By Rick Moore
An older pastor was having a late Sunday lunch with a new pastor who had just moved to town. The older pastor asked the younger pastor how it was going. He responded, “Great! We had three people commit their lives to God at church today. How about you?” The older pastor responded, “Very well. We had two and a half people commit their lives to God at church today.” The younger pastor scratched his head for a moment. What is half of a person? As soon as he felt he had figured out the riddle, he yelled out, “I know; you had two adults and one child. That makes it two and a half.” The older pastor said, “No, it was two children and one adult.” You see, many adults only have half of their life before them once they see the light. But a child has his entire life before him. The greatest potential for a great return will always be investing in people when they are young. Remember, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
A church I was working at in New England had just built a state-of-the-art children’s auditorium, and the date of their grand opening was the Sunday before VBS (Vacation Bible School). Over five hundred children signed up for a fun week of sports, crafts and bible studies. During the VBS, we accepted suggestions from adults and children to determine what the name of the auditorium should be. The Monday morning after VBS was over, while I was helping tear down the sets and props in the children’s theater, I was told there was an urgent phone call for me at the front desk. A lady I did not know asked me to come to the emergency room and pray for her son. He was run over by a car and was in critical condition. Neither she nor her son showed up in our church database. After praying for the boy who was in the ICU, I went to the waiting room to speak with his mom and his little brother. She had never been to our church, and her son, who was run over by the car, had never been to our church. However, the little brother who witnessed the accident attended VBS every day. The mother said she did not know who I was, but that the little brother kept saying, “You have to call Pastor Rick to come pray.” After that, we knew for sure what the name of that auditorium should be… The Lighthouse. When the storms of life come, the church stands as a lighthouse, even to those who have never walked through its doors.
There can be times it may seem as if teaching a child doesn’t pay off. Often it is because they do not understand how much you care and want the best for them. Sometimes children do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. It may be you have to quit focusing on what you want them to learn and try new ways to show you care. If you spend time showing a child how to make a kite or paint a canvas with a palette and brush, suddenly that child’s ears start listening to what you have to say. When you have an opportunity to invest by spending more time with your own children, or volunteering to help other children, just say yes.
Rick Moore is Communication Pastor at Destiny Worship
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