Mr. Reuss talks to children...

In two and a half hours a co-worker and I will be talking to a group of 1st graders about what we do for work and how it helps the community. This has forced me to ask myself a good question.

How does my job help the community?

I feel like I could have easily answered that question in the last season of life I was in. When I was traveling around, getting my hands dirty for Jesus, building relationships with the marginalized and lost, spreading the hope and love of Jesus in very real ways. I now am part of a large church as the Outreach Ministry Coordinator for the Emerging Generation. I work with staff and volunteers in the Emerging Generation and encourage an outreach focus within the different specific areas of ministry: Children, Students, Young Adults. My job is to empower the staff and volunteers into having a healthy balance of loving God and loving others in their ministry. If I do my job well, I no longer have a job.

So, I guess you could say that my job is to help people help people?

later that same day

They called me Mr. Reuss (pronounced "royce" - it's German), that was kinda cute, but made me feel old.

we help people help people

In about twenty minutes... that's what we ended up explaining to them, although the topic of conversation also deviated to snowpants, siblings, and airplane-dogs in short but very necessary little outbursts. 1st graders crack me up. They are passionate. They also ask some amazing questions and have absolutely adorable comments that even my abstract mind stretched to connect to what had just been said.

We have a trip to India scheduled at the end of this year, so i showed the kids on a globe how far away India is from the United States. The amazement that audibly filled the colorful walls of their classroom was contagious. Even more precious was the chorus of bright eyed "ooohs" and "aaahs" that came after I said that someday they might even be able to go there and share about how much Jesus loves them. It was as though I just pulled a cuddly rabbit out of a top hat, and could honestly promise them one of their very own someday. Their own rabbit... not their own top hat.

As I am writing this I am starting to realize how important that experience was for me today. Twenty minutes with a 1st grade classroom of little ones who love Jesus. They see things the way I should. When I asked them for ways they can help others out, all their hands pointed up to the sky without hesitation.

without hesitation.

They didn't even consider whether they knew what to say or not... they cared even more than that. They just knew they wanted to help and figured they'd come up with something to say.

Their willingness to act went beyond their ability to articulate the appropriate response.

This is the opposite of what I am used to dealing with.

When it comes to outreach, I can hear the "appropriate response" from people but there is, more often than not, a lack of "willingness to act".

When did we learn to switch that around? Apparently sometime after 1st grade.

"I can share my toys with someone who doesn't have any"

"you can tell a joke to cheer someone up"

"I can bring a friend to church"

"I can walk over to my neighbors house and tell them Jesus loves them"

These were among the many answers represented by those enthusiastic hands in the air. The kids were squirming, just trying to be patient before we allowed them to share an answer. You know that If I would have given the kid an opportunity to actually do what they said, they would have done it in a heartbeat, without a question.

Toys would be shared.

Laughter would begin destroying the grumpies.

A little kid would go to church with his friend for the very first time.

A neighbor would have their heart completely melted away as a little girl in a pink dress and a bright smile said "Jesus loves you" .

I feel like I should make some valiant attempt at encouraging us to all act more like children in our approach to loving others. Honestly, I am not sure what good that would do. I have heard it said and urged hundreds of times before, by dozens of people. I don't think it is about convincing. The children seem to get it, and sadly enough.. the children will probably eventually join the ranks of their complacent role models in the mosaic generation. Maybe in 18 years they will be reminded of how loving and faithful young children are, and how it is a shame that they are not like that.

or...

We might be inspired by the raw and sincere hearts that these children display so freely. Their desire to share kindness and possessions in the name of Christ might actually spark something deep inside of us that resonates.. because it is right. Maybe their reminder to us will be a call to action that paves the way for their future and ours. The way we live our lives now is an example for those little children, and....

Our toys are bigger and we have more of them.

The "grumpies" we can destroy with our love are much more severe and widespread.

We have way more friends, and opportunities to bring them into healthy communities.

We aren't limited to just our next door neighbors, and it might take more than a pink dress and a smile to get the point across.

... but if we approach these things in faith and love and with the willingness of a child, I can't even begin to imagine the impact it could have and what a strong testimony of God's love that would be. God blessed me with that 20 minute glimpse into His kingdom and I am left thirsting for more. So, let's break these cycles and get our hands dirty for the sake of Christ.... if your still not convinced, go talk to a 1st grader and they'll put you in your place.