HOPE....

This month the elementary age kids at The Point Church are talking about HOPE. This past week as we introduced the new topic we talked about the fact that whatever happens we should remember what Jesus promised.

Hope isn't just that word we casually say like.. I hope you have a great day or I hope you feel better soon or I hope I get that new video game. It's so much more then that.

If anyone has ever worked with elementary age kids there may be moments when you have found yourself thinking... I hope they sit still, I hope they listen, I hope they keep their hands to themselves, I hope they get something out of todays lesson. Well... the hope we are starting to talk about is so much deeper then even all of that.

As I taught last week some of those I hope thoughts popped into my head, a high energy weekend before spring break tends to bring on those moments. It wasn't until yesterday when I really realized what exactly that HOPE truly means.

I was heading home from a VERY long day. I was tired and thinking through some things but got caught in a thought, I found myself praying "God help me to use my story more often to impact the lives of others in a positive way..." (something along those lines) The next thing I know I am receiving a text from a friend who had just gotten some rough news. As I listened to her I was quickly reminded of what I had just prayed (legit like 5 minutes (if that) before hand). We talked for like 45 minutes and as we spoke I shared my story of HOPE. I told my friend about my "bad" situations that God some how has flipped and cause them to be "good" and in those moments we went from sadness and tears to smiles and laughter.

Hope doesn't mean that the moments of pain aren't going to come into our worlds it just means that we trust God enough to HOLD on to Him in those moments.

I love what I GET to do. Teaching kids and helping them discover things about who God is and what His plan is for them is such an AMAZING task, it's an HONOR. It's something I don't take lightly and something that brings me more joy then I ever could have imagined.

So what am I learning... I am learning that kids teach me just as much as I teach them and sometimes more, and that life lessons come when I am willing to learn and be taught.