This year, I ventured into serving in the Kid’s club at my church. It is an outreach to pre-K through 8th grade kids in the community. They are fed dinner, and the evening is filled with fun activities and Bible stories. The dedicated organizers and volunteers have successfully brought kids to Jesus through this program.
Almost all of us love kids, this was an easy foray into serving the Lord for me. So, I signed up. Little did I know how rewarding it would be. I do not want to muddle my message by listing out all the ways in which this has been a blessing to me, but I do want to highlight one blessing that has a deep message, one which all of us can use.
This message cannot be conveyed without referencing individuals, so I will conceal their identity by naming the family The Smurfs. No, they are not short blue people. One day, I gave the star of this article, Smurfette a big blue candy that somehow made half her face blue and her mom said she looked like a Smurf. This story is about Smurfette, her Papa Smurf, Momma Smurf and her little sister.
Smurfette just turned 5, she is a sweet shy girl. She somehow mustered enough courage to take my hand and join her group on the first day of kid’s club this year. Over the weeks we have grown closer. At church after Thanksgiving service, she gave me a hug and said, “I am thankful for you”. I was moved. How does this little kid know what it means to be thankful?
In the following weeks, Papa Smurf told me that Smurfette talks about me all the time and Momma Smurf said that “I am her person”. Old me would have thought, “of course! I am so cool, I smell good, my clothes are so chic”. But Jesus would not let me go down that path of prideful sin. He showed me why I was special to Smurfette.
I took a closer look at her family. There are two generations of church going, Jesus loving individuals that are influencing her. Smurfette does not talk much, but when she hears questions about God, she says things like, “Jesus died for me on the cross”. “God loves us”. “God protects us”. It is sometimes hard to have this kid say “thank you” or “please” but when it comes to Jesus, she will not miss a beat. She knows who He is and what He did for her.
The fact of the matter is that we as individuals pick up, absorb and become what we are because of our surroundings. I do not know much about this family, and I am sure they have their fair share of problems. But what I see is a loving family, grandparents that are engaged, a Papa Smurf that loves and adores his wife and children. A provider and protector. When he comes to church on Wednesday nights it looks like he had a long hard day at work but is ready to support his community with his family in tow.
Papa Smurf and Momma Smurf serve the kids of the community. Their love for the Lord is apparent. Papa Smurf hopped up on the stage at church one day to ask us to take down the names of some kids they were working with and told us to pray for them, there was authority in his request. A few weeks later one of the kids we prayed for was saved.
Momma Smurf often sings about Jesus and His love for us, when she is headed down the aisle, Papa Smurf shows his support by whistling at her. One may think it is not something to do in church, but what I see is his admiration for his wife. He has eyes only for her. Whenever Momma Smurf talks about Papa Smurf she sounds smitten by him. They have been together for many years. They are off to celebrate their 20th anniversary at the place they met.
Smurfette’s ability to love others and talk about Jesus with confidence is a testimony of the fruit. The Smurfs love our Lord, love each other, love their family, honor their parents and serve their community. All this is apparent through how their kids are turning out – loving, generous and a joy to be around.
Train up a child in the way he should go,
Proverbs 22:6
And when he is old he will not depart from it.
What can this young couple teach us? They teach us to have Jesus as our center, be the salt. No matter what you teach, make it revolve around what Jesus did for us. Be the light, let the love of our Lord reflect in your actions, words, deeds and your responsibilities. Be generous with your time and effort. Give like someone’s life depends on it.
Dear God,
Bless The Smurfs and guide them through the trials and tribulations of life. May their life be filled with the joy they spread. Guide them to bring You glory now and always. Amen.