To Teach Is to Learn and To Learn Is To Teach

Today, a very wise and adorable eight year old said, "I had a math test, so I prayed before it because I didn't understand any of it, and then I still got it wrong!" Her words were so genuine and innocent I couldn't help but laugh. We assured her that God was not ignoring her, nor had he abandoned her. Though I'm not convinced either thought actually ever crossed her mind.

I have recently decided to embark on a new journey, volunteering to help teach Sunday School at our church, and I'm really excited for the opportunity. Today the lesson was that when we need help, we should ask for it, and sometimes you have to ask more than once. Matthew 7:7 says, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." If the answer appears to be "no," then the answer is not really no; but rather, the answer is simply something else. In this little girl's case, the answer is to seek another way to understand the math she is trying to learn. Hopefully, if she keeps asking for help, she'll eventually find a way that makes sense to her. God doesn't just make things happen, but rather, like a parent (or some parents), he guides us and encourages us to live a life of vigor. He encourages us to work hard, to love, to be forgiving, and his answers are in those virtues.

This was my first Sunday with these kids, and I was so inspired. Their innocence and honesty was incredibly refreshing, and I was reminded of how much parents and caregivers rub off on their kids without us even realizing. At one point one of the kids prayed that Hillary Clinton would win the election, and a couple others then prayed they wouldn't have to move to Canada. It was very clear where these kids' parents sided, and it was both endearing and eye-opening.

So, I'm truly very much ecstatic to have the opportunity to grow in my faith with these kids, because I know I am probably going to learn more from them than they will from me...but hopefully they'll learn something from me!

BIG LOVE & HUGS

Love,

Justine