The Lesson

Yesterday I had to have "the talk" with my son. He is our youngest, so it has been a while since I had to worry about this sort of thing. I suppose I should be grateful that we made it almost all the way to 8 years old before having an incident. Maybe you've been in my shoes before, so you'll understand.  

It was the middle of Kid's Church and it was one of those Sundays that I live for in children's ministry. The kids are focused, their attention directly on me. I've prepared and practiced. This is the object lesson that will change these little lives forever. Dozens of kids will look back and say..."that was the day I got it, that was the day I finally understood the Cross." The illusion went perfectly, and I prepared to launch into the closing statements that would have tears of joy streaming down the faces of the volunteers as little hands began to pop up to accept Christ...that's when it happened...

My son yells out, loud enough for the whole room to hear...."There's a little lever on the handle! She pushes that and a secret part opens!" That's right, the magic change bag trick, illusion shattered, concentration broken, moment not as powerful as I had hoped. I continued on, hopefully appearing calm on the exterior, but inwardly groaning at the loss of a moment.

Later, we had the talk. I explained that as a PK (pastor's kid), he would be privy to information and secrets about what was coming up that others wouldn't be privy to. As such, I would be counting on him to keep those details to himself, at least until after service.  To paraphrase Spider-Man, "With great privilege, comes great responsibility!"

Of course, that talk might have been a little more convincing if I hadn't been struggling to get the words out between giggles.  By that time my frustration at the lost moment had subsided and I couldn't help but find the whole situation rather hilarious! 

Humor aside, I learned a valuable lesson in humility that day. God wasn't surprised by my son's outburst. He has a special plan for each one of those little boys and girls. He doesn't need me to do a single thing, perform a single illusion, or even say a single word to bring these little ones to Him. God simply allows me to be a part of His bigger plan. It is my job to rely on God, be lead by the Spirit and share Jesus...God will do the rest. I'm humbled, honored and encouraged that God used my son to remind me that His plan is so much bigger than me.

So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. (1 Corinthians 3:7 NIV)