Rose Colored Glasses Classes

I have the complete privilege of hanging out with awesome kids. I am a Director of Preschool and Children's Ministries. That means every Wednesday and Sunday I get to be with people who are full of energy and creativity.

A dear friend and I get to lead chapel once a week for kindergarten through 5th graders for our Christian school. I think she would agree it's definitely a highlight of the week for both of us. There's nothing like hearing all those kids singing 10,000 Reasons or The Fruit of the Spirit Song.

I recognize my role in the lives of these kids is one of support for their Mom's and Dad's as they raise them to love and serve Jesus. I also know the weight of the importance of teaching biblical truths every time we are together. It might look like we are having extreme fun, well, because we are! But it's fun with purpose. It's fun designed to help kids grow in their knowledge of God and His great plan for each one.

I look around me, and even during the most difficult of days, I see the hand of my grace-filled God. Some might say I wear rose colored glasses. My response to that would be yes, yes I do.

You see God gave those glasses to me.

I believe the Bible when it says God works in all things to bring good to those who love Him.

His Word is true when it clearly says His plans for me are for a future and a hope.

He is a promise keeper and He promised to be with me wherever I go.

So, yeah, I'm looking at life through the lenses of God's supreme presence and promises.

I look for reasons to say, "Do you see it? Do you see God's hand in this?"

And when I have the opportunity to speak with kids, I am quick to remind them of His goodness every single moment of every day.

Last Sunday night with the kids we prayed for a sad heart because her dog got run over that afternoon. We prayed for a family who misses their granddad who recently passed away. We asked God to heal some very sick people we greatly love.

There's no denying life is painful.

Here is where those rose colored glasses classes come in. For every hurt and disappointment we face, we have the opportunity to teach our kids to trust God especially when we don't understand.

We weep.

We mourn.

We get discouraged.

We worry even as we try not to.

But

If we trust God to keep His promises, we will grow closer to Him as we see how He takes ashes and turns them into beauty.

I'm so glad God is faithful and trustworthy. After all, when you really consider it, everything in life comes down to whether we trust God the way we say we do.

If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. As it is, there’s not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we’re not much to look at. We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus’ sake, which makes Jesus’ life all the more evident in us. While we’re going through the worst, you’re getting in on the best!

2 Corinthians 4 (The Message)