the message that if we do this right, or achieve that, then we will be rewarded or respected, even loved. So, it makes sense why she would have this misconception toward salvation as well. I know as a child, I also had a hard time with this. I can remember when my Grandmother explained the gospel to me for the first time...I was confused.  I didn't understand why God would give us such a gift for nothing, why He would be so loving and kind toward sinners. I just couldn't wrap my head around it, it was unlike anything I had experienced or heard of in my short existence.

     The amazing part of this story, however, is that I had struggled that week deciding on what lesson to give during Council Time. I finally thumbed through one of my AWANA curriculum books and picked a lesson by random. I have to say that I usually don't struggle with lesson planning like this, I usually know what I'm doing and have everything already planned out, but this week was different. I now can look back and understand that it was different because God had His own plans for our lesson that week.

     Our lesson was all about the Grace of God and how we don't have to be perfect to be saved.  Anyone have chills yet???  I know I did!  When that mom started telling me about her daughter's struggles, I immediately thought about our lesson we were about to present and told her about it. She smiled and let out a sigh of relief. We both knew that God was stepping in and had everything under control.

     During our council time lesson that evening, that little girl was front and center, and she began asking questions and sharing her thoughts.  The more we discussed and the deeper we got, the more excited she seemed to become. After the lesson, the little girl approached me and told me that she and her mother had been talking about the same subject at home, but only after hearing our lesson did she really understand. She seemed happy and amazed, and my heart was happy for her.

     I am thankful for experiences like this that remind me just how important and powerful the AWANA program is for the children who attend. When I can see God's hands moving in our club, I feel blessed to have the opportunity to volunteer for such a wonderful ministry. May I never take for granted this blessing in my life and the lives of the children I have the privilege to serve.

For Leaders:

     This moment in leadership has also shown me just how important it is to be present and available for the families of our clubbers.  We often put building relationships with the parents on the back burner, after all, there's so much else to do!  I have been guilty of not thinking I have time to spend talking to parents because I have to see who's here, and get prepared for handbook time, and if we don't start on time then we will be rushed all night.....the excuses go on.

     The bottom line is, we must take time to develop relationships with the parents.  They know their children best and can give us a lot of insight into what their children are struggling with or what their family needs most. It's almost as important as listening to the still small voice that says, "no, we're going to do it differently this week!"  Always seek God's leading, while being present for the parents.